In celebration of International Dot Day, students across Grundy Avenue Elementary School expressed their creativity through a number of challenging activities and engaging artistic projects.

Dot Day is a worldwide celebration of creativity which arose as a byproduct of the Peter H. Reynolds book, “The Dot.” The book depicts the story of a little girl who is shy about expressing her artistic abilities. Following some encouragement from an art teacher, she becomes inspired by a tiny dot she put on a piece of paper and from that dot creates multiple works of art.

After reading the popular book, third-grade students in Angela Coffaro and Allison Poffenbarger’s classes both participated in a dot-themed STEAM activity that emphasized design concepts and teamwork. The student groups were asked to design and construct the tallest tower they could utilizing multicolored dot stickers and index cards. As the students continued through the activity they were encouraged to identify design flaws and work together to develop alternative designs. Also joining in on the Dot Day celebration were second-grade students in Tricia Troise and Kerri Krouse’s class who crafted unique masterpieces starting from a single dot on a piece of cardstock.

In an additional activity, second-grade students in Tara McCormack’s class joined their fifth-grade book buddies in Briann Degan’s class for a collaborative STEAM activity. In groups of four, the book buddies were asked to build a structure out of Dots candy and toothpicks that could effectively hold the weight of a textbook. Throughout the activity the students used the unsuccessful designs to brainstorm amongst their peers and incorporate problem-solving techniques to accomplish their goals. 

As the day continued, the Dot Day celebration fostered a creative environment buildingwide and emphasized the importance of individuality through each student activity.