September 15, 2012, By AnnMarie Thomas
Shortly after joining Maker Ed, I was at the library with my four year old daughter, and came across “The Dot” by Peter H. Reynolds. This charming book tells the story of Vashti, who doesn’t like art class. She meets a teacher who convinces her to try making a mark, any mark, on the page. The book resonated with me as many of its messages are ones that the maker education community believes in: the power of creativity, the idea that you just need to jump in there and try, and the importance of exhibiting/sharing your work
I’m posting this today, as it is International Dot Day! Kids, teachers, parents, and other educators around the world are celebrating by making their own marks. In our house we decided to take on a challenge set by Peter on Twitter: “Something for kids to ponder: Could u design an invention/robot to paint dots?” My daughter’s (or “dot-ter’s”) answer is: YES! Here is our Makey Makey + Scratch + silverware creation.
On Twitter and the International Dot Day web site, Peter and others are sharing kids’ dot day creations from around the world. Share links to your own in the comments below.
Happy Dot Day!
That story is one of the reasons my son (5 yrs) likes to paint/draw or just try things. He will say to me, “well I have to start somewhere”
Clayton- What a wise 5 year old you have! The two follow up stories “ish” and “Sky Color” are also great. My two daughters (a bit younger than your son) really enjoy them. The 4 year old is making a series of dot drawings based on the book!