Coming up with original ideas to celebrate Dot Day is not always easy, especially when you celebrate it every year with Kindergarten, First and Second Graders. I enjoy rereading the story with the students each year, but each year I need to come up with a different project that celebrates dots, circles and the like.
Luckily, I have been in 4 different schools in 10 years because of how life has worked out. This has made it a little easier to celebrate Dot Day year after year without having to come up with new ideas.
First, let’s talk about what Dot Day is.
What is Dot Day?
Put simply, Dot Day is a day (September 15th ish.. this year I celebrated really late!) that celebrates creativity based on story of the picture book The Dot by: Peter H. Reynolds. The story of the dot has seemed to take on a life of its own and is a way to celebrate the creativity that is inside ALL students. There is an entire website dedicated to the celebration of Dot Day with great ideas and ways to get involved with this international celebration.
My Favorite Dot Day Projects
-
Tie-Dye Coffee Filter Art: This project creates such cool designs and leave the students amazed at their beautiful artwork.
- What you need: Coffee Filters, Markers, Spray Bottle filled with Water
- What to do: Each student decorates a coffee filter with markers. The coffee filter represents their dot, and they are allowed to decorate it in any way they want. (Don’t forget to have students write their name in pencil somewhere around the edge of the coffee filter. I made that mistake quite a few times!)
- When they are finished, you simply spray the coffee filter with water and watch the colors spread and run together.
- You will want to hang the coffee filters up to dry for at least 15 minutes. I usually keep them until the next class or create display out of them!
-
Give Away Your Dot
- What you need: A circle template evenly divided into 4 quarters (I use this one. Just save the largest one as an image and then print!), scissors, glue, construction paper, markers, crayons, stickers, any materials that students can use to decorate their dot!
- What to do: Each student decorates their dot however they want to. Then, each student will cut their dot into 4 even quarters (I like to tie in a little Math here!).
- Students will write their name on the back of each piece.
- When everyone is ready, each student will choose one quarter of the circle to keep, and then will put the other 3 quarters into the center of the table.
- The students will go around the table, choosing a quarter of the circle (that isn’t their own) until all students have 4 quarters.
- Students will then put their quarters back into a circle and glue it on construction paper.
- You can have student’s title their creations.
These are two fun and easy projects that the students always enjoy. Hope they can help you celebrate Dot Day with your kids!
