Tessellation Explorations Into Art, Geometry and Nature
Wednesday, May 19, 2010 at 5:20PM 
Summer is almost here, but we are still exploring the mysteries of mathematics and working hard at our house. This week our daughter explored the magical world of tessellations. This was totally new for her and she has had a blast! She loves art and possesses an aptitude for math. So, I knew this would be a great way to merge her two interests. I wanted to keep it simple and allow her freedom to explore, create and connect.
With many of our lessons, I try to find ways to integrate technology into our lessons. I feel there are so many powerful tools available that serve to enhance the learning process. I was excited to find a few great resources to assist in this most recent exploration. Check it out!
Fun Links to Explore:
Tessellation Lessons and Supplies
The exploration centered around her visiting the sites and completing the following challenges.
- Research and define tessellations in your own words.
- Tessellations are all around us! See if you can find three examples found in nature. Make it fun by including pictures.
- Explore the work of M.C. Escher. Include your favorite works of art.
- There are lots of online tools to help you create your own works of art. Create and share!
I wanted the final project to be created in Google Docs and emailed to me. I am trying to "teach paperless" as much as possible. I promised her I would share her final work.
As an educator, it is rewarding to watch students make connections. As a math teacher, it is even more exciting to hear students (even if they are your own) say math is FUN! This lesson provided our daughter with a way to connect math to her interests and to see math in the world around us.