Hamm Elementary recently celebrated their first Hamm Hero Dot Day as a part of International Dot Day: a global celebration of creativity, courage and collaboration inspired by Peter H. Reynolds’ book The Dot. Hamm students used their creativity to express themselves in art, music, library and gym. They also sported their best, most unique, dot look as they came to school dressed in dot themed clothing!
In music with Mr. Moses, students used dots to create musical compositions and Chrome Music Lab to create songs. In the gym with Coach Marshall, students played musical dot fitness! Mrs. Marston, Hamm Librarian, created opportunities for students to choose from a variety of digital activities to learn about dot day. Students were also able to learn about the author/illustrator of The Dot, create digital dots on a Lite-Brite, and learn the dot day song. In art, students created dot inspired art through printmaking, Mandala designs and collaborative radiating patterns which is now displayed all over the school.
The story of The Dot by Peter H Reynolds highlights how creative thinking on the part of a teacher can unlock a child’s own creativity, confidence and growth as the child learns to embrace his unique qualities. Just as the story depicts, the Hamm staff is invested in helping each student unlock their ability to “Make their mark, and see where it takes them.”
