The following is a guest blog post by Jed Dearybury!

Y’all, I, Jed, just got back from Boston where I celebrated International Dot Day with Peter and Paul Reynolds and several of my closest creative friends.

My heart and mind are so full of the beauty of art and how it connects us all, one little dot with the next. It is hands down one of my favorite “non holiday” holidays ever! If you have never heard of it, you can learn more about it here.

The gist of the special day is this… Create bravely, and celebrate it!

As I was dreaming up ideas while making plans for my college students to celebrate the big day this semester, I began to think… Why don't we celebrate creativity all year long?

Every teacher I have ever met says they can hardly get in all their Dot Day fun in just one day. Many of them say that there are so many incredible learning experiences that they just need more than one day to celebrate The Dot!

Sooo… Let’s make a plan to celebrate Dot Day all year long, on the 15ish of every month.

Here are some of the fun ideas I came up with for each month. Some are focused around other fun days on the calendar, and others are just ideas that I thought would be fun learning moments focused around “Dot”ish themes.

October

The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds Lesson Ideas for Elementary Teachers — Illustration by *Jed Dearybury*.

Pumpkins are dots.

What if we painted more dots on them, let the dots dry, then write adjectives describing the pumpkin in each dot. I bet we’d need a sharpie for that.

All kinds of candy are dots.

You have actual Dots, but then Smarties, Lemonheads, and Dum Dums are dots, even a Tootsie Roll is a dot just stretched out. Graph them, make art with them, or just have a special dot candy party.

Hole punch dots out of fall leaves.

Dried, fallen leaves are great for art work. Your learners could make some really cool designs with all the holes (dots) they punch out.

November

Turkey bodies are dotish, right?

Read the fun book Turk and Runt, then design some really fun costumes to help hide those dot bodies from the turkey eaters.

Corn. Green peas. Marshmallows on sweet potato casserole are dots.

Instead of a traditional thanksgiving feast, have kids plan a Dot feast. It could be a big school wide day, or just in your classroom. Or maybe, you just do this one at home with your own family. Regardless, a feast of dots would be so fun. Maybe even design dot themed costumes for the event!

Rangolis are dots.

Learn more about them here. Creativity abounds with every creation of these beautiful, sacred, pieces of art.

December

Rudolph’s nose is a dot.

It would be fun to create a mini circuit that lights up at the tip of a drawing of Rudolph, or any other animal. In fact, maybe imagine other creatures that could help pull off the magical night with a dot shaped power. What if giraffes had light up dots in their ossicones? What if rhinos had a light up horn? What if zebras had light up stripes? Get creative!

Gelt is a dot.

Celebrate Hanukkah by learning about the meaning of gelt and how it connects to the holiday.

Ornaments are dots, and they don’t have to be focused on any specific holiday.

What if students designed an ornament based on a book they read, or their favorite vocabulary word? Maybe they could create one based on a specific time period like the Roaring 20s or the Harlem Renaissance?

January

Snow people are literally made of dots.

This one needs no in depth idea, but a snow person designed around a book character would be so much fun! Or a community worker, a historical figure, a favorite teacher? Cannot wait to see the dots come together on this one.

The center of snowflakes is a dot.

Learning about symmetry, circumference, perimeter? Start with the dot in the center and work your way out!

Timelines are full of dots, specific points on the line that mark out special/memorable events.

What if students created a timeline of their previous year using fun dot stickers or their own created dots. You could even use this for goal setting in the new year. Have them make a dot on a line that represents a goal they want to accomplish.

February

The moon is a dot, and it just so happens Chinese New Year usually falls sometime between January 21 and February 20 based on the lunar calendar.

Back when I taught first grade, we had a huge unit on the moon. What a better way to combine the science standards, cultural respect and understanding, and The Dot?

Don’t laugh here, but the Groundhog’s eyes are dots.

Dig into that idea. Bring in some wiggly eyes. Write about the groundhog’s perspective at the big events around the country. Examine the beautiful shape of eyes in the classroom. Not all dots are the same, and that’s ok!

Did you know February is Canned Food Month?

Learn more about here! Turn this Dot Day moment into caring for your neighbors. Collect canned goods, graph what you collect, and maybe save empty cans from home to create art with.

March

Gold at the end of a rainbow is a dot.

Two rainbows put together on their ends, makes a dot. Connect this thinking to fairy tales, refracted light, fantasy vs. reality, the list goes on…

Clouds can be dots.

Make them with cotton balls, which… are dots! Or maybe make some with the cotton swabs and paint. Of course, learn about the different kinds of clouds while you are doing this.

National Pig Day is March 1st.

Have you ever seen a cuter dot than a little piggy’s snout? I have no idea what to do here…study mammals, life cycles, farming, etc? Either way you choose, the little creature is made for a dot celebration of some sort!

April

The center of a flower is a dot.

Make a dot on any kind of paper, then draw and label the parts of the flower. Go on a dot hunt outside and look for the dots that are in the center of the flowers. Take pictures and make a collage of all the fun dots you find.

Birthday cakes are dots when viewed from above.

While this could be done each month to celebrate any birthday, I waited til April to talk about this one since my birthday is on the 10th, but any celebration of another revolution around the sun could be its own special dot day. (Adam’s birthday is April 6 too!)

Raindrops are dots, and the saying goes… “April showers…”

Learn about the water cycle. Create fun raindrops that tell the story of where that water has been over the years. Did it used to be in a pond that dinosaurs drank from? Was it part of a hurricane? Did it go down a water slide at the nearby park?

May

When you look at a tree with all its leaves, it sort of looks like a big dot sitting on top of a trunk.

Study the trees around your school or home. Learn about them. Draw them with a dot in mind.

Seeds are dots. Plant them. Document their growth. Dissect some from a piece of fruit and create art!

May is International Drum Month, and when you see the top of a drum, it is no doubt a dot.

Make a drum from recycled materials, invite a local drummer to teach your class, learn about the history of drums throughout the various cultures around the world. Maybe, even have a drum circle at school with the music teacher.

June

Frisbees are dots.

Make them from cardboard, plastic lids, etc. Measure how far you can throw them. Learn about the physics that make them fly farther and faster!

Bubbles are dots.

Blow lots of them! Learn to make your own with soap and water. Science experiments with bubbles can be lots of fun. A quick internet search will give you lots of ideas.

Spilled water can make some really fun shaped dots.

Go outside, spill some water on the concrete, trace the spill with chalk. Come back later when the water dries and create a fun monster with the shape you outlined.

July (Obviously these ideas are for vacation time.)

A swimming pool is a big dot in the ground or above it.

Have a fun day in the water!

Water balloons are dots.

Let the throwing commence.

Scoops of ice cream are the sweetest dots I know.

Visit your local shop for a yummy treat!

August

August 19th is National Potato Day.

Slice them, dice them, shred them, or just look at them… They ARE dots in all their forms. Potatoes are great for printmaking and snacking. Have fun making dot prints all while eating your favorite chips. They too are dotish.

Your toes are dot…-ish.

Paint them. Make a print on paper. Create something that brings you joy then write about it. Poems or stories will make these even more fun!

Watermelons are big dots.

Plan a big watermelon day for back to school time. Learn about the fruit, sample it (of course serve it from a melon baller so it is a perfect dot), design art with the seeds, and more!

September

It’s officially INTERNATIONAL DOT DAY!!!!!

Go through this list and do all of your favorites!

Search through the Carly and Adam resources for all the engaging experiences!

Gosh, I am so excited to try all of these fun ideas and celebrate “The Dot” by Peter H. Reynolds all year long!

Hopefully this got you excited too! I created these doodles to help you remember all the fun things! If you try any of these, be sure to tag me, @mrdearybury on social media and use the hashtag #JedTeaches so I can see all of your creativity come to life!

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How to Celebrate Dot Day All Year Long!