International Dot Day

THE DOT

I love the book The Dot written by Peter H. Reynolds in 2003. Not long after that the International Dot Day was established and people around the world recognize the day by being creative and inspiring others.

WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT

Observed annually on September 15th since 2009, International Dot Day is a holiday in which people of all ages are encouraged to harness their own creativity and embrace their own confidence as they make their mark on the world. On this day, people are encouraged to embrace their talents – regardless of whether it’s writing, painting, drawing or some other creative medium and share their Dot Day inspiration with others. It doesn’t matter if you’re an educator or student, or a parent or child, we all have a creative spark that we can ignite with just a little bit of bravery and encouragement. And each year, the inspiration continues as people uncover the hidden power of their own creativity.

HISTORY

International Dot Day can be traced back to September 15, 2009. This is when teacher Terry Shay brought the book entitled “The Dot” by Peter H. Reynolds to his class and introduced it to his student. The Dot is a book about a teacher who encourages a doubting student to trust in her own talents and to be brave enough to make her mark on the world. The student starts off by making a small dot on a piece of paper and it leads her on a journey of self-discovery and cooperation.

CELEBRATE

A great way to celebrate International Dot Day is by reading “The Dot” by Peter H. Reynolds with your own children or with your students if you are a teacher. After all, the holiday started with this book in the first place. If you’re a teacher and have an interactive white board, then you can also get the Big Screen Books™ version of The Dot. That way, your students can interact with the story in a fun and exciting way.

If you want to share your efforts with International Dot Day on social media, then you can use the hashtags #DotDay or #Makeyourmark. Or you can check out one of the many Dot Day videos on the Internet today.

Resources from Peter H. Reynolds are located at THIS LINK.

Information from this post is taken from the Holidays/Calendar site at http://www.holidayscalendar.com/event/international-dot-day/.