Tessellations All Around Us!

Tiled Hex Tessellation, folded by Danilo
Originally uploaded by EricGjerde.

In math class last week we explored tessellations. A tessellation is an arrangement of repeated, closed shapes that cover a surface so no shapes overlap and no gaps exist between shapes (we even wrote a song about it - ask your child to sing it to you!).

For homework, the kids were asked to look for 'real-world' examples of tessellating patterns. Here are a few they came up with:

kitchen cabinets/kitchen windows
wood floors/tile floors
pattern on tablecloth
chess board
herringbone sweater
screen door
piano keys
pattern on couch
calendar
patio tile pattern
grillwork on fireplace
pattern on blanket

Nice work, 5th graders! Next week we'll be doing a cool project where you will learn how to make interesting pieces of art using tessellations of ordinary (regular) polygons. For a sneak peek, check out this link on M.C. Escher - http://www.mcescher.com