23 Simple Ways to Celebrate #WorldTessellationDay #WorldTessDay

It's coming! The first-ever World Tessellation Day celebration will happen this Friday, June 17.

Why June 17?

This date, suggested by math advocate John Golden, was chosen by a group of committed tessellation fans around the world and is the birth date of M.C. Escher, the Dutch artist whose tessellated artworks put tessellation at the forefront of art.

We have a Facebook community going where people are sharing images of their favorite tessellations in the run-up to this brand new holiday. But since this is a holiday-in-the-making, I thought I'd put together this list of simple ways you can be a part of the making of a global event.

Simple Ways to Celebrate #WorldTessellationDay #WorldTessDay

1. Take a picture of a tessellated floor.

2. Make Your Own Tessellation

Need a primer on how? Use this tutorial.

3. Wear houndstooth or other tessellated pattern

4. Make some hexagon cookies -- they tessellate!

5. Play with a toy that tessellates, like these turtles.

6. Post your favorite M.C. Escher tessellation

7. Find the nearest chain-link fence

8. Wear something with a beehive on it

9. Find the nearest tessellation station (like this one at the Pacific Science Center in Seattle)

10. Play Settlers of Catan

11. Read Tessalation!, my story book about a little girl named Tessa who hides in patterns

12. Discover how people have used tessellations

13. Color one of these tessellation coloring pages

14. Find tessellated tiles in a public setting (like these from Spain)

15. Explore how artists, such as Chris Watson, are using tessellation

16. Hug some friends under a tessellated quilt

17. Or: Plan your next quilt and make it a tessellation

18. Get patriotic with your tessellations (like with this box lid by Bruce Bilney)

19. Solve age-old conflicts with tessellation to show how we are all connected

20. Discover how people are using tessellation to solve problems, as in the creation of this Tessellation Pavillion

Photo by Chris Knapp

22. Explore this tessellation Pinterest Page

23. Declare your love of tessellations to the world on June 17!

Use the hashtags #WorldTessellationDay and #WorldTessDay to help create this holiday celebrating the beauty, wonder and practical applications of tessellation.