M.C. Escher’s Metamorphosis II
As a gifted kid, M.C. Escher fascinated me. Without a doubt, he continues to fascinate the gifted kids I work with. Here are some links to inspire a study of Escher in your classroom.
Tessellation Math Projects
Tessellating figures is a math standard for my grade level, so I always take the opportunity to create some Escher-inspired tessellation math projects. I wrote these projects here and made a video here!
Escher & LEGO
There’s something about the combination of Escher and LEGO that gets the creative juices flowing. Here’s a sampling of what’s out there:
- Several Escher works reproduced in LEGO from. This one features Waterfall
- Several more LEGO reproductions, this time from Henry Lim.
- A space LEGO version of Relativity
- A medieval LEGO version of Ascending and Descending
- A LEGO take on the tessellation Sky and Water
The Math Of Escher
For the serious Escher fan, two PDFs from the American Math Society about the math behind his work:
- “The Mathematical Side of M. C. Escher” by Doris Schattschneider
- “The Mathematical
Structure of Escher’s Print Gallery” by B. de Smit and H. W. Lenstra Jr. - And, building on the last, further analysis into Escher’s fascinating Print Gallery.
Finally, what if childhood Escher’s drawings were graded by a stereotypical teacher?