Dot Day StoryWalk - DIY Guide

By Heather Delouchry, Library Media Specialist
Flanders School, East Lyme, Connecticut

Looking for a fun, healthy and active way to kick off the school year and celebrate Dot Day. Try a StoryWalk with The Dot! It’s the perfect way to start the year, enjoying a The Dot outside, in nature. Not only will your students and school enjoy it, but the families and community members will too. 

Here’s how to get started:

1. Buy 3 copies of the Dot. Cut 2 and laminate pages. Keep the 3rd so you can carry and read (that way you can stand anywhere). 

2. Buy yards signs, posts,…or use your school campus. Find 20 spots to put up pages. I found grouping pages by two, like a book, works best. I also found creating an expectations page to start helps review what’s expected when reading a story outside. 

3. Read to the kids or invite parents in to kick off the year! Add Novel Effect to the story to take it to the next level! 

4. Be flexible! Do what you can with your school campus and budget. Have the courage to start. You can always start with buying 2 books and post the story around your school. Or you can go big with permanent posts/stands, and so the StoryWalk can be left outside for weeks, or even months for all to enjoy after school hours or on weekend. Whatever you do, start! Make your mark this year by having the courage to honor enjoying a story outside. 

5. Add scavenger hunts to the end of the story. Allow students to find special pages. Allow them to walk, skip, or even run to pages that resonate with them.  Sample:

   1. Find page with an illustration they just loved

   2. Find a page with a word that left you wondering

   3. Find a page you’d like to show a loved one

Reading aloud on the go and in nature is an event students won’t forget. It is an event that requires extra work to prepare and extra management to ensure students are safe. Believe me, you won’t regret it. Wishing you all the love and support to make this world a better place by reading The Dot outside as you kick off the school year. It’s time to Make Your Mark! 

The StoryWalk® Project was created by Anne Ferguson of Montpelier, VT and developed in collaboration with the Kellogg-Hubbard Library. StoryWalk® is a registered service mark owned by Ms. Ferguson.
The Dot book is published by Candlewick Press, © 2003, Art & Text by Peter H. Reynolds.