M.C. Escher Across The Disciplines

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?