Emily Grosvenor

Emily Grosvenor is the author of Tessalation!—a children’s math picture book about pattern, nature and wonder. What is a tessellation? It is the use of a single shape to cover an entire area without gaps or overlaps. Our November guest blogger was a fourth grader when she created her first tessellation—a mosaic of interlocking seals jumping out of waves. Ever since then, Emily has enjoyed searching for man-made patterns and patterns in nature. She loves all things that tessellate, from quilts and tiled floors to beehives. Her book, Tessalation!, which tells the story of a young girl named Tessa who discovers the thrilling beauty of patterns in nature, gets younger children excited about the mathematical concept of tessellations and inspires them to look for patterns in their lives. The award-winning reporter, travel writer, essayist, children’s book author and blogger—who earned her B.A. in German from Pennsylvania State University in 2001 and her M.A. in journalism from the University of Iowa in 2008—lives with her family in Oregon.

Posts by Emily Grosvenor

Math Can Be Learned Through the Feet

posted by Emily Grosvenor Q & A: For dancer, educator and homeschooling mom Malke Rosenfeld, math can be learned through the Feet Educator Malke Rosenfeld believes she had a typical relationship to math as a child.     “I went K-12 through public school disenchanted with math, never feeling personally connected,” Rosenfeld said. “I always […]

Engage Creative Children in Math Class with Tessellations

For math teachers and at-home educators looking to bring some creativity into the classroom, tessellations offer a lot of fun activities and possibilities. For some students, they might be just the right lesson to get students thinking about the practical applications and design possibilities of math. I should know. I was one of those students. […]

How (and Why) to Introduce Tesselations to Preschoolers

posted by Emily Grosvenor When I wrote my math picture book Tessalation!, I had a specific reader in mind: My son, who was 6 at the time. I was sure he was just the right age for learning to identify what a tessellation is (a tiled interlocking pattern with no spaces in between). But something […]