Connection Lab again worked with the Somerville public schools through the Beautiful Stuff project in the spring of 2017. The Argenziano school holds classes for students who are new to the country and are still learning English. The third graders in this great, diverse and excited group of English Language Learners each made a mosaic mandala. We worked together for four sessions, learning about symmetry, 
making colorful tile mandalas on wooden circles, and grouting them together. The process helped students learn about symmetry and also helped to increase their facility with English. There are lots of new words involved in making and grouting a 
mosaic. The classroom teacher led the students in a discussion about tile laying as a profession and discussed the materials that we used. We made a pretty big mess on grouting day, and even though everyone had fun, we learned an important lesson not to use black grout in a school that has white floors! Although no permanent damage was done, it took a lot of mopping to get the place clean!
