Paper Models of Polyhedra

This would have been just the thing back when I was teaching middle school math. These wonderful polyhedra nets are printable PDFs that you can color, cut out and assemble. Some of them are simple and some fantastically complex. A number of people have decorated these patterns to make incredibly beautiful art; here's one example.

Although the assembly instructions are lacking - when there are any at all - they're pretty self-explanatory. Several of the figures involve making a number of "spikes" that are then glued together. I suggest gluing as you cut. Use a quick-grab glue, like Aleene's Fast Grab Tacky Glue. When you get to the last piece, attach two tabs and let the glue dry before trying to attach the rest.

Even though I now teach preschool, I'm making some of these to hang up in my classroom. After all, it's never too early to teach about dodecadodecahedrons. To hang them up, tie a bead around a piece of string. Thread the other end of the string through a needle and push the needle up through the inside of one of of your polyhedron's points before you attach it to the rest of the model.

Smaller versions would make great Christmas ornaments. And I'm sure someone out there can figure out a safe way to illuminate these from within. You could hang beads or tassels from the points. You could also make bigger stars by enlarging the patterns on a copier. For reference, the one pictured is a "Seventh Stellation of the Icosahedron." Made with the patterns at 100%, it measures about 6" across.

By the way, if you or your students have trouble visualizing how nets come together to make polyhedra, check out this neat tool.