In this project, learn a simple technique based on circles for making all five Platonic solids—tetrahedron, octahedron, icosahedron, cube, and dodecahedron. The solids also make nifty boxes, fun decorations and unique calendars—special patterns included!
Each solid is made from a circle, with the shape the solid is based on drawn inside of the circle. This construction technique reinforces the concepts of Platonic solids as the student assembles each solid.
Three-dimensional objects with only flat (or plane) surfaces are known as polyhedra. There are many different polyhedra, but five of them have the property of being regular, or "Platonic". A solid is regular if all planes (or faces) are the same, and the same number of planes meet at each corner (or vertex). Five solids qualify as regular: three are based on equilateral triangles (tetrahedron, octahedron, and icosahedron), one is based on squares (cube), and one is based on regular pentagons (dodecahedron).
Related craft: For other geometric solids to make, see the project Geometric Solids.
Choose the platonic solid you want to make—there are templates for triangle, square and pentagon faces. For the cube, print squares; for the dodecahedron, print pentagons, and print triangles for the tetrahedron, octahedron and icosahedron (2 sheets). Download and print the pattern on paper or cardstock. The patterns are available in color or in black and white, for you to print on colored paper or add your own design.
Use the special Stars & Stripes and Patriotic Stars patterns to make decorations for the Fourth of July or other patriotic holidays, and use the Calendar pentagon pattern to make a dodecahedron calendar for 2023 or 2024. See Stars and Stripes String Light Covers for how to light up the Fourth of July with tetrahedrons!
Patterns are Adobe PDF files. The Adobe Reader is available for free.
All of Aunt Annie's project patterns are designed to be printed on standard letter-size paper (8.5"x11" or A4). When printing from Adobe Reader, you may need to select Auto-Rotate and Center or Choose paper source by PDF page size to ensure the best fit.
Cut on the outline of each circle.
Fold on each of the three (or four or five) fold lines. To hide the printed fold lines, turn the circle with the printed side down before folding; otherwise, keep the printed side up. Repeat for each circle. For circles printed on cardstock, score the fold lines first with the empty ballpoint pen.
Tip: You may optionally decorate the inner triangles, squares, or pentagons with crayons, markers, stickers, or rubber stamps. Decorate on the unprinted side.
When gluing, use the folded sides as glue tabs, and keep them on the outside.
Icosahedron only: Glue ten folded circles with triangles into a ring using the glue tabs.
Glue the parts together.
Tip: If you want, the glue tabs can be folded down and glued to a face or trimmed to one-eighth of an inch.
That's it! Your Platonic solids
are complete!