Exploring 3D Shapes — and a Surprising Foldable Twist
In our 5th grade math class, we’ve been diving deep into the world of 3D geometry. Students have been identifying, building, and analyzing three-dimensional shapes like cubes, prisms, and pyramids. We’ve used a variety of tools such as nets and building blocks to explore the properties of these shapes, including their faces, edges, and vertices.
But just when it seemed like we’d mastered the basics, our learning took an exciting turn—into the world of flexagons. Using simple strips of paper, students created a fascinating geometric toy called a hexaflexagon. Though it may look like a flat hexagon at first glance, it hides a clever secret: it can be folded and “flexed” to reveal multiple hidden faces!
As we built our flexagons, students practiced precision, patience, and pattern recognition. They also got to learn a little about each other as we made some “math about me” equations to determine our colors and patterns. Once their flexagons were complete, the classroom buzzed with amazement as each student discovered the “magic” of how many sides they could uncover.
This activity wasn’t just about having fun—it deepened students’ spatial reasoning and introduced them to a form of mathematical recreation that blends creativity with critical thinking. For many, it was a reminder that math isn't just about numbers—it's about patterns, puzzles, and discoveries.
We can’t wait to flex our minds with the next challenge!
