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Cones are kinda round, but put them together right and you can make a cubic decoration. Sound confusing? Don’t worry, it’s really simple and really fun!

You will need

What you will need.

• A copy of the printout
• Scissors
• Sticky tape
• Glue stick

If you don’t have a printer, you can make your own template. Draw six equal circles, and then measure an angle of 255 degrees at the middle of each, to make a ‘Pac-Man’ shape.

What to do

1. Cut out the six segments.

   Hold each cone together with sticky tape.

2. Bend one segment so the two straight sides meet and it becomes a cone. Hold it together with a piece of sticky tape.
3. Repeat with the other segments to make six cones.
4. Put one cone circle-side down on a table.
5. Put glue on the outside of a second cone, and lay it on the first so the circle faces forward and the apexes (points) of the two cones touch.
6. Glue the outside of a third cone and place it so it touches the other two and the circle faces left. Glue and place two more cones so the circles face back and right. The apexes of all the cones should meet in the same spot.
7. Put glue on the last cone and turn it upside down so the apex is on the bottom. Stick it on top of the other cones.

   Glue the cones so the apexes touch.

8. Wait for the glue to dry, and then look at your construction. It is round, but it has six ‘faces’, similar to a cube.

For an extra challenge, you can make a dodecahedral decoration with 12 cones. Download the template here.

What’s happening?

The shape you’ve made looks round when you look at it one way, but from another angle it looks square. There are six circular ‘faces’ appearing at the top, bottom, front, back, left and right. This is the same arrangement as the faces of a cube. It’s like a hidden structure to our not-quite-round decoration!

The completed decoration.

Another mathematical bauble for you to make!

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