Hexaflexagons
In keeping with the theme of paper folding, our afternoon session on day 1 was an exploration of hexaflexagons. Flexagons are flat models, constructed by folding strips of paper, that can be flexed or folded in certain ways to reveal faces besides the two that were originally on the back and front. Flexagons are usually square or rectangular (tetraflexagons) or hexagonal (hexaflexagons). A prefix can be added to the name to indicate the number of faces that the model can display, including the two faces (back and front) that are visible before flexing. For example, a hexaflexagon with a total of six faces is called a hexahexaflexagon. (Source: Wikipedia)
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| A hexahexaflexagon |
During class, we folded trihexaflexagons and a pirate-face hexaflexagon!
Our children enthusiastically tried to figure out the different ways in which to flex the flexagons so that different faces show up. For example, the trihexaflexagon that we made had the faces numbered 1-3 (see image below) and, once folded and glued together, could be flexed to make the 3 different faces visible at different points in time. The same was true for the pirate face.
Here are some photos of our kids engaged in folding and flexing!
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