Educational Mobile With Platonic Solids

Create an amazing mobile composed by the five platonic solids:

* Tetrahedron, with 4 faces each one an equilateral triangle.
* Hexahedron (aka cube), with 6 faces each one a square.
* Octahedron, with 8 faces each one an equilateral triangle.
* Dodecahedron, with 12 faces each one a pentagon.
* Icosahedron, with 20 faces each one a equilateral triangle again.

These and only these are regular solids with all regular faces, and the same number of faces meeting each vertex. They have an interesting history you can find here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Platonic_solid

I made this as a gift for my goddaughter. She is only a baby, but she stays fascinated with the moving shapes... she is gonna be smart!

So I think this instructable will be very profitable for kids, to learn how these solids are constructed and its properties. Also it's very easy, cheap and funny... let's go!

Step 1: Materials and Tools

You will need:

* 5 sheets of cardstock with different colors, or white.
* One sheet of cardboard.
* String or thick thread.
* Glue.
* Scissors and rule.
* A printer to print the templates (or drawing tools if you desire them in another size).

Also you will find useful some tape, and a black marker only if you want the same finish effect I've done.

Step 2: Printing and Cutting Out

Download print the PDF with the templates of the five solids, and print it in cardsotck sheets.

Now cut out all the shapes, and score the lines helping you with scissors and rule. Fold each face and each flap before continue.

Step 3: Gluing Shapes

Now it's the time to decorate the shapes. I choose to highlight the edges with a black marker, but you can paint the faces or whatever.

Then start gluing the shapes carefully. Don't hurry up, and let each flap dry. Before to close a shape, make a knot in the string and put it inside.

Help you with small pieces of tape working with the trickiest shapes: dodecahedron and icosahedron.

Step 4: Mounting

Cut 4 stripes of cardboard, and make a first balance test hanging two shapes. I found that cube goes well with octahedron, and dodecahedron with the icosahedron. So the tetrahedron will go in the center.

Now glue two cardboard strips and between them put the shapes. Cut the remaining string. Don't forget that one shape must be in the center of one of the strips.

Now make two partial cuts just in the middle of the strips, and fit them properly. So you've done...

Hope you enjoyed!