Let’s make something!
2D to 3D
stretch
With just a few cuts on a folded piece of paper, you can make a very interesting shape.
Start with a paper circle.
Fold it in half, then half again, and half again. ( 3 times)
Trim alternating curves from one edge and then the other edge.
Unfold everything to reveal your circle with a complete cut design.
Repeat all the previous steps so you have 2 circles. (one will be for the top and the other one for the bottom)
Choose the circle that you want on top, and cut a hanger hole in the middle.
Hanger loop: Starting with a small paper rectangle, fold it in half along the length and then half the other way, then fold 2 ends up the opposite way.
Slip the loop through the hanger hole.
Align your bottom circle under your top circle. and glue them together just along the outside edge.
Pull the 2 halves apart and... your new lantern is ready to hang! Optional: you can glue a quarter to the bottom, so that the extra weight will pull out the shape nicely.
symmetry:
Symmetry means that a shape becomes exactly the same when you flip it or rotate it.
flip
rotate
When you fold a shape around its center and then cut the folded paper, the cuts are applied by symmetry to the entire shape. This is symmetry around a center point, which is what you did when you cut the paper circles.
dimensions:
A 2-dimensional (2D) object is an object that only has 2 dimensions (length and width), but no height. A 3-dimensional (3D) object has a length, width AND height.
2d
3d
Usually 2D objects are flat, but they can become ‘3D’ by bending and folding. This is what you did when you pulled apart a cutout circle.
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