Making Animals
by
Cutting Polygon Puzzles

This unit is for elementary grades and emphasizes skills in drawing equilateral triangles, squares, and regular pentagons and hexagons. It also involves precision cutting, and putting together geometric shapes to form "puzzles" that look like stylized animals or other objects.

Tools and supplies
Four pieces of poster board, white on one side and colored on the other (it is important to use two-colored poster board). Each piece should be about 4 inches by 4 inches.
Ruler, protractor, compass, scissors. Envelope (or envelopes) to keep puzzle pieces in. Optional: butcher paper and glue.

Part 1. Making a fox from a triangle

Using compass and ruler, draw an equilateral triangle approximately three inches on a side, using the two-colored posterboard. Before cutting it out, set your compass radius at one half the length of a side. Put the point of the compass on a vertex of the triangle, and swing an arc of 60 degrees. Move the compass to another vertex, and draw a second arc of 60 degrees. You should have a shape like this:

Carefully cut out the triangle, and cut along the arcs to make three pieces. Reverse the two part circles, and you have a stylized fox

Part 2. Making a fish from a square.

Using compass and ruler, or protractor or index card, draw a square approximately three inches on a side, using the two-colored posterboard. Before cutting it out, set your compass radius at one half the length of a side. Put the point of the compass on three different vertices of the square, and swing three arcs of 90 degrees. You should have a shape like this: 

Carefully cut out the square and cut along the arcs, getting four pieces. Reassemble them to look like a fish:

Part 3. Making a goat from a pentagon.

Using compass and ruler and/or protractor, draw a regular pentagon approximately three inches on a side, using the two-colored poster board. Before cutting it out, set your compass radius at one half the length of a side. Put the point of the compass on four different vertices of the pentagon and swing three arcs of 108 degrees. You should have a shape like this:

Rearrange the five pieces like this. Does it look like a goat? 

Part 4. Making a longhorn bull from a hexagon.

Using compass and ruler and/or protractor, draw a regular hexagon approximately one and one fourth inches on a side, using the two-colored posterboard. Before cutting it out, set your compass radius at one half the length of a side. Put the point of the compass on five different vertices of the hexagon and swing arcs of 120 degrees. You should have a shape like this:

Now rearrange the pieces to look like a longhorn: 

You may keep them in an envelope, or glue them on butcher paper for a nice classroom poster.

Part 5. Making other shapes with your pieces.

Need some ideas? Take a look at these three creations by a student:

Or maybe these ideas!!

Peacock

Ginko Tree
Knight
Critter
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