Kaleidocycle

TIME TO COMPLETE

30 min. to an hour

WHAT WILL YOU MAKE?

You’re going to make a Kaleidocycle, a kinetic paper sculpture that you can flex and rotate to show new drawings, patterns or stories. Learn how to assemble your first kaleidocycle during our workshop & decorate it with a simple pattern.

WHAT WILL YOU NEED?

Crafting Materials
Origami Paper
Paper

STEP 1

Design & Cut Your Kaleidocycle

You can add whatever design you want to your kaleidocycle- simple geometric designs are best for your first try. You can cut apart the individual sections of the pattern and tape them down to make a pattern that creates a perfectly lined up picture. If you do this, be consistent about which edges are inside and which are outside. Keep A, C, E, G outside and B, D, F, H outside. Once you are done designing your kaleidocycle, cut it out along the thick black outer edges.

STEP 2

Fold & Crease

Fold and crease long all of the dotted lines and also the diagonal lines (8 total). Make your folds as straight as possible. Crease both downward and upward.

STEP 3

Assemble

Start with the two little rectangular tabs & fold them onto the back side of the kaleidocycle. Tape the end of the kaleidocycle together. This will form your first triangular pyramid. Next take the triangular tabs and push them underneath the colored section with matching symbols. Tape them down. Do this two more times. At the end close the open end of the kaleidocycle by taping it together. Your kaleidocycle will now look like a chain of triangular pyramids.

STEP 4

Connect the Edges & Play

Connect the open edges of your kaleidocycle to make it a ring instead of a chain. Make sure you put tape on both sides of the connection. Now you can play with your kaleidocycle and cycle through all of your designs.

WHAT'S NEXT?

Check out more projects from the Maker Studio on our blog: https://themakerstudio.tumblr.com/

Please Note

Your safety is your own responsibility, including proper use of equipment and safety gear, and determining whether you have adequate skill and experience. Power tools, electricity, and other resources used for these projects are dangerous, unless used properly and with adequate precautions, including safety gear and adult supervision. Some illustrative photos do not depict safety precautions or equipment, in order to show the project steps more clearly. Use of the instructions and suggestions found in Maker Camp is at your own risk. Maker Media, Inc., disclaims all responsibility for any resulting damage, injury, or expense.