TETRAHEDRON KITE
CAPITOL CENTER
ELEMENTARY MESA DAY
GRADE LEVEL:
TYPE OF COMPETITION:
COMPOSITION OF TEAM:
MAXIMUM NUMBER OF ENTRIES:

ELEMENTARY
TEAM (PREPARED)
2 – 4 STUDENTS PER TEAM
UNLIMITED

GUIDELINES:
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Only 9” Jumbo Straws are acceptable.
Both string, fishing line, and tape methods for construction are acceptable.
Various covering materials are acceptable.
(i.e. newspaper, wrapping paper, plastic wrap, tissue paper, etc...)
Both the 10 cell and the 16 cell kite are acceptable and will be judged equally.

With the rules comes 2 different sets of directions. One for the 10 cell and one for the 16 cell kite. The building of the kite can be done either way for either size kite.
Judging:
Kites are judged on 3 criteria:
Style Integrity (30 points) – Does each tetrahedron have 6 straws? Does every tetrahedron have 2 sides covered? Is the covering unusual or attractive? Was there an effort to be neat? Are any of the parts of the kite colorful or decorative?
Structural Integrity (30 points) – Are connections sturdy? Are coverings secure and the right size for the frame?
Are straws rigid, e.g. neither curved nor bent?
Flight Integrity (40 points) – Do the students successfully launch the kite? Do kites fly a minimum of 5 minutes? Once landed, are the kites still intact?

1 of 6
Elementary MESA Day 2005

16 Cell Directions
DIRECTIONS FOR THE 16 CELL KITE
Step #1:

Tape 2 straws together as indicated in illustration. Repeat so there is a pair of taped straws.

Step #2:

Tape the 2 pairs of taped straws together to make a string of 4 taped straws.

Step #3:

Bend the two ends together and tape them together as well. Now you should have a square or diamond shape. Take a fifth straw and tape it between two opposite corners.

Step #4:

Bend the other two corners up and tape a straw between them. The middle straw becomes the hinge. Taping has to be clever to accommodate the folding and hold all the pieces together.

2 of 6
Elementary MESA Day 2005

16 Cell Directions
Step #5:

Two adjacent faces should be covered. Wax paper, tissue paper, or thin plastic works well.
This shape works well as a cover for 2 sides.
Fold flaps around straws and tape.

Now you should have a tetrahedron, (a 4 sided figure) with 2 of the 4 sides covered in a thin material. It looks like a 3 sided pyramid.

Front side

Back side

Step #6:
Repeat steps 1-5 until you have 16 small tetrahedrons completed.
You are now going to tape, sew, or tie 4 tetrahedron cells together to make a larger tetrahedron. Make sure the covered faces are parallel. To do this, first take 3 tetra cells and tape, attach them together at touching corners. Then, take the 4th tetra cell and attach it to the top of the other three, attaching it to the top of the three base tetra’s.
Repeat this process until you have made 4 larger tetrahedrons with the small tetra cells.
Now take those 4 larger tetrahedrons and make one BIG tetrahedron kite!
Make a base with three of the four using the same procedure as in step 6. Then attach the fourth one to the top of the other three. You now have a tetrahedron kite. Congratulations!
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3 of 6
Elementary MESA Day 2005

10 Cell Directions
DIRECTIONS FOR THE 10 CELL KITE
Start
Start by building 10 individual pyramids.
Step #1:

Cut string to be 60 inches in length.

Step #2:

Thread all but 2 inches of string through 3 straws (A, B, C). You should have 34 inches of string left. .
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Step #3:

Form the three straws into a triangle and tie off. Make sure the string is taut.

Step #4:
String two more straws onto the long end of the string. Use those two straws to form