Some boxes are shaped like cubes. A cube is a three-dimensional shape with six identical square faces. In this activity, students will make flat patterns that can be cut and folded to form boxes. On the handout is one possible flat pattern and an example of a pattern that is illegal. The flat patterns must be able to be cut out and folded to from a cube, therefore edges must touch edges. It is not legal for cube sides to connect only at a vertex.

It is the students' job to find as many different flat patterns as possible that will fold into a box shaped like a unit cube. There are eleven possible shapes; and answer key is available. Once all eleven shapes are found, ask students what patterns they notice in the eleven shapes.