A geodesic dome is a spherical or partial-spherical shell structure or lattice shell based on a network of great circles (geodesics) on the surface of a sphere. The triangular elements give rigidity and distribute stress making them strong and resilient as well as beautiful to look at.
The basis of each geodesic dome is also an icosahedron which in geometry is regular polygon with 20 identical equilateral triangular faces, 30 edges and 12 vertices.
The following links provide a range of ways to explore building a geodesic dome suitable for a range of ages or materials. You can use this sculptural activity to explore aspects of geometry also.
1. How to make a geodesic dome from newspaper, Playground Science – this short video gives a step by step classroom activity to build a geodesic dome frame that can be adapted to suit age and materials. You may want to turn the volume down!
2. Construct a Dome – a more indepth look at dome building with step by step instructions and mathematical guidelines for building domes of different sizes.
3. Build a paper geodesic dome – Another version of building instructions that includes a downloadable plan to help you build your model.