Kapla model: pinwheel hourglass
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Build the Kapla hourglass step by step
Step 1: lay the first pinwheel
Lay 4 planks flat in a square, each one shifted towards a corner: this is a pinwheel, 4 planks holding hands as they turn. For now, they do not touch.
Step 2: turn the square
Lay 4 Kapla on the first floor, in a pinwheel turning the other way. Each one sits across 2 planks below, and steps in by half a plank’s thickness towards the centre.
💡 Astuce : the floor on top is what ties the planks below together: check that each end rests on a plank.
Step 3: narrow the hourglass
Build 4 more floors, 4 planks per floor. On each floor, switch the pinwheel’s direction and step in by half a thickness towards the centre. The hourglass starts to narrow.
Step 4: reach the hourglass’s neck
Carry on like this for 4 floors, still stepping in a little. The 10th floor is the narrowest: this is the neck, the thin waist of the hourglass where the sand runs through.
Step 5: open the hourglass up
Now do the opposite: on each floor, step out by half a thickness, still switching the pinwheel’s direction. Build 4 floors like this, 16 planks.
Step 6: close the hourglass like a mirror
Finish with 5 floors that keep widening. The last one is just like the very first: your hourglass is the same at the top and the bottom, like in a mirror!
💡 Astuce : what if you stepped in by a whole thickness per floor? Your hourglass would get sharper: see how far it holds!
Frequently asked questions
It takes 76: 19 floors of 4 planks. A box of 100 Kapla is plenty.
From 6 years old, on their own. The move is always the same: only the small half-thickness shift needs care. An adult can help spot it at first.
The starting square is wide: the 4 Kapla of the pinwheel leave a gap at each corner. The next floor, turning the other way, ties them together by resting across 2 planks.
More Kapla models and building ideas!
Skyscraper
Build a real Kapla skyscraper, like the ones in big cities: 4 towers side by side rising in a spiral, each stopping at its own floor, up to a crown and its spire! Floors of standing planks make it climb very fast: it stands over 1.50 m tall. This hard model takes 406 Kapla and can be built from age 9.
Four towers and their arches
Build a square of Kapla that splits into 2 towers, then into 4! A new tower is born on the arch, splits in turn, and the 4 towers rise straight up before everything closes again at the top. This hard model takes lots of planks: 388 in all. It can be built from age 10.
Two towers and their arch
Build a square of Kapla that splits into 2 towers! They move apart floor after floor, an arch links them, they rise straight up, then join again at the top. This model takes patience and lots of planks: 176 in all. It can be built from age 8.
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