How to Make a Pyramid Out of Sugar Cubes

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Imagine this scene from long ago: You are in the desert watching as 20,000 to 30,000 laborers push enormous blocks of rock to Giza to build the Great Pyramid. The structure itself is a massive undertaking of rock, wood and human power. It is hot and dry. But the work will produce one of the greatest wonders of the world. You can build your own version of the Great Pyramid, but without the hard work and the tough conditions.

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Pyramids were once built as tombs for Egyptian royalty.
Image Credit: Pongpasin/iStock/Getty Images

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Things You'll Need

  • Nail File Or Sand Paper (Optional)

  • Cardboard Base

  • Craft Glue

  • Sugar Cubes

  • Orange Or Brown Paint

Step 1

Determine the size of your sugar-cube-pyramid base. The larger the pyramid base, the more sugar cubes needed. For a pyramid with a base of 10, you need at least 400 sugar cubes.

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Step 2

Measure the length of one sugar cube and multiply that length by the pyramid's base. This gives the dimensions of the pyramid base. Draw a box on the cardboard base using the dimensions you determined. Use the lines on the cardboard base as a guide when you begin gluing sugar cubes to the base.

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For example, most sugar cubes are 1-cm long. For a pyramid with a base of 10, multiply 1 cm by 10. The result: 10 cm on each side. Draw a square on the cardboard base that is 10 cm on each side.

Step 3

Glue the sugar cubes to the base. Start with one of the corners and glue one sugar cube in the corner. Continue adding and gluing sugar cubes until the box on the cardboard base is completely filled. Be sure to form straight lines; use the lines on the cardboard base as a guide. In this example, you would need 100 sugar cubes to complete the base.

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Step 4

Reduce each base by one sugar cube and glue the sugar cubes to the subsequent bases. After the base is complete, indent the next base slightly (less than a centimeter) and begin the second base. In the example, the bottom base was 10 cubes. The second base is going to be nine cubes. Make each subsequent base just as you made the bottom base: start with the corner and make a row. Complete each row.

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Here is a list of the bases needed for a ten-base pyramid: level two: nine cube rows, 81 cubes needed; level three: eight cube rows, 64 cubes needed; level four: seven cube rows, 49 cubes needed; level five: six cube rows, 36 cubes needed; level six: five cube rows, 25 cubes needed; level seven: four cube rows, 16 cubes needed; level eight: three cube rows, nine cubes needed; level nine: two cube rows, four cubes needed; level 10: one cube.

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Step 5

Allow the cubes to dry thoroughly. Once dry, gently file or sand the edges of the sugar cubes to smooth them out and to form the pyramid shape. Next, use orange or brown paint to make it look authentic.

Tip

Once the pyramid is complete, glue some sand around the the pyramid's edge to create a more realistic effect.

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