Hexagon

I have six straight sides. Can you count them. One, two, three, four, five, six. I also have six pointy corners. You can see me in a busy bee’s honeycomb. I am the shape of their sweet, cozy little rooms. A beautiful, sparkly snowflake also looks just like me when it falls from the sky. I am so happy to be such a special shape. Hello. I am a Hexagon.

For a very, very long time, people saw me everywhere in nature. Way back, in a sunny place called Ancient Greece, some very clever people gave me my name around the year 300 BCE. They loved to draw and build, and they thought I was a very strong and wonderful shape. A long time after that, a kind man named Pappus of Alexandria was watching the busy bees buzz around. Around the year 320 CE, he noticed that bees build their homes using my shape. The bees are so smart. They knew that my shape fits together perfectly, with no little gaps in between. Using me helps the bees save their special wax and make lots of room for yummy honey. I love helping the bees build their warm homes.

You can find me helping all over your world today. Look down at the floor. Sometimes, tiles are made in my shape so they can fit together just like a perfect puzzle. When you see a big bolt, a little nut holds it tight, and that nut is me. I am a very helpful shape. Far, far away, up in space, a giant telescope called the James Webb Space Telescope uses big, shiny mirrors shaped just like me to look at the bright stars. Can you look for me today. I am your six-sided friend, the hexagon, and I love to help people build amazing things.