Understanding Dimensionality through Flat Stanley/Art/Math/Science

For some reason, the concept of two and three dimensions eludes students in elementary school despite being taught from kindergarten through sixth grade.
I experimented with using ThinkBlocks to help students solidify this concept.
By using Flat Stanley, a character in a well known series of children's books,
students could begin to grasp the concept through a series of questions. I labeled each of two larger ThinkBlocks with 2-D and 3-D. I began by asking, which block I would put Flat Stanley in and which block I would put the rest of Flat Stanley's family. Using students' own words we would label the dimensions of each of the larger ThinkBlock (ie, thick, fat, tall, wide). Then, I labeled each of three medium blocks with length, width and depth. Students were asked to put the correct dimensions in each large block. I tested for understanding by having tiles with pictures of two and three-dimensonal shapes and forms (or geometric solids, the term used in math) into the correct large ThinkBlock; tiles with images of 2-D and 3-D objects were used in the same way and then to push thinking to show there are always confusers in life, I dampened a piece of paper and then asked if it was 2-D
or 3-D as the edges of the paper curled. This idea was inspired by the work of artist Shinji Turner-Yamamoto who is having an exhibit at the Greater Reston Arts Center in Reston, Virginia. He created paper from natural fibers and let the paper dry naturally into beautiful forms. See www.restonarts.org.