Crafting with Kids

Animal origami bases are a set of simple, yet abstract folded figures. And although the paper itself may not look like anything after being folded into a base, it is just the starting point from which to make other origami animals.

Learning the traditional animal bases, like the preliminary bird and frog, make it easy to complete a wide array of other origami projects. The list of animals you can recreate with paper just goes on and on, and includes dogs, horses, cats, rabbits, bears, pigs, deer, giraffes, elk, elephants, panthers, bats, squirrels, lions, goats, monkeys etc.

Once you have built the origami animal base you need, you will have the foundation of something that, with just a few other folds, can create numerous other shapes.

When beginning to build a project, choose a simple origami pattern which is less complex to construct. Some more complicated diagrams may even involve folding separate sheets of paper and combining them into one larger animal figure.

Here’s how to make a dog using this Japanese paper form. First, you will begin with a square piece of paper. If it is colored, put the colored side face down on the work surface and then fascinating folds along the diagonal to create a triangle.

Next you will bring the corners together to section the paper in half and then unfold. This step creates a crease. Now you will place the model so that two points are at the top and one point is facing down.

To create the dog’s ears, you will turn down each of the two top points, using the center crease line as a guide. Finally, fold the top and bottom of the dog’s head away from you. The dog is complete.

This is a very basic origami diagram. Many kids who make this enjoy pasting google eyes on it as well as drawing a nose and a mouth to make it more realistic and personalized. For a great selection of inspiring origami animals and others, visit the website of Robert J. Lang, at www.langorigami.com.

Creating perfect folds in origami can be simple or difficult; it all depends on the design involved, especially for kid’s crafts. Often it is recommended to add google eyes and use pens or pencils to create more realistic finished products.

To create a herd of horses or a flock of birds, use paper that contains shades of the same color. If you choose, you can use smaller sizes of paper, creating a small family of different sizes.

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