Origami

My attention span is horrible with some things....but with origami, I could spend hours on one project if it was necessary.

My kids will pick up on whatever I am excited about. We struggle with cleaning, but do great with origami.

I like it because:

It deals with geometry

It involves problem solving

Its a creation

It's a cheap toy and when the thrill is gone, you throw it away!

Today we made ladybugs and dogs. I found a website that has easy origami for kids for free.





They had fun. They named their dogs and pretend played with them.

I also have some animal print origami paper and made more complex animals with them. I did most of the work, but they enjoyed being a part of the creation and then played with them as well.


If you buy a package like that, though, you might want to check what language the instructions are in. There are pictures as well, but these instructions were not in English...made it a little harder!

I think it is kinda neat to show how a square can make 2 triangles and so forth. If you are just playing around or if you are trying to instruct a child, you can say things like:

"Show me how to make a red triangle."

"Now open up your paper, how many rectangles do you see?"

"Fold the paper in a diagonal to make a triangle."

"Line up your corners so you don't see any white, then crease the fold."

Look at all of the shapes you make...marvel at what folding a paper can do....have fun with the end result!