Origami

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Milo is keeping very busy this summer. He has matured into such a driven, curious, knowledge-hungry little boy! When he is not spending time outside or burying his nose in a book, he is doing origami. And I’m not just saying this because he’s my kid — he’s really very good! I think it’s because there are specific steps to follow and he has always had a knack for following directions, specifically for building things or putting things together.

And it’s not all that easy! I was so impressed with his lily above, I sat down to make one with him, and I messed up. Twice. A true lesson in patience and practice, as one of these things can take a good 20 minutes to complete!

Right now, there is origami all over our house. On every surface, beautifully folded designs, boxes, flowers, birds, fish, and even skunks! I love finding them tucked away on windowsills and nightstands.
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He taught Oliver how to make origami fish, so they worked together one afternoon to make a whole school of fish to hang from the ceiling of their room. Whenever we turn the fan on low, they gently “swim” around in such a pleasant way. So relaxing to lie on our backs on the rug underneath and watch them move. DSC_0780If you’re looking for something special for an older child, I highly recommend getting this set, which comes with an instructional DVD (really, it’s very helpful to see step-by-step what each fold should look like). It’s actually something parents will enjoy doing with their kids, I promise!

Also, if you’re wanting to sneak in a little math this summer, this geometric origami kit seems awesome…

This kit is all about flowers, while this one is all animals (but it looks a lot more advanced).

Happy folding!

2 thoughts on “Origami”
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  1. I have a series of birds that “fly” across Frances’ wall. I love origami – but I love paper art in general. I generally cut more than I fold! As he gets older, he will probably be really patient and careful with an x-acto knife. I loved cutting paper and building up stories with layers, or creating pop-up cards or books. I still love card-making.

    As the collection grows, you could easily mount or frame a collection of them. Look at these gorgeous pieces –

    http://www.designsponge.com/2015/01/diy-origami-wall-display.html

    I love the idea of a repeated form with just a slight change in color. Or maybe a series in a linear format where the piece at the start has one fold, and each one after has an additional fold – you could watch the transformation from square to flower or animal in one place.

    How fun. A great summer activity.

    Ooh, you could also get some sunprint paper and then use it to make folded pieces. Ok, I’ll stop now… 🙂

  2. A few years ago my two older kids took a Star Wars origami class at our public library. It was a lot of fun and our house was full of Yodas and Deathstars in various colors for months and months.

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