DLTK's Crafts for Kids
Origami Star

These stars are great projects for a number of themes -- Japan, Christmas, Fourth of July, etc.  They are quite easy (for origami) and are suitable for age 7 and up.
 

Materials:

• Square piece of paper (you can use a piece of construction paper and just square it off... it's about the perfect size for children -- not too small and fiddly).
   
• If you want to use the pieces as decorations, you can even purchase the fancy origami paper from a craft store
   

TERMINOLOGY -- MOUNTAIN FOLD: 

fold the paper under -- see how it looks like a mountain?

TERMINOLOGY -- VALLEY FOLD:

fold the paper to the front.

 

Instructions:

• to make a square piece of paper, valley fold diagonally and cut off the excess
• valley fold the paper in half diagonally  (so you have a triangle) and then unfold the paper
• valley fold the paper in half diagonally the other way  (so you have a triangle) and then unfold the paper
• valley fold the paper in half  (so you have a rectangle) and then unfold the paper
• valley fold the paper in half  the other way (so you have a rectangle) and then unfold the paper
   
• Wow!  that's a lot of creases.
   
• OK... now let's make the star.
   
• Refold the paper in half diagonally (valley fold) to make a triangle but this time leave it folded
   
• Valley fold the left side of the triangle so the edge falls on the closest crease.
   
• Mountain fold the right side of the triangle so the edge falls on the closest crease
   

THE TOUGH STEP - OPTION 1

• Grab the tip of the FRONT of the triangle and mountain fold it towards the right side (let the creases you've made guide the fold).
   
• Grab the tip of the BACK of the triangle and valley fold it towards the left side (let the creases you've made guide the fold).
   
• Notice how A and B switch places
   

THE TOUGH STEP - OPTION 2

• If you struggle with the above step, instead try grabbing A and B and switching their spots... A should go over the top and B should go underneath to arrive at their final positions
   
• Valley fold the left side down (there's a crease there, so it should be easy)
• Valley fold the piece you just folded, back up again -- but not on the original crease.  Instead make a new crease and create a side of the star -- it's sort of up to you where you want the star point to be created.
   
• Now we do the right side.  Valley fold the right side down (there's a crease there, so it should be easy)
• Valley fold the piece you just folded, back up again -- but not on the original crease.  Instead make a new crease and create the last side of the star.
   
• If you made nice firm creases throughout the entire project, the star should hold itself together.
   
• Strictly speaking, glue and tape aren't used in origami, but you might want to put a few dots of glue here and there to hold the star in place (especially if you're going to display it for awhile)
   

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