How to Make Origami

I remember when I was in middle school my friends and I would constantly pass notes to each other during the school day and part of the note passing fun was also seeing the different ways that kids would fold the notes up and try to copy the folds. Looking back on it now, I realize it was probably one of my first experiences in learning how to make origami, the art of paper folding.

I remember vividly during high school somehow coming across an origami how to book, I was just enthralled with it. I could not believe that animals, creatures and all kinds of things could be made from paper, it was so simple yet so creative and I was always looking for creative outlets. Origami was great because the paper was so easy to carry around and it was the only supply I needed to make some really cool artwork.

When I was first trying to figure out how to make origami, I remember a pattern for a frog caught my eye and it seemed easy so it was a good first project. In fact it was such a good first project that I was making frog origami all the time and I was getting really fast at it. Eventually I experimented with trying other animals and really enjoyed origami.

The pleasure of origami never really left me because when I taught art at an elementary school, one of the units was origami. Believe it or not, even many years after making my first origami frog I was able to remember pretty quickly how to fold the frog. I showed the art classes I was teaching how to make the origami frog and the kids caught on right away, in fact they went a little crazy with it. There were origami frogs being made in the classrooms, there origami frogs laying in the halls that fell out of backpacks and there were origami frogs on the playground, I think the teachers were a little annoyed with me but the kids sure had a good time and that was all that was important to me!

I have found a variety of websites that show how to make the origami. Some patterns are more difficult than others, kids could make some of the origami themselves and others may need some assistance. Let me foreworn you that origami can become quite addicting to adults too, so to the young and old alike, enjoy!

The following websites have great ideas and free directions and instructions:

http://dev.origami.com/diagram.cfm

335 origami patterns from easy to difficult.

http://www.origami-club.com/en/

Tons of diagrams on this site with really nice illustrations.

http://www.paperfolding.com/

Click on the "Learn to Fold" link and there are some cute origami diagrams.

http://www.tammyyee.com/origami.html

Lots of origami ideas and diagrams, this site is geared strictly for kids so folds are much easier than some other sites. Scroll towards the bottom of the main page and links are easy to see.

Sources:

http://dev.origami.com
http://www.origami-club.com
http://www.paperfolding.com
http://www.tammyyee.com