Origami - The Art of Japanese Paper Folding

September 21, 2010

Who doesn't love turning a boring piece of paper into a work of art?! Recently, Midori Ito Harbison visited the Smithville Branch to teach us some basic techniques. I've always loved origami paper; it's so colorful and bright. Some of the cool stuff we got to make? A samurai hat, a fish, a cool box, a piano with a bench, and of course - a crane!

Most of the designs we created took less than 10 minutes to learn, and Midori was happy to help when we (ok, I) got lost. Here are a few important things to remember? Most origami is very symmetrical (it's the same on both sides). Make sure to match your edges as closely as you can, and crease your paper really well. We used our fingernails or the handle of scissors when the folding got more difficult.

MCPL has some really cool origami books if you want to teach yourself. Check out these titles for some wicked paper magic.

Über Origami: Every Origami Project Ever! by Duy Nguyen
Origami Toys: That Tumble, Fly, and Spin by Paul Jackson
Napkin Origami: 25 Creative and Fun Ideas for Napkin Folding by Brian Sawyer

One of my favorite origami stories talks about the legend of the 1000 paper cranes. If you want to learn more, read Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes by Eleanor Coerr or the picture book version called Sadako by Eleanor Coerr.

Abbey L.
Smithville Branch