Ohio Homeschool Assessments: Summer Fun: Origami

Sunday, July 14, 2013

Summer Fun: Origami

Summer time is a great time for you and your children to try something new. My kids tend to work on their hobbies in the summer, and develop new skills. Several of my children love Origami. Origami is wonderful way to improve math skills, use visual spatial skills, following direction, and it's really fun. I think my kids love it because they have a product at the end. Origami is also a great hobby because you can fold beginner models with little experience and work you way up to more complex ones.

Here are some ideas to get you started. For Beginners we like the following kit from Dover. It has paper to get you started and some basic and intermediate models. Origami Fun Kit for Beginners (Dover Fun Kit) Another book, Beginner's Origami, has some nice models as well. Another place to start is to buy a pack of origami paper from Hobby Lobby or Micheals. They usually contain instructions in the pack. Another great resource is Origami USA. They also have some downloads of instructions. We have found wonderful books at our local library as well.

For more advanced we are big fans of Robert Lang's books. He has written Origami Design Secrets: Mathematical Methods for an Ancient Art, one of my son's favorite books. We also like Origami Zoo: An Amazing Collection of Folded Paper Animals, Origami Sea Life, and The Complete Book of Origami: Step-by Step Instructions in Over 1000 Diagrams. A great place to find specialty paper is Mrs. Lin's Kitchen. She has beautiful paper including double sided in a variety of sizes. Kim's Crane is another place to find specialty paper.

If you really get into origami, Origami USA holds a contest every year for children. If you scroll down the page you will find pictures of children's work. There are some amazing pieces. The exhibit travels around the country.

Some of my kid's creations. Enjoy!