We love our origami at Castle View Academy! The kids have been doing it for years and will soon be passing my skill level (I can’t wait for that day!). The Beginning Origami Kit is great because there are projects we can all work on, yet it’s still giving us each a challenge. We’ve found some practical ways to use the pieces, and we’re also showing you some of our bloopers!
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Tuttle Publishing has sent us a new origami kit to work on, and we’ve been taking our time with it because life is life and we all have things to do. But when you need a little ‘quiet time’ as Kallista says, then it’s just the thing to pull out and focus on.
The Beginning Origami Kit contains:
- 72 folding papers
- 64 page instruction book
- 20 different models to make
- 1 instructional DVD
Nick Robinson is from England and has a Western slant to origami from his own experiences. An example of this is the German House (Which also reminds me of the Saskatchewan Wheat Elevators that used to be such a common sight along the rail lines in small towns). This brings a unique perspective to this kit.
I’m loving the papers in this kit! The kids recognise some of the designs from other kits that are also appropriate for this kit. There are also plenty of new designs for us to choose from. The papers are double-sided with colour or designs on both sides to give more interest to the final projects.
Some of the projects are:
- Baby Rabbit
- Heart Card
- Cat Brooch
- Elephant
- Frog
- Buddha’s Head
- Flexi-Fish Form
- and more
If you think origami isn’t for you and you can’t do it….sometimes we think the same thing! Here’s a photo of a few of our ‘failures.’ However, origami is about more than the finished project. It’s about slowing down and thinking about what you’re doing. It’s about learning how to be one with the paper. It’s about experience and learning. And I think we could use some additional experience! I share these with you so that you know that it sometimes/often takes us more than one attempt to make it to a pretty finished item.
This buddha is currently in progress, but I have run into a little trouble with the eyes. Before I go any further I am going to watch the video that came with this kit so I can watch and follow along so I don’t (hopefully) add to my pile of rejects.
The videos are very useful as different people learn in different ways. Here’s a shot of Tristan following both the video and book to make a frog:
One thing I love about origami is how portable it is. I often have some paper in my backpack with our books to occupy the children on the train, in the dentist’s waiting room, or at the library. When one of the kids is done their homework and doesn’t know what to do while the other is still working, origami many times has come to the rescue!
This kit in particular has some practical items to create! There is an interesting business card holder that would be a conversation piece in an office. And put the little box next to it with some mints or jellybeans in it and it would look great. I have done that here at home….but the box finds itself empty again very quickly!
Origami Practicality
You can see that we also made a German-styled house from this kit and turned it into a card that the children have given to a new neighbour as a welcome. The hearts in a square up in that photo as well would make a pretty Valentine’s Day card.
We’ve been having lots of fun with these projects; if you’re like us and can’t get enough origami, please sign up for our emails as we will be sharing several more great Tuttle origami kits with you over the summer!
If you’d like to know more or would like to follow Tuttle Publishing, you can connect with them through their website, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest (and you can see our other Tuttle reviews here).
If you’re interested in purchasing this or other Tuttle origami kits, here are some Amazon links for you:
