During the past couple of winters I’ve been tagging along with some friends who do an important job of counting the migratory birds that visit a nearby lough (lake). Tristan has been along with us twice in the past, and Kallista is itching to see what it’s all about. Birds have become a bit of a part of our lives with building bird boxes, watching them from our kitchen window, and even making a bird-spotting folder for our walks. Recently we’ve also been busy folding Origami Birds!
Tuttle Publishing didn’t know this about us, but our lovely friend there knows just what to send!
Origami Birds is also one of Michael LaFosse’s creations. His illustrations and directions are easy to follow, with the exception of a couple that I’m finding more difficult – but that teaches me patience and perseverance, which are good things for the children to see me working on. And of course, this set also has basic origami up to more challenging projects so there’s something there for everyone, and something to aim for.
Origami Birds comes with:
- 2 instruction books (great when there’s more than one person folding)
- 20 projects
- 96 pieces of origami paper in plain, patterned designs. Some are double-sided, and there are also 2 foiled sheets
The first projects the kids made a flap over were the duck and duck family. Starting with easier folding projects is a good way to start with any new kit!
Kallista made a beautiful duck, and Tristan’s duck family folded from a single sheet is a unique project.
Next up for Tristan was a swallow which was a little more challenging, but he worked his way through it, just asking for clarification on one fold. He used to become so frustrated when he didn’t ‘get it’ right away. Now he sits with a look of determination as he follows the instructions step by step through until he has a finished project sitting in front of him.
This week I’ll have him work on a more difficult project and then see if I can consciously get him to work his way through his school subjects in the same way. One step at a time. Each step leads to the next until the project is completed. No cutting corners or complaining about how difficult something ‘looks’ – just start at the beginning and it will come together in the end.
I tried a couple of projects myself from this kit. I thought they’d be quite difficult and was pleasantly surprised that they went as smoothly as they did! The peacock with it’s fanned tail is deceiving. It didn’t take long, and looks beautiful. The phoenix is slightly more difficult, but the instructions are clear and it turned out well.
Of course, an Origami Birds kit wouldn’t be complete without the most-famous crane in it, and you’ll find that in here as well as these:
- swan
- seagull
- cardinal
- penguin
- hummingbird
- golden goose and a golden egg
- and more
I’m thinking of ways to incorporate some of these birds into greeting cards – or maybe we’ll add some string to them and the kids can use them as gifts to our birding friends. The possibilities are floating around my head.
As the kids fold their projects, more ways to use them are unfolding in my mind. How do you use origami? I’d love to hear if you do it for the pure pleasure or if you incorporate it into additional learning opportunities. Let me know in the comments below!
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 kit or other great origami supplies, here are some Amazon links for you:
