Folding for Fun

If a child can fold a piece of paper, he or she can learn the basics of origami. Plus, once a project is finished, it's fun to decorate and play with the object created.

The expert author Didier Boursin demonstrates folds in easy, individual steps using clear, colorful drawings and engaging photographs of kids making origami models like a boat, a fish and an airplane. Only seven types of folds are used in the entire book, and a visual glossary at the beginning shows what each fold instruction means. Some of the projects have only three or four folds.

Selected for their simplicity and their surefire appeal to young children, the 16 origami projects include:

• 3-D "hello cuckoo!" card
• Balls
• Floating boat
• Twirlers
• Storybook
• Magic paper
• Racing sailboats
• Moo-ing straw
• Stairhopper
• Big-eared rabbit.

Any early schoolchild can do origami. Folding for Fun makes this ancient art accessible by turning it into a playful and rewarding activity that also produces a toy.