Family Craft Ideas: A Royal Crown for All Ages

Transcription

1 Family Craft Ideas: A Royal Crown for All Ages Why Origami: We are always searching for fun things to do with the kids to keep them occupied without being too complicated or making too much of a mess. This is the perfect activity because it is fun, can be done at a table at home, and it s easy (even though it s origami!). While adults can enjoy it too, it s quick to make so kids can get to decorating and hours of royal play time sooner! The paper crown involves only a couple folding steps that are repeated, so even kids who struggle with these kinds of things can pick up the steps along the way. Assembly takes minutes depending on speed and size of the crown. Make sure everything is safe and given to children only during use to avoid harm. Do it together! Let your children read through the instructions and build with you for the most fun! Materials: For the Crown: 1 Sharpie Marker (optional) 4 to 8 pieces of square paper per crown (recommended size: 6 x 6 each) 1 Ruler 1 pair of scissors Some scotch tape (optional) Suggestions for Decorating: Glitter, gems, sequins Elmer s Liquid glue Washable, nontoxic markers Warning: Keep any ingestible materials and scissors away from small children. Note: If square paper is not available, paper may be cut to appropriate size. Paper is recommended to be solid color on one side with a design on the other to tell the sides apart when folding. Using thicker paper like cardstock or scrapbook paper will make a studier, more wearable crown. Figure 1: Cutting paper to square dimensions Creating: Note: You can always refold pieces if you don t like how you folded them, and be careful to avoid paper cuts! In the images, paper used was 4.5 x 4.5 in size, though resizing the pictures may skew scale.

2 1. Turn one 6 x 6 square paper design-side down. Make it like a competition! The better you crease these folds, the easier it will be to fold the crown piece in later steps. Whoever makes the best crease can win something fun like a royal picture with mom and dad! 2. Fold the paper in half, hotdog style (so the crease is vertical down the center of the paper). Crease well. 3. Unfold. You may want to trace the fold line with a sharpie marker to see it better. 4. Fold the paper in half, hamburger style (so the crease is horizontal down the center of the paper). Crease well.

3 5. Unfold. You may want to trace the new fold line with a sharpie marker to see it better. (making a cross from the vertical line) 6. Fold the top right and left corners to the center of the square. Fold down as much as possible towards the horizontal axis to make a sharp point at the top. Note: The corners may not fold perfectly to the center and one fold may seem too long. Any paper hitting below the horizontal sharpie line may be cut from the bottom of the formed triangle as shown below: (Mom or dad should help cut this part!) 7. Fold the bottom edge up to meet the horizontal sharpie line. Crease well.

4 8. Fold the bottom edge up again, this time over the horizontal center line. Crease well. 9. Fold piece in half on the vertical axis. This may be harder to crease well. Unfold. ~This is one unit of the crown. 7-8 pieces may be needed for an adult sized crown. (8 units will make a crown 7 in diameter. For children, 5 pieces may be more appropriate.) Connecting: Note: Mom or dad may need to help connect the pieces. 1. Pull two pieces together, tucking one bottom strip s left edge into another piece s bottom strip s right edge. (There are pockets in the paper). You may need to pinch one unit to open the pocket enough.

5 2. Gently slide the other piece into the pocket. Slide the pieces until they will not go any farther (when bottom strip of the one piece hits the point on the other) Slide 3. Repeat this process until all pieces are added in a chain. 4. Connect the first and last piece in the same way. Note: Tape may be placed on the inside where parts connect to help add security. (The outside has more creases showing) 5. You can finish now or decorate the crown by coloring with markers or gluing on gems, sequins, glitter, or anything else you would like. Parent supervision is suggested to avoid making a mess! When you are happy with your masterpiece, you are done! 6. Clean up any paper scraps or materials left before playing.