Action Origami: Paper Models That Snap, Bang, Fly And Spin!

By Belinda Webster and Joe Fullman

Discover how to turn a simple square of paper into something ACTION-PACKED!

From flapping birds to floating boats, spinning tops to magic wands, and barking dogs to jumping horses, this book is filled with amazing paper models for you to create. The great photography and clear, step-by-step instructions make each project really easy to master and lots of fun to fold.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Arcturus Publishing
• Release date: Aug 27, 2020
• ISBN: 9781398800908

Belinda Webster

Belinda Webster has designed many books, magazines and educational materials for young people. She specialises in paper craft, especially origami.

Book preview

Action Origami: Paper models that float, fly, snap, and spin!

CONTENTS

Contents

Introduction

In Flight

Kite

Flapping Bird

Jet Plane

Flying Valentine

Helicopter

Fun & Games

Dominoes

Basketball Hoop

Dice

Spinning Top

Hey Presto!

Magic Wand

Face Changer

Magic Cup

Magician’s Rabbit

On The Water

Catamaran

Lotus Flower

Duckling

Motorboat

Action Packed

Inflatable Fish

Beating Heart

Jumping Horse

Egg-Laying Hen

Snap, Snap!

Gulping Fish

Pecking Chicken

Barking Dog

Kissing Frog

Introduction

Origami has been popular in Japan for hundreds of years and is now loved all around the world. Action origami is a special kind of origami that can be made to move or perform some sort of action. From a floating motorboat to a flying helicopter, and an egg-laying hen to a barking dog, this book is packed with fantastic models that can fly, float, snap, spin, jump, and even perform magical illusions. All you need to get started is a square of paper, your fingers, and some nifty folds!

Getting Started

The paper used in origami is thin but strong, so that it can be folded many times. You can use ordinary scrap paper, as long as it’s not too thick.

A lot of the origami models in this book are made with the same folds. This introduction explains some of the ones that will appear most, so it’s a good idea to master these folds before you start. When making the projects, follow the key below to find out what the lines and arrows mean. And always crease well!

KEY

valley fold

mountain fold

push

direction to move paper

turn paper over

MOUNTAIN FOLD

To make a mountain fold, fold the paper so that the crease is pointing up toward you, like a mountain.

VALLEY FOLD

To make a valley fold, fold the paper the other way, so that the crease is pointing away from you, like a valley.

INSIDE REVERSE FOLD

This is useful if you want to flatten part of an origami model. It will come in handy for your Magician’s Rabbit (page 50) and Jumping Horse (page 76).

1. Fold a piece of paper diagonally in half. Make a valley fold on one point and crease.

2. It’s important to make sure that the paper is creased well. Run your finger over the crease two or three times.

3. Unfold and open up the corner slightly. Refold the crease nearest to you into a mountain fold.

4. Open up the paper a little more and then tuck the tip of the point inside. Close the paper. This is the view from the underside of the paper.

5. Flatten the paper. You now have an inside reverse fold.

OUTSIDE REVERSE FOLD

This is great if you want to make part of your model stick out. You’ll need it for the Duckling (page 60) and Barking Dog (page 90).

1. Fold a piece of paper diagonally in half. Make a valley fold on one point and crease.

2. It’s important to make sure that the paper is creased well. Run your finger over the crease two or three times.

3. Unfold and open up the corner slightly. Refold the crease farthest away from you into a mountain fold.

4. Open up the paper a little more and start to turn the corner inside out. Then close the paper when the fold begins to turn.

5. You now have an outside reverse fold. You can either flatten the paper or leave it rounded out.

In Flight

It’s a bird... it’s a plane... it’s flying origami! Take to the skies with this great collection of flapping and flying models.

Kite

Jet Plane

Helicopter

Flapping Bird

Flying Valentine

Kite

★ Easy

Up, up, and away! This crazy kite really does fly. Just be sure to attach some string so that it doesn’t blow away.