How to fold an origami camping trip
A real project. Cut, pleat and open a red tent, then pleat two pines, cut a bear, a moon and a one-cut star, fold a campfire and a canoe, and stand it all up as one night-time campsite.
You need: 13 pieces: red, dark blue, pale yellow, yellow, brown, dark green, orange, teal, green (sizes in steps). Scissors, glue, black pen, white gel pen.. Challenge, 75 steps, about 55 minutes.
Steps
- Tent: fold the doors. Start with the hard part, the tent: an 18 × 6.8 cm red piece, white side up, long sides across. Fold both ends in to meet in the middle.
- Tent: cut the roof. Through all the layers, cut from the top middle down each side to 2 cm above the bottom corner, then on to the corner.
- Tent: open the doors. Fold each door's inner bottom corner out, from 4 cm up the middle to 1.8 cm out along the bottom edge. The white lining shows.
- Tent: pleat the floor. Fold the bottom edge up, creasing 1.3 cm above it.
- Tent: and back down. Fold the flap back down 4 mm higher. A ledge runs along the bottom: the tent's tough floor.
- Sky: new sheet. Set the tent aside. For the night sky, take a 22.5 × 15.4 cm dark blue sheet, blue side up, long sides across.
- Sky: round the corners. Snip a small corner off each top corner, 1.5 cm each way.
- Moon: new sheet. Set the sky aside. For the moon, take a 3.2 cm pale yellow square, yellow side up.
- Moon: fold in half. Fold the top edge down onto the bottom edge.
- Moon: cut a half circle. Cut a round half circle from one end of the fold to the other, as big as the paper allows.
- Moon: open it. Open it out: a full round moon.
- Star: new sheet. Set the moon aside. For the star, take a 3.5 cm yellow square, yellow side up.
- Star: fold in half. Fold the top edge down to the bottom edge. The middle of the fold is the centre of your star.
- Star: fold the left side over. Fold from the centre down to a point on the bottom edge 5 mm left of its middle, bringing the left part over to the right.
- Star: fold the right side over. Fold the right part over along the edge of the flap you just made, so it lies on top.
- Star: fold the point in half. Fold the left half of the point over onto the right half, lining up the edges. It is now a slim point of many layers.
- Star: one cut. Cut straight across, from the left edge 1.7 cm down from the point to the right edge 7 mm down.
- Star: unfold. Unfold the last fold.
- Star: unfold again. Unfold the right part.
- Star: and again. Unfold the left part.
- Star: open it flat. Unfold the top half. A sharp five-pointed star!
- Bear: new sheet. Set the star aside. For the bear, take a 3.5 × 3.9 cm brown piece, brown side up, standing tall.
- Bear: fold in half. Fold the left edge over onto the right edge.
- Bear: crease a guide. Fold the open edges over to the left by 1 cm and crease hard.
- Bear: open the guide. Open it again. The strip outside the crease will be an ear.
- Bear: cut the head. Cut 1 cm down the crease, then across to the fold. Snip both top corners of the ear, and round the open bottom corner for the cheek.
- Bear: open it. Open it out: a round bear head with two ears.
- Bear: fold the muzzle. Fold the chin up 5 mm. The white patch is the bear's muzzle.
- Big pine: new sheet. Set the bear aside. For the big pine, take a 6.3 × 14.6 cm dark green piece, green side up, standing tall.
- Big pine: fold in half. Fold the left edge over onto the right edge.
- Big pine: cut the slope. Cut from the top of the fold down to the bottom open corner. Keep the tall triangle.
- Big pine: open it. Open it out: a tall green triangle.
- Big pine: first branch pleat. Fold the bottom edge up, creasing 4.9 cm below the tip. The white side shows for now.
- Big pine: fold it back down. Fold the flap back down 0.8 cm higher. Its corners stick out past the sides: a row of branches.
- Big pine: second branch pleat. Fold the bottom edge up again, creasing 4.1 cm below the first ledge.
- Big pine: and back down. Fold it back down 0.8 cm higher. Now the pine has two rows of branches.
- Small pine: new sheet. Set the big pine aside. For the small pine, take a 5.1 × 10.9 cm dark green piece, green side up, standing tall.
- Small pine: fold in half. Fold the left edge over onto the right edge.
- Small pine: cut the slope. Cut from the top of the fold down to the bottom open corner. Keep the tall triangle.
- Small pine: open it. Open it out: a tall green triangle.
- Small pine: first branch pleat. Fold the bottom edge up, creasing 4.0 cm below the tip. The white side shows for now.
- Small pine: fold it back down. Fold the flap back down 0.6 cm higher. Its corners stick out past the sides: a row of branches.
- Small pine: second branch pleat. Fold the bottom edge up again, creasing 3.2 cm below the first ledge.
- Small pine: and back down. Fold it back down 0.6 cm higher. Now the pine has two rows of branches.
- Glue up the night. Glue the moon and star on the sky and both pines in front, the bear peeking out from behind the small one. Glue the tent in front, by the big pine.
- Flame: new sheet. Set the night scene aside. For the campfire's flame, take a 2.4 × 3.3 cm orange piece, orange side up, standing tall.
- Flame: fold in half. Fold the left edge over onto the right edge.
- Flame: cut the flame. Cut a curve from the top of the fold, bulging out towards the open edge and back in at the bottom, like half a teardrop.
- Flame: open it. Open it out: a pointed flame.
- Inner flame: new sheet. Set it aside. For the inner flame, take a 1.5 × 2.1 cm yellow piece, yellow side up, standing tall.
- Inner flame: fold in half. Fold the left edge over onto the right edge.
- Inner flame: cut the flame. Cut a curve from the top of the fold, bulging out towards the open edge and back in at the bottom, like half a teardrop.
- Inner flame: open it. Open it out: a pointed flame.
- Log: new sheet. Set the flame aside. For the first log, take a 4.2 × 1 cm brown strip, white side up, lying long.
- Log: fold in half. Fold the top edge down onto the bottom edge. The log is brown on both sides.
- Log: round the ends. Snip a tiny corner off all four corners so the ends are round.
- Log: new sheet. Set the log aside and make a second log the same way, from another 4.2 × 1 cm brown strip.
- Log: fold in half. Fold the top edge down onto the bottom edge. The log is brown on both sides.
- Log: round the ends. Snip a tiny corner off all four corners so the ends are round.
- Canoe: new sheet. Set the log aside. For the canoe, take a 5.7 cm teal square, teal side up, turned like a diamond.
- Canoe: flatten the diamond. Fold the top and bottom corners behind, each about a third of the way to the middle.
- Canoe: fold in half. Fold the top half behind along the middle. Now you have a long boat shape with pointed ends.
- Canoe: turn up the ends. Fold each pointed end behind on a slant, the crease starting on the top edge and sloping down inwards. The points peek up above the sides.
- Ground: new sheet. Set the canoe aside. Last, the ground: a 24 × 3 cm green strip, green side up, lying long.
- Ground: fold in half. Fold the left end over onto the right end.
- Ground: in half again. Fold the right end back over onto the left fold.
- Ground: and again. Fold it in half once more, the same way. Crease hard.
- Ground: and again. Fold it in half once more, the same way. Crease hard.
- Ground: cut the grass. Cut the top to a sharp point: from 9 mm down each side up to the middle of the top edge.
- Ground: open it. Unfold the last fold.
- Ground: open again. Unfold the next fold.
- Ground: open again. Unfold the next fold.
- Ground: open flat. Open it flat. Sixteen pointed blades of grass stand in a row.
- Build the campsite. Glue the night scene behind the grass. Glue the flames on the grass, the two logs crossed over their bottom, and the canoe on the right.
- Stand it up. Bend the right end of the grass gently towards you, 3.8 cm from the end, and stand the whole campsite up on the table.
Goodnight, campers!
Colour the open doorway dark. Draw the bear's eyes, nose and smile, craters on the moon and a stripe on the canoe. Dot little white stars in the sky.