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How to fold an origami dinosaur park

A real project. Reverse-fold a long-neck dinosaur, cut a t-rex with snapping jaws, then add a volcano, a pleated palm, ferns, an egg nest and a fence with a footprint sign. Stand it up.

You need: 25 pieces: a 17 cm green square, sky-blue A4, brown, orange, green, dark green, blue, cream, wood-brown and yellow bits (sizes in steps). Scissors, glue.. Challenge, 71 steps, about 100 minutes.

Steps

  1. Volcano: fold a cone. Start with the volcano: a 13.3 × 14.2 cm brown sheet, brown side up. Fold both top corners far behind, from 3.6 cm apart at the top to the bottom corners.
  2. Lava: new sheet. Set the volcano aside. For the lava, take a 4 × 4.1 cm orange piece, orange side up.
  3. Lava: pour it. Fold both bottom corners behind on a slant, from 1.5 cm below the top corners to the bottom middle. The point is lava pouring down.
  4. Grass: new sheet. Set the lava aside. For the grass, take a 29.7 × 3.9 cm green strip, green side up, lying long.
  5. Grass: neat edge. Fold the top edge behind 4 mm, for a straight edge of grass.
  6. Palm trunk: new sheet. Set the grass aside. For the palm trunk, take a 1.1 × 8.6 cm brown strip, brown side up, leaning a little left.
  7. Trunk: ring 1. Fold the top part down in front, creasing 2.8 cm below the top.
  8. Trunk: ring 1, back up. Fold it back up, 3.5 mm lower. The little ledge is a ring on the palm's trunk.
  9. Trunk: ring 2. Fold the top part down in front again, creasing 2.3 cm below the first ring.
  10. Trunk: ring 2, back up. Fold it back up, 3.5 mm lower. The little ledge is a ring on the palm's trunk.
  11. Frond 1: new sheet. Set the trunk aside. For a palm frond, take a 1.3 × 4.2 cm dark green strip, green side up.
  12. Frond 1: point it. Cut the far end to a long point, snipping from each side 1.6 cm before the end to the middle of the end.
  13. Frond 2: new sheet. Set the frond aside. For a palm frond, take a 1.3 × 4.4 cm dark green strip, green side up.
  14. Frond 2: point it. Cut the far end to a long point, snipping from each side 1.6 cm before the end to the middle of the end.
  15. Frond 3: new sheet. Set the frond aside. For a palm frond, take a 1.3 × 4.4 cm dark green strip, green side up.
  16. Frond 3: point it. Cut the far end to a long point, snipping from each side 1.6 cm before the end to the middle of the end.
  17. Frond 4: new sheet. Set the frond aside. For a palm frond, take a 1.3 × 3.4 cm dark green strip, green side up.
  18. Frond 4: point it. Cut the far end to a long point, snipping from each side 1.6 cm before the end to the middle of the end.
  19. Legs: new sheet. Set the frond aside. Now the long-neck dinosaur. For its legs, take a 19.8 × 3.2 cm green strip, white side up, lying long.
  20. Legs: fold in half. Fold the bottom edge up onto the top edge, so it is green on both sides.
  21. Legs: fold down the ends. Fold each end straight down on a slanted crease, 4.7 cm from each end along the bottom edge. Two sturdy legs, 7.2 cm apart.
  22. Long neck: new sheet. Set the legs aside. For the body, take a 17 cm green square, white side up, turned like a diamond.
  23. Long neck: crease. Fold the top corner down to the bottom corner, crease, and unfold.
  24. Long neck: make a kite. Fold the two right edges in to lie along the centre crease.
  25. Long neck: long diamond. Fold the two left edges in to the centre crease too, making a long diamond with a point at each end.
  26. Long neck: fold in half. Fold the top half behind the bottom half. The fold along the top is the dinosaur's back.
  27. Long neck: reverse the neck. Outside-reverse-fold the left point up: open the layers and wrap them round the outside, on a crease from the back 3.8 cm left of the middle.
  28. Long neck: reverse the head. Outside-reverse-fold the tip of the neck the same way, 3 cm from the top, so the head points forward and down.
  29. Long neck: blunt nose and tail. Snip the very tip off the nose, square across. Then cut the thin end of the tail off straight, 2.3 cm from its point.
  30. T-rex body: new sheet. Set the long-neck aside. Now the t-rex. For its body, take a 3.4 × 7.5 cm blue piece, blue side up, sloping down to the right.
  31. T-rex body: taper the tail. Cut both long sides on a slant, from 3 cm along down to 3 mm either side of the middle of the far end. A thick body, a long pointed tail.
  32. T-rex body: round the chest. Fold the lower corner at the front end behind, 1 cm along each edge, to round the chest.
  33. T-rex legs: new sheet. Set the body aside. For the legs, take a 3.6 × 6 cm blue piece, blue side up, standing tall.
  34. T-rex legs: fold in half. Fold the left edge over onto the right edge.
  35. T-rex legs: cut them. Cut a slant from the fold 2.8 cm below the top down to 8 mm from the fold at the bottom. Round the top open corner for a strong thigh.
  36. T-rex legs: open them. Open it out: two strong legs with round thighs.
  37. T-rex head: new sheet. Set the legs aside. For the big head, take a 3.8 × 2.6 cm blue piece, blue side up, lying long.
  38. T-rex head: fold in half. Fold the top edge down onto the bottom edge.
  39. T-rex head: open it. Open it out again.
  40. T-rex head: snip the mouth. Snip along the crease from the left edge, 2.2 cm in.
  41. T-rex head: open the jaws. Cut a slim wedge off the top of the lower jaw only, from the end of the snip to 1 cm down the front edge. The jaws gape open.
  42. T-rex head: round the back. Fold both right corners behind, 7 mm along each edge, to round the back of the head.
  43. Egg 1: new sheet. Set the head aside. For an egg, take a 1.1 × 1.5 cm cream piece, cream side up.
  44. Egg 1: round it. Fold the top corners behind 4 mm and the bottom corners behind 3 mm, for an egg that is narrower at the top.
  45. Egg 2: new sheet. Set the egg aside. For an egg, take a 1.1 × 1.5 cm cream piece, cream side up.
  46. Egg 2: round it. Fold the top corners behind 4 mm and the bottom corners behind 3 mm, for an egg that is narrower at the top.
  47. Egg 3: new sheet. Set the egg aside. For an egg, take a 1.1 × 1.5 cm cream piece, cream side up.
  48. Egg 3: round it. Fold the top corners behind 4 mm and the bottom corners behind 3 mm, for an egg that is narrower at the top.
  49. Nest: new sheet. Set the egg aside. For the nest, take a 4 × 2.2 cm brown piece, brown side up, lying long.
  50. Nest: pleat the rim. Fold the top edge down in front, 5 mm.
  51. Nest: pleat, back up. Fold it back up 2.5 mm lower, leaving a ledge: the nest's twiggy rim.
  52. Nest: round the bowl. Fold both bottom corners behind, 1 cm along each edge, so the nest is a round bowl.
  53. Fern 1: new sheet. Set the nest aside. For a fern, take a 2.8 × 4.6 cm green piece, green side up, standing tall.
  54. Fern 1: point it. Cut both top corners off on long slants, from the top middle to the sides 3 cm down, for a pointed frond.
  55. Fern 1: narrow the stem. Fold both bottom corners behind on a slant, 1 cm along each edge.
  56. Fern 2: new sheet. Set the fern aside. For a fern, take a 2.8 × 4.6 cm green piece, green side up, standing tall.
  57. Fern 2: point it. Cut both top corners off on long slants, from the top middle to the sides 3 cm down, for a pointed frond.
  58. Fern 2: narrow the stem. Fold both bottom corners behind on a slant, 1 cm along each edge.
  59. Fence rail: new sheet. Set the fern aside. For the fence rail, take a 29.2 × 1.6 cm wood-brown strip, white side up, lying long.
  60. Fence rail: fold in half. Fold the bottom edge up onto the top edge, for a thick wooden rail.
  61. Post 1: new sheet. Set the rail aside. For a fence post, take a 1 × 3 cm wood-brown piece, standing tall.
  62. Post 1: point the top. Cut both top corners off on a slant, from the top middle to the sides 5 mm down.
  63. Post 2: new sheet. Set the post aside. For a fence post, take a 1 × 3 cm wood-brown piece, standing tall.
  64. Post 2: point the top. Cut both top corners off on a slant, from the top middle to the sides 5 mm down.
  65. Post 3: new sheet. Set the post aside. For a fence post, take a 1 × 3 cm wood-brown piece, standing tall.
  66. Post 3: point the top. Cut both top corners off on a slant, from the top middle to the sides 5 mm down.
  67. Sign: new sheet. Set the post aside. For the park sign, take a 4.4 × 2.4 cm yellow piece, yellow side up.
  68. Sign: bevel the corners. Fold all four corners behind, 4 mm along each edge.
  69. Sky: new sheet. Set the sign aside. Last, the sky: a sky-blue A4 sheet, blue side up, lying long.
  70. Open the park. Glue the volcano and lava at the back, the grass, palm and dinosaurs, then the eggs in their nest, ferns, the fence, posts and sign in front, as shown.
  71. Stand it up. Bend the sky gently towards you between the long-neck's legs, and stand the whole park up on the table.

Welcome to the park!

Draw smoke and lava drips, coconuts, the dinosaurs' faces, spots, stripes, teeth and toes, egg speckles, nest twigs, fern leaflets and a footprint on the sign.

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