How to fold an origami kayak
Fold a yellow square into a long hull with sharp ends and the paddler popping up in the middle. Fold a red strip into a paddle with a blade at each end.
You need: A square sheet, yellow on one side, a 3 × 20 cm red strip, scissors, a glue stick and a black pen. Medium, 12 steps, about 10 minutes.
Steps
- Hull: bottom point behind. Turn the square yellow side up like a diamond. Fold the bottom point behind, up to the middle.
- Hull: the keel. Fold the new bottom edge behind again, a little below the middle. The bottom of the kayak is now straight.
- Hull: the deck. Fold the top point behind, a little above the middle. Its tip pokes out below the hull for now.
- Pop up the paddler. Behind, fold that tip back up, at the bottom of the kayak, so its point sticks up above the deck in the middle: the paddler.
- Hull: sharp ends. Fold the four corners next to the end points behind on long slants, so both ends of the kayak come to long, sharp points.
- Paddle: new sheet. Set the kayak aside. Lay the red strip white side up, long side across.
- Paddle: fold in half. Fold the strip in half the long way, bottom edge up to the top. It's red on both sides now.
- Paddle: blades. Fold each end in a little way, on top. These doubled ends are the blades.
- Paddle: snip. At both ends, snip a tiny way into the fold from the top and from the bottom edge.
- Paddle: slim the shaft. Between the blades, fold the top and bottom edges behind, up to the snips. The shaft is thin; the blades stay wide.
- Paddle: tilt it. Turn the paddle so its right end rises.
- Hand it the paddle. Glue the middle of the paddle across the paddler, held up above the deck with one end a little higher.
Paddle away!
Draw a white stripe along the hull and a helmet on the paddler. Add ripples.