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How to fold an origami palm tree

Cut three green strips into pairs of long arching fronds, pleat a brown strip three times so it curves like a palm trunk, and add two little coconuts.

You need: Three green strips (up to 27 × 10 cm), a 3 × 25 cm brown strip, two 3 cm dark brown squares, scissors and a glue stick. Medium, 24 steps, about 20 minutes.

Steps

  1. Top fronds: fold in half. Start with a 17 × 8 cm green strip, green side up. Fold the left edge over onto the right edge.
  2. Top fronds: cut a leaf. Cut a long arched leaf through both layers: its 1.3 cm base on the fold, its back curving out and down to a sharp point.
  3. Top fronds: open them. Unfold it: two long fronds joined at the middle, both curving out and down.
  4. Side fronds: new sheet. Set the fronds aside. Take a 27 × 4 cm green strip, green side up, long side across.
  5. Side fronds: fold in half. Fold the left edge over onto the right edge.
  6. Side fronds: cut a leaf. Cut a long arched leaf through both layers: its 1.3 cm base on the fold, its back curving out and down to a sharp point.
  7. Side fronds: open them. Unfold it: two long fronds joined at the middle, both curving out and down.
  8. Low fronds: new sheet. Set the fronds aside. Take a 17 × 10 cm green strip, green side up, long side across.
  9. Low fronds: fold in half. Fold the left edge over onto the right edge.
  10. Low fronds: cut a leaf. Cut a long arched leaf through both layers: its 1.3 cm base on the fold, its back curving out and down to a sharp point.
  11. Low fronds: open them. Unfold it: two long fronds joined at the middle, both curving out and down.
  12. Coconut: new sheet. Set the fronds aside. Take a little dark brown square, brown side up.
  13. Coconut: round it. Fold all four corners a little way behind to make it round.
  14. Second coconut. Set it aside. Take the other little square, brown side up.
  15. Coconut: round it. Fold all four corners a little way behind, just like the first one.
  16. Trunk: new sheet. Set the coconuts aside. Take the brown strip, white side up, standing tall.
  17. Trunk: fold in half. Fold the left edge over onto the right edge, so it is a narrow brown strip.
  18. Trunk: bend 1. Fold the top end down, creasing 18 cm above the bottom at the right edge and a little higher at the left.
  19. Trunk: bend 1 back up. Fold it back up, creasing straight across from the same point on the right edge. The trunk bends and gets a ring across it.
  20. Trunk: bend 2. Fold the top end down, creasing 12.5 cm above the bottom at the right edge and a little higher at the left.
  21. Trunk: bend 2 back up. Fold it back up, creasing straight across from the same point on the right edge. The trunk bends and gets a ring across it.
  22. Trunk: bend 3. Fold the top end down, creasing 7 cm above the bottom at the right edge and a little higher at the left.
  23. Trunk: bend 3 back up. Fold it back up, creasing straight across from the same point on the right edge. The trunk bends and gets a ring across it.
  24. Glue it together. Glue the three pairs of fronds across the top of the trunk, low ones first, then the two coconuts just under the middle.

A tropical palm!

Draw a line down the middle of each frond. Stand it next to a sandcastle.

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