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How to fold an origami panda

Fold a round pale body and head, a black shoulder band whose ends swing down as arms, black ears and feet with rounded paws, and a pleated bamboo stalk to hug.

You need: Pale grey squares (15 and 12 cm), 2 black strips (21 × 6 cm), 2 black squares (4.5 cm), a green strip (4 × 15 cm), scissors and glue. Hard, 22 steps, about 35 minutes.

Steps

  1. Body: round the shoulders. Take the big pale square. Fold both top corners behind, 4.5 cm in along each edge.
  2. Body: round the bottom. Fold both bottom corners behind, 2.5 cm in, so the tummy is round.
  3. Bamboo: new sheet. Set the body aside. Take the green strip, white side up, standing tall.
  4. Bamboo: in half. Fold the strip in half from left to right, long edge to long edge.
  5. Bamboo: in half again. Fold it in half again from right to left, so you have a thin stick 1 cm wide.
  6. Bamboo: pleat a joint. Fold the bottom part of the stick up on a crease 5.5 cm from the bottom.
  7. Bamboo: and back down. Fold it back down 4 mm higher up. The little step is a bamboo joint.
  8. Bamboo: a shoot. Fold the top 2.5 cm out to the right on a slanted crease, so a little shoot sticks out at the top.
  9. Arms: new sheet. Set the bamboo aside. Take a black strip, white side up, lying wide.
  10. Arms: in half. Fold the bottom edge up to the top edge. This black band goes over the panda's shoulders.
  11. Arms: swing them down. Fold each end down on a slanted crease about 4.5 cm from the middle, so the arms hang down and turn in a little.
  12. Arms: round the paws. Snip the corners off the end of each arm, so the paws are round.
  13. Ear: new sheet. Set the arms aside. Take a small black square, black side up.
  14. Ear: round it. Fold all four corners behind, about 1 cm in, so the ear is round.
  15. Ear: and another. Set it aside and take the other small black square.
  16. Ear: round it. Fold all four corners behind, about 1 cm in, so the ear is round.
  17. Head: new sheet. Set the ear aside. Take the smaller pale square, pale side up.
  18. Head: round it. Fold all four corners behind, 3 cm in along each edge, so the head is round.
  19. Legs: new sheet. Set the head aside. Take the other black strip, white side up, lying wide.
  20. Legs: in half. Fold the bottom edge up to the top edge.
  21. Legs: round the feet. Snip all four corners off the ends, 1.5 cm in, so each foot is round.
  22. Glue it together. Glue the legs behind the bottom of the body, ears behind the head and the head on top. Glue the bamboo on the tummy and the arms over it.

Munch munch!

Draw big black eye patches with shiny eyes, a black nose and a smile. Add pale pads on the feet.

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