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How to fold an origami rainbow

Fold four coloured strips in half and turn their ends down into arches, one size smaller each time. Nest them into a rainbow and tuck its feet behind two puffy clouds.

You need: Four paper strips, 5 cm wide, coloured on one side: red 24 cm, yellow 20 cm, green 16 cm, blue 12 cm. Two 7.5 × 3.5 cm pale blue pieces and a glue stick. Medium, 16 steps, about 20 minutes.

Steps

  1. Red band: fold in half. Start with the red strip, white side up, long edges at the top and bottom. Fold it in half along its length, bottom edge up to the top edge, so it is red on both sides.
  2. Red band: fold the legs. Fold each end down on a slant so the strip makes an arch with two legs. Fold in from the top edge, the creases sloping out and down.
  3. Yellow band: new strip. Set the folded band aside. Take the yellow strip, white side up, long edges at the top and bottom.
  4. Yellow band: fold in half. Fold it in half along its length, bottom edge up to the top edge, so it is yellow on both sides.
  5. Yellow band: fold the legs. Fold each end down on a slant so the strip makes an arch with two legs. Fold in from the top edge, the creases sloping out and down.
  6. Green band: new strip. Set the folded band aside. Take the green strip, white side up, long edges at the top and bottom.
  7. Green band: fold in half. Fold it in half along its length, bottom edge up to the top edge, so it is green on both sides.
  8. Green band: fold the legs. Fold each end down on a slant so the strip makes an arch with two legs. Fold in from the top edge, the creases sloping out and down.
  9. Blue band: new strip. Set the folded band aside. Take the blue strip, white side up, long edges at the top and bottom.
  10. Blue band: fold in half. Fold it in half along its length, bottom edge up to the top edge, so it is blue on both sides.
  11. Blue band: fold the legs. Fold each end down on a slant so the strip makes an arch with two legs. Fold in from the top edge, the creases sloping out and down.
  12. Clouds: first cloud. Set the blue band aside. Take a pale cloud piece, coloured side up.
  13. Clouds: round the corners. Fold the two top corners behind on a big slant and the two bottom corners behind just a little, to make a puffy bun.
  14. Clouds: second cloud. Set it aside and take the other cloud piece, coloured side up.
  15. Clouds: and again. Round it off just like the first one.
  16. Build the rainbow. Nest the arches, red on the outside and blue on the inside, and glue them together. Glue a cloud over each pair of feet.

Over the rainbow!

Give each cloud sleepy eyes and a smile. Hang your rainbow in a window to brighten up a grey day.

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