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How to fold an origami big farm tractor

Fold one long green strip, reverse-fold its front up and slim it into a smoke stack and walk its back end up, along and down into an open cab. Add a giant and a small folded wheel.

You need: Green paper 41 × 10 cm, black squares 12.5 cm and 6.5 cm, glue. Hard, 16 steps, about 35 minutes.

Steps

  1. Edges to the middle. Start white side up. Fold the top and bottom edges in to meet along the middle.
  2. Fold in half. Mountain-fold it in half along the middle, so the top half goes behind. Now it is a long thick strip, green on both sides.
  3. Smoke stack. Outside-reverse-fold the short front end straight up, on a 45° crease from the bottom edge, wrapping it round the strip.
  4. Slim the stack. Fold the front half of the stack behind on an upright line, all layers together, taking the bonnet's front corner with it. Now the stack is a thin pipe.
  5. Back post. Outside-reverse-fold the long back end straight up, on a 45° crease from the bottom edge. It stands as the back of the cab.
  6. Roof. High up, fold the whole post forward on a slant, so the rest runs flat towards the front as the roof.
  7. Front post. Fold the roof's end straight down on a slant, so it lands on the bonnet and leaves a tall open window. Glue it there.
  8. Big wheel: new sheet. Set the tractor aside. Take the big black square, white side up.
  9. Big wheel: corners in. Fold all four corners in to meet in the middle.
  10. Big wheel: hub. Fold each point back out a little, so a small white square shows in the middle.
  11. Big wheel: round it. Fold the four points of the square a little way behind, so it looks round.
  12. Small wheel: new sheet. Set the big wheel aside and take the small black square, white side up.
  13. Small wheel: corners in. Fold all four corners in to meet in the middle.
  14. Small wheel: hub. Fold each point back out a little, so a small white square shows in the middle.
  15. Small wheel: round it. Fold the four points of the square a little way behind, so it looks round.
  16. Build the tractor. Glue the tractor over the small wheel, under the stack. Glue the giant wheel on top, right under the cab.

Off to the field!

Draw a little white headlamp on the bonnet. Plough a row across the table!

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