Fascinating Folders

Have you ever tried folding paper into interesting shapes?

1 What can you do with a simple sheet of paper? You could write a note to a friend, type a story, or make a paper airplane. But if you learn a few basic folding techniques, you could be making a variety of interesting objects, such as a grasshopper, a stegosaurus, a giraffe, a pick-up truck, or even the White House. There’s a good chance that an expert folder somewhere in the world has made an origami version of almost anything you can imagine.

2 Origami is the art of folding paper into three-dimensional figures of people, animals, and objects. The word origami is Japanese. It comes from the word oru, meaning to fold, and kami, meaning paper. The origin of origami itself, however, is unclear. Some historians believe that it was first practiced in China around the second century A.D. Others think that there is not enough evidence to support this theory and that the practice of origami was begun in Japan several hundred years later. What we do know is that origami was clearly developed in Japan, where it is considered a part of the culture and lifestyle of the people.

3 One of the most fascinating aspects of origami is the way in which something as simple as a sheet of paper can be transformed into something beautiful and complex. Origami begins with sheets of special paper that are usually six inches on each side. The paper is generally white on one side and colored or marked with a decorative pattern on the other side. It is thin, which allows it to be folded many times, and creases easily.

4 Although origami paper is traditionally used in this ancient craft, modern-day folders have experimented with many other materials, such as tissue paper, silk, foil, and even bubblegum wrappers. Folders usually avoid scissors and glue, two taboos in the world of paper folding. 5 Beginners are often taught several folds and bases which are the starting shapes for other, more complicated figures. Some basic folds are the valley fold, mountain fold, petal fold, rabbit ear, squash fold, and reverse fold. These folds are used to create bases, such as the kite, fish, bird, and frog. Once a folder has learned these basic elements, he or she can progress to more elaborate figures.

6 Diagrams are important to people who take origami seriously because they show the folds needed to make a particular figure. In the early 1950s, Akira Yoshizawa, a Japanese origami master, began publishing books that provided illustrations showing others how to re-create the designs he had invented. He also created a set of diagram symbols that could be used when someone wanted to share with others a figure he or she had created.

7 For some people, origami is a hobby. Others view it as an art form and a means of creative expression. It is not uncommon for people to spend a great deal of time creating original pieces of origami in designs they have invented themselves. For example, one man created an origami model of the Starship Enterprise from the popular television show Star Trek. It took him a month to design the piece. If someone else wishes to duplicate it, they can use the 72 diagrams and 11 pages of directions the designer created to explain the process.

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1. What does the word origami mean in Japanese?

2. Name two materials other than origami paper that have been used in modern origami.

3. Why do you think that serious origamists do not use scissors or glue?

4. How many diagrams would you have to follow to create an origami model of the Starship Enterprise?

Write T before the sentences that are true. Write F before the sentences that are false.

5. _____ Origami paper tends to be thicker than regular paper.

6. _____ People have experimented with using materials other than paper to create origami figures.

7. _____ Akira Yoshizawa was the first person to practice origami in Japan.

8. _____ The kite, fish, bird, and frog are four origami bases.

9. _____ Some historians believe origami has its origins in China.

10. Check the sentence below that is the best summary for paragraph 6.

Yoshizawa published origami books during the 1950s.

_____ Origami diagrams are important because they allow people to share their designs for particular figures.

_____ Diagrams show the folds needed to make origami figures.

11. Is oragami a hobby you would be interestd in trying? Explain.

12. The latin root form means shape. Find a word in paragraph 3 with the root form.

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