How to Make an Origami Tadpole
Making an origami tadpole is a fun and easy way to introduce yourself to the art of paper folding. Origami dates back to the 2nd century and is still an enthusiastic hobby today, with many national origami organizations around the world. Creating a tadpole using origami techniques includes only the skill of paper folding to make the shape so that you need neither scissors nor glue to produce a successful result.
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Instructions
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1
Place a piece of green kami paper on a table in front of you. Use standard origami kami paper because the sheets are precut into squares and are easily available online and at paper-craft stores.
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2
Rotate the kami square so that a corner points toward you. Lift the opposing corner and place it exactly over the corner that faces you. Press a fold along the paper so that you have a triangular shape.
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3
Lift the right-hand point of the triangle and place it onto the left-hand point of the triangle. Run your hand along the resulting fold to press a crisp crease into the paper.
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4
Insert you thumb under the top layer of paper at the left-hand point of the triangle. Position your index finger along the left-hand crease so that you grip the fold between your thumb and forefinger. Lift and move the pointed fold to the right and position the corner onto the right-hand point of the triangle in order to form a square shape that represents the tadpole's head.
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5
Run your finger along the fold on the left-hand side of the square you just created, in order to produce a crease. Ensure you have the corner of the square pointing towards you with a triangular shape leading off to the upper left of the square.
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6
Position your thumb and forefinger one third of the way along the top triangular length from your opposing square corner, in order to create the tadpole's tail. Grip the paper with your thumb and forefinger and bend the triangle back on itself so that the resulting left-hand fold intersects under the square at a 60-degree angle.
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7
Press your finger along and up the left-hand fold and across the additional horizontal fold resulting from the origami move in Step 6 so that you crease the paper into position. Use a pen to draw eyes on the tadpole's head in the lower third of the square to finish the origami project.
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Tips & Warnings
Use any type of paper to create the tadpole if you want to try out origami before you obtain kami paper.
Supervise young children doing the project to avoid the risk of the folded paper becoming a choking hazard.
References
Resources
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