Cheerful Origami Snail Craft for Kids
Did you know that you can make a snail simply by folding paper? Here’s a fun Origami snail craft that proves you can, with step-by-step pictures!
Nature is just amazing, and the more we study it, the more amazed we become! For instance, today I learnt that a snail’s spiral shell has the same mathematical configuration as the spiral in our DNA, and even as the spiral in the Milky Way galaxy!
How amazing is that?
It truly is mind-blowing how tiny details like these are repeated across the universe. Since we’re on the subject of snails, we thought this would be a great opportunity to try out some intricate Origami too, and an Origami snail craft seems like the right choice!
Cheerful Origami Snail Craft for Kids
Supplies required:
- Colored craft paper
- Scissors
- Craft glue
- Sharpies
How to make the Origami Snail Craft for Kids:
1. We need two kinds of paper for the Origami snail craft – a lightweight paper for the Origami part and a heavyweight paper for the snail’s shell. Cut the Origami paper into a square of side 15 cm.
2. Fold the square paper diagonally in half. Unfold and fold diagonally again, in the opposite direction. Unfold and fold the paper in half horizontally. Unfold and fold again horizontally in the opposite direction. Unfold again so you now have four lines running across the paper, intersecting in the middle.
3. Fold any two opposite corners inward so they meet at the point of intersection. You now have a hexagon with a line running horizontally in the middle.
4. Fold the current pattern along this horizontal line so you get a trapezium.
5. Fold it in half along the shorter side.
6. Slightly open the upper flap.
7. Flatten the opened flap neatly so it forms a square.
8. Repeat steps 6 and 7 with the flap on the other side. You now have two squares, one on top of the other.
9. Fold the two adjacent edges of the upper square inward, so they meet along the middle crease. This now looks like a kite shape resting on a square.
10. Turn the pattern over so the kite is underneath and the square is on top. Repeat the previous step with this square, so you now have two kite shapes, one on top of the other, and with each kite shape having two flaps.
11. Hold one of the flaps of the upper kite and fold it up.
12. Flip the pattern to the other side, so there are now three flaps on one side.
13. Flip the third flap to the other side. You now have the kite shape with two thin ‘tails’.
14. Fold the ‘tails’ upward by 30 degrees, as shown below.
15. Unfold the folds to reveal creases.
16. Slightly open up the right side of the Origami snail craft pattern and fold in the right narrow part between the base layers.
17. Fold the right side in neatly and flatten it with the base. This side should be aligned with the bottom edge of the base (this is the back of the Origami snail craft).
18. Now, fold up the left ‘tail’ but this time draw it in further.
19. Try to align this tail with the left side of the Origami snail craft base. It won’t align neatly, but your target should be reaching near the left side of the base.
20. Fold in the top end of the base by half a cm.
21. Unfold the 1 cm fold.
22. Carefully, pull out the top end of the base and you should notice the crease lines left from the last fold.
23. Neatly fold along the top creases and flatten the top end.
24. Cut a 1 cm slit between the layers of the head part.
25. Fold out the back of the slit-end. Cut out a shell pattern from thick craft paper that is large enough to cover the shell of the Origami snail craft pattern. Use a colored Sharpie to draw a spiral pattern on the shell and stick the shell on the snail.
26. Cut two small round cutouts from white paper for the eyes. Use a black Sharpie to draw pupils on the eyes.
27. Stick the eyes on the two pointy ends on the snail’s head and your Origami snail craft is ready!
This Origami snail craft does have many steps and may not exactly be beginner-friendly, but it’s a good challenge for older kids! It also reminds us of the intricacies of Nature and how much there is left to be explored. Maybe this craft can be a good starting point for kids to learn more about snails!
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