ice cream

[For 4-year-olds] Seasonal Origami: Ice Cream

I’ll show you how to fold a cold and tasty ice cream.

Prepare one sheet of origami paper and fold it into a triangle.

Open it once, then fold the corners in so they meet the center line.

Fold the bottom corner up to overlap the top corner, then flip it over.

Fold about one quarter of the larger triangle to separate the ice cream from the cone.

Finally, flip it over and fold the tips slightly to refine the shape—your ice cream is complete! It’s also fun to use colored pens to color the flavor you like and add toppings.

expand_lessRaise the rankingexpand_morelower

mayumi

Report a problem

strawberry candy

Simple way to make strawberry candy

Let’s make the dreamy dessert you see at festivals and fruit shops! Here are some ideas for strawberry candy apples (candied strawberries).

You’ll need three pieces of red origami cut into quarter-size squares, pale orange or brown origami, glue or double-sided tape, and pens or colored pencils.

Let’s make these popular candied strawberries out of origami—they look adorable, and the crisp texture when you eat them is part of the fun.

It’s best to start by making them together with a parent or teacher so you can feel confident.

Give it a try!

Festival food

There are all kinds of vendor stalls at summer festivals, aren’t there? Shaved ice and cotton candy are classics, and kids love them.

Here are some craft ideas for making foods you often see at festivals.

You can make festival foods like shaved ice, cotton candy, yakisoba, and takoyaki.

The materials differ depending on the item, but for example, for cotton candy, you can mix torn tissue paper with cotton and pack it into a bag.

For yakisoba, mix brown yarn with paper cutouts of cabbage and carrots, and use red yarn to represent pickled ginger.

Try making them with the kids while adding your own original touches!

expand_lessRaise the rankingexpand_morelower

sasashina

Report a problem

Soap bubbles made with tissue paper

Soft pastel colors are so beautiful! Let me introduce an idea for making “soap bubbles” using tissue paper.

You’ll need tissue paper, white drawing paper, a spray bottle, a compass, and scissors.

First, tear tissue paper in various colors and spread the pieces over the white drawing paper.

Next, fill the spray bottle with water and spritz it to dampen the tissue paper.

Once it’s dry, remove the tissue paper and use scissors to cut the drawing paper into circles.

If you display them together with children’s photos or illustrations of straws, they’ll look even cuter.

Be sure to give it a try!

Swaying wind chimes

As a summery craft idea for July, we recommend wobbly wind chimes.

Teachers and children can enjoy making them together, and after they’re done, the kids can take them home and keep enjoying them! You can decorate pudding or jelly cups and use them directly as wind chimes, take apart and repurpose the lids from six-piece cheese packs, or use capsule toy containers as they are—with a bit of creativity, you can turn recycled materials into lovely wind chimes! Note that making wind chimes involves a step where holes must be made, so be sure that adults handle this part.

Let the children put on stickers and draw pictures as their part of the process.

expand_lessRaise the rankingexpand_morelower

miyabi

Report a problem

Wind chimes made with clear cups

When hung by a window, a wind chime sways in the breeze and produces a clear, refreshing sound.

It’s a well-known symbol of summer, isn’t it? As a summer craft idea, how about making a wind chime? Decorate a clear plastic cup with stickers, then use an awl to make a hole in the bottom and thread string, a small bell, and beads through it.

Finish by adding a decorative piece.

If you make the decoration from construction paper using summer motifs like watermelon or sunflowers and hang it, it will feel even more summery.

Also, it’s best to use semi-transparent stickers to decorate the cup.

expand_lessRaise the rankingexpand_morelower

sasashina

Report a problem

Jellyfish made with raffia tape (suzuran tape)

Here’s a summer-themed idea for making cool, breezy jellyfish.

Cut a clear plastic file into a jellyfish shape and punch holes along the bottom.

Cut transparent origami paper into small pieces and stick them onto the jellyfish made from the clear file.

Thread suzuran tape (raffia ribbon) through the holes and tie it off to finish the jellyfish! Prepare several colors of origami paper and suzuran tape so the children can choose.

If they’re around five years old, let them try cutting the origami themselves.

Display them by a window—they sparkle beautifully in the light—so be sure to use them as wall or window decorations, too.

expand_lessRaise the rankingexpand_morelower

sasashina

Report a problem