DIY toys, or origami jumping frogs

2024 Author: Sierra Becker | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-26 03:46

Nowadays origami jumping frogs are especially popular as they are easy to assemble but fun for kids to play with as they bounce high and far.

Where did paper crafts come from?

The art of paper folding was born in Japan, where it was given the name "Origami". Having decomposed into two derivative words: “ori” - to fold and “gami” - paper, it is obvious what exactly was meant. Simply put, origami is the art of folding various animal figures and other objects out of paper. Origami "jumping frog" was very popular.

If you take a deep look into the history of the Ancient World, it becomes obvious that the first paper was invented in Japan. At that time, it was a rather rare and expensive material, so the figurines were most often used in Temples. There is a rather interesting fact that the word "gami" has a second meaning of "God". It can be immediately noted that the Japanese realized that this material can be used not only for writing, but also for creating a new art of needlework.

"Origami" -meditation

The art of assembling origami helps to remove extraneous thoughts from the head and focuses on the embodiment of the figure itself. This activity calms and entices the assembly itself. It is necessary to carefully monitor the sequence of actions and ensure that all bends and lines match. In the process of work, a person concentrates and experiences joyful emotions, as his creative potential is revealed. Therefore, the art of origami introduces a person into a kind of meditative state.

What does the frog symbol mean to the Japanese?

The love of the Japanese for frogs is known all over the world, there are a lot of them in all the souvenir shops of the world. But few people know the real meaning of frogs for the Japanese. There is a well-known symbol of a frog with a coin in its mouth, which brings prosperity. But there is another meaning of this animal. In Japanese, the frog sounds like "kaeru", which has another translation - "returning home without loss." Therefore, on the way, the Japanese themselves made themselves jumping origami frogs out of paper and put them in a suitcase. Frogs are the charms of travelers, and this is one of the favorite pastimes of the Japanese after work. And the most important thing for a Japanese traveler is to return home safe and sound.

How to assemble a jumping frog origami figurine?

After learning a lot of interesting facts, you can start assembling a paper frog, which not only looks pretty, but is also able to jump. You can use plain paper for assembly, or you can use colored paper for printing, which is sold in many stores,selling stationery. In some stores, such colored paper is even sold by the piece. You can learn the process of creating origami for children "jumping frogs" yourself, but you can also involve children, especially older ones.

1. You need to take A4 paper, fold the sheet diagonally and cut off the extra piece, the result should be a square.
2. Then fold again diagonally and, holding all four corners between your fingers, fold the "triangle", wrapping the sides inward. The apex of the triangle should be the center of the square.
3. The side corners of the "upper triangle" need to be folded to the top to make a square.
4. The side corners of the “lower triangle” are folded in such a way that the sides meet in the center, and then they need to be bent in half, making “paws”.
5. Turn the figure upside down with a square and bend the side corners towards the middle from the rear "legs". Then take the corners to the sides, making the front "legs".
6. Fold the figure across to make "jumping" hind legs, bending first in one direction, and a centimeter lower in the other direction.

When you have finished assembling the origami "jumping frog", you need to turn it over on its legs, and then press and release the "tail" to check how high and far the frog will jump. And then you can safely give the frog to the children for fun games.