Judy brought in a book on Origami, and when the children made a show jumping course with the blocks, jumping over on sticks I decided to adapt the goldfish pattern from the book to make a horse's head. This prooved very popular so the next step was teaching the children how to make them themselves. Building on the skills and aptitudes they'd developed folding paper planes and simple paper cups, we set to work.
After only one day I had a mum come in to say her son had had a go at home, taking her through seven steps and asking her to finish it off for him. I took her through it here and then I decided I'd better put it here on the blog as well, so everyone can check at home. The pattern starts with the Kabuto (Samurai helmet) base and can readily be used to make a helmet, or a goldfish.
With a big enough sheet of paper (A1) you can make one you can wear.
I've put the pattern on the wall for the children to follow through on their own as the next step on from working through it with me.
While making these children are learning about the properties of triangles and squares, and how to describe their parts. They are also learning fine motor control, precision, symmetry, and the persistance needed to master complex tasks. They're also learning another form of artistic expression and communication. And then of course they get to play out riding horses.
Note I rotate the card around 180 degrees between step 3 and 4
David
