Origami in our library

The crafter and engineer in me LOVES origami. That has rubbed off on my students.

Students' love of origami grows and evolves in our library

Why origami?

• It is active! Active nonfiction books guide students through DOING something. It has a different feel from most books that share facts. 
• It supports literacy - both spatial and the traditional literacy. Origami encourages reading through the visual appeal of the pages - no heavy text is required to read to be successful. Captions or short directions do the trick. Short spurts make students feel successful!
• Leadership! Student leaders will emerge from the group and become "coaches" for the others. It is often the least likely candidate who will lead these groups.  
• Paper knows no language barriers. Students can sit side by side and fold together despite the fact that they do not speak the same language. Folding is its own language!
• It is practically FREE! Students can borrow a book and grab a stack of paper to take home and create.

How?

• Access - Provide the books (see resources below)

Clear labels point students to what they are looking for

• Access - Provide the paper. Traditional origami paper isn't cheap, but copy paper and recycled books are! I taught students how to turn 8 x 11 sheets of paper into squares. I also have library volunteers cut recycled book pages into squares. I keep a bin of origami paper on the circulation desk. Students are welcome at any time to come grab what they need. I can't assume my students have access to paper or scissors at home but I CAN make ready-to-go paper available in our library by recycling book pages. *Weird But True books are well loved and conveniently SQUARE! They make the BEST origami paper because no cutting is needed and they are also wonderfully fascinating to read as you fold!*

A bin of origami paper is easily accessible to students

This well-loved Ripley's Believe It Or Not is destined for someone's origami project. The colored pages are beautiful (and fascinating)!

• Integrate it - it more than likely won't take off on its own. With a little prompting, it may take on a life of its own though....  

We read Amy Wu and the Patchwork Dragon for Read for the Record 2022 and created origami dragons


 

Student "artivists" created art with a message to raise funds and awareness about our environment. Origami was a popular option. 

• Vocabulary: To develop origami vocabulary and confidence, begin with simple creations. We started with corner bookmarks. They can become anything! 

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  Red Ted Art has great suggestions - a simple corner bookmark can become anything!

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Videos - While some students may be very successful with an origami book, others may prefer a video so they can pause and rewatch tricky folds. I consider origami videos an opportunity to learn a few basic folds and get some folding "vocabulary" going. With a few skills under their belts, students will feel more confident to open an origami book and try following directions that are static on the page.

Videos are great confidence boosters because you can watch complicated folds over and over. 

My takeaways

Students love origami that DOES something - jumping frogs, spinning tops, basketball hoops, fidgets. The fun is two-fold (see what I did there 🤣) - create AND play!

My love of origami (and now my students' interest) has taken me on an origami adventure. I have broadened my horizons and started groups both after school and during the summer. 

Storygami! Oh, I am in love. Storygami captures all that is me in one nugget. You fold a piece of paper using a story to remind you of the directions (perfect for someone like me who wants to fold, but can never remember what step is next). 

Resources

Here is a Wakelet of paper folding activities I have done with students. These are student-tested and student-approved!

Check out a collection of resources I use with students here

Our library has a wide variety of origami books. Some I like more than others. I find certain aspects to be helpful for different reasons. Things to consider in choosing an origami book:

Color! The visual appeal is real. This also drives the cost of the book up, but a black and white version is harder to follow and harder to get excited about.

Levels! Not all origami is equal. Some origami can have very complicated folds or many steps that are frustrating to a new folder. Providing a level of ability helps to easily identify what you are looking at.

Video options: I have some books with QR codes to videos. Yes, please! 

Further reading

Garland, W.A. (2022, February). Engaging students with different kinds of thinking. School Library Connection. https://schoollibraryconnection.com/Content/Article/2273240

Murphy, P.J. (2023, March 13). Making a difference with makerspaces. Publishers weekly.com. https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-industry-news/article/91699-making-a-difference-with-makerspaces.html

How we got here

"Mrs. Garland, I need more origami paper!"

Students in our library know where the origami books are and know where to find paper to take home for creating. They will often stop by the library just to pick up some extra paper. 

This wasn't the case of an overnight sensation, rather a slow burn. It started YEARS ago as I was bringing an aged nonfiction section back to life. The crafter and engineer in me thought updating the few yellowed, text-heavy origami books might bring some excitement to a sleepy section of the collection.

These books didn't just fly off the shelves and generate excitement for origami. They sat. And I considered how those purchases could make an impact in our library.

My first step was to incorporate origami IN our library. At the time, I was running an "Open Library" during recess. Students could come to the library for Makerspace as an alternative to recess. This is where I learned. I sat with students. We folded, we failed, we figured it out. 

Next, I put simple colored sets of directions on the tables and opened up an origami station during library time. Again, these tables where heavily populated and the books started to circulate.

It was only when I started to provide video directions (QR codes & iPads) that origami REALLY took off. I feel like the videos really helped students to SEE the steps and give them some confidence. With some basic skills and confidence under their belts, origami took off.

The books were circulating! Kids were excited! And then....

"But Mrs. Garland, I need paper!" OF COURSE! 

But.... origami paper is expensive! Once we depleted the existing packages, I taught students how to make square paper out of copy paper (fold a triangle and cut the end off). However, this was assuming they had paper and scissors at home (not an assumption I can make). Here is where our volunteers stepped in. Over the years they have cut copy paper, note pads donated by a local dermatologist, and ultimately book pages! Yep, our favorite origami paper is paper from books that have seen better days. We can't read the books anymore, but we surely can recycle the pages and turn them into something amazing!