Swan

Learn how to make a bird out of paper! Join Origami host Barbara Pearl as she teaches you how to transform a piece of paper into a graceful Swan!

A standard 6 or 8 inch square piece of Origami paper (You can also trim recycled magazine pages, copy paper, or foil to size and use that)

REMEMBER THAT IT'S IMPORTANT TO ALWAYS WORK UNDER ADULT SUPERVISION. SOMETIMES WE USE THINGS THAT CAN BE HARMFUL, SO DON'T EVER ATTEMPT TO MAKE THESE PROJECTS ALONE.

1. Place your paper on the table white-side up and hold it in the shape of a baseball diamond. Fold the bottom corner of the paper up to the top corner to create a triangle. Crease outward from the center of the fold.
2. Unfold the paper and rotate so that the crease line (your line of symmetry) runs vertically down the center. Take the bottom left edge of the paper and fold it up against that line. Crease upward from the narrow part of the fold. Repeat this step with the bottom right edge of the paper. This will create a kite fold.
3. Next, turn your paper over. Narrow the kite fold by taking the bottom left and right edges and folding them in against your line of symmetry again. Crease sharply.
4. To make the neck of the swan, take the bottom point of the kite and fold it up to the top point, making a narrow triangle.
5. To make the head, take the top point of that triangle and fold it down halfway into itself. Crease sharply.
6. Lift up the entire piece of paper and fold it all in half along your original line of symmetry.
7. Lift the neck of the swan up from the body and pinch it at the bottom to crease it into place.
8. Lift the head up slightly and pinch a crease at the base.
9. If you want, take the remaining flaps on either side of the swan’s body and fold them down slightly to make wings. Then you’re done!