Book Description from the Back Cover

• Special Paper to create the exact models seen in the book.
• New & original, FUN Hawaiian-Style designs. Fold chomping Shark Puppets, soaring Great Frigate Birds, inflatable Pufferfish, cool Surfboards, and more. Also includes an illustrated Gecko Catcher - an island version of the cootie catcher.
• Simple and easy-to-follow model instructions with lots of added steps and diagrams that show you exactly what to do.
• Complete folding lessons for the beginner. Learn everything you need to know to fold the models in this book.

A Note From the Author

As you may know, in origami, there are standard one-step instructions that actually require several steps to accomplish. I have either avoided these instructions or have included all the steps, showing the folder exactly what to do. Origami shortcuts are taken primarily in the initial instructions of a model. These instructions, which consist of folding a sheet of paper in half, are covered in the "how to" section, Folding Lessons. In Folding Lessons, children learn important arrows and lines as they are applied. They learn methods that teach them not only how to fold, but how to fold precisely.

Origami does require eye/hand coordination. At what age a child can physically execute the folds depends upon the individual. The ability to read is very helpful but not totally necessary. Very young children can fold by looking at the diagrams if they are shown the basics and guided through the instructions. If a child shows the desire to fold origami but has not developed the coordination for it, an option is to pre-fold the models and let her refold them.

You will find that origami is a great teacher. It teaches a child how to follow instructions and how, by following a process, a result is achieved. Origami also teaches patience and that it takes time to do things correctly. It teaches geometry and to see things spatially. In origami, a child learns to read diagrams, correlating the two-dimensional drawings to the three-dimensional model he is creating. Thus, when folding, a child reasons and visualizes.

I hope that this book will help develop your child's interest in origami. A hobby, after all, is an interest in life.