Origami Frogs

Winter weather getting you down? Us too. That’s why we asked The Evening Star Princess if she had any ideas for things to do on a rainy day – and she delivered. All that time mincing has given her nimble fingers, and origami just so happens to be a hobby of hers. With a particular theme in mind…

Well hi there Sugar! I’m the Evening Star Princess. You may know a little something about my story. It included a lot of wishing, hard work, and – certain green slimy (sorry, I mean mucus) amphibians. I never wanted to kiss a frog, or eat a bug for that matter – but it turned out that that was what I needed.

And now, I think you need a distraction from this rainy spring weather! At least, right up until nature turns a beautiful shade of green… So I’m here to share with you how to make my fun, hopping origami frogs!

Things You’ll Need

Before we get started, here’s a few things you’ll need! First and foremost, you’ll need a piece of square paper. Origami paper is perfect, but if you don’t have any – a sheet of any thin paper will do, as long as it’s perfectly square! You can always ask your grown-up to cut one out for you. Patterned paper is great, but I like to use green – my new favourite colour!

You’ll also need some decorations – I’m going to use stick-on googley eyes for my frog, but you can draw some on with crayons or felt-tip pens instead. In fact – you can draw or stick on whatever you like! There is no limit to imagination. Glitter, pompoms, ribbon, stickers, paint – let’s get creative!

Step One

Follow the instructions listed above. First, take your square (non-coloured side up, if you’re using origami paper!) and fold it in half. Then turn it 90º. Place it so that the coloured side is facing out, then fold over the top to score it, then open it back out.

Step Two

Follow the lines in image 4 to score two diagonal lines to make a cross. Then pull down the three points marked in image 5, so it looks like the image in the circle. You should then have what looks like a house shape! Fold up the square shape in half to score it.

Step Three

Fold the two sides (beyond the dotted lines in image 7) in towards the middle, leaving the triangle “roof” untouched at the top. Fold the bottom up to meet the “roof” then open it back out again, to score it. When folding it back up again, pull out the sides from the inside, where the dotted lines are in image 9.

Step Four

Take those diagonally scored lines, and bend them out, as shown in the circled image. Fold up the corners of the “roof”, and the bottom of the newly diagonal flaps at the bottom, so that your frog resembles image 12. Then fold in half!

Step Five

Flip your frog friend over, so you can score the back legs as shown in image 14 – this is what creates a spring action. Flip your friend back over, and you’ll find you have completed your beautiful origami frog! Glue or draw on your eyes, and decorate any way you wish!

Enjoy Your Origami Frogs

How did they turn out? I can’t wait to see! Take a photo of your friends and send them to me via my friend, [email protected] ! If you take the very tip of your finger and press down slowly on your new friend’s bottom, then slide your finger off… You’ll find that your new friend has excellent jumping abilities!

Now comes the most important part of the process. You need to give your jumping new friend a name! I’ve decided to name my frog Lewis, after a wonderful friend of mine. Enjoy playing with your wonderful new friends, no kissing required!

If you’ve had some difficulty following the instructions – don’t worry! I certainly didn’t get it right the first time. My daddy always taught me that with a little hard work, you can do anything – so keep trying! My friends at Imaginacts found a wonderful video to help you, you can watch it here. Wishing you the very best of luck with your paper crafts!

Written by Fiona Lynn