Vibrant images and illustrations surely entice children to read books. To make reading even more playful, art teacher Nadia Learned at Beanstalk International Bilingual School, Shunyi (BIBS, Shunyi) thought of adding a twist to the usual bookmark, by making it a big and voracious “bookworm monster.” Ninth-grader Bronwyn Tosa helped beijingkids catch, or rather, create a colorful monster.
Estimated time
30 minutes
Suitable for
Kids 5+
Materials
Colored square origami papers, 15x15cm
White rectangular paper, 7.5×15 cm
Pencil
Black marker
Glue stick
Scissors (optional)
I. Origami
1. Fold square origami paper diagonally, then fold two 45-degree corners to meet at the middle of the 90-degree corner.
2. Unfold these corners again. Fold the top 90-degree corner in the opposite direction, toward the middle of the diagonal line.
3. Bring the two 45-degree corners to the middle of the 90-degree corner again, then fold them into a pocket. The origami bookmark is finished, but it looks somewhat bland, doesn’t it? Let’s turn it into a book-eating monster!
II. Making a Bookworm Monster
4. Making a mouth: Put the bookmark on top of a rectangular piece of paper and trace a smaller square by slightly moving the bookmark upwards. Cut out the resulting small square then paste it into the bookmark pocket.
5. Using a white paper square (or any other color if you wish), draw and cut the monster’s teeth on one diagonal half. Then paste the other side of the diagonal half inside the pocket.
6. Making the face: Cut out the monster’s eyes, ears, and tongue from the leftovers of other papers. Apply glue and stick them on the monster’s face. Draw eyeballs and eyebrows with a black marker.
7. Your monster is ready to eat your book!
