{"alias":"blogEntry","byline":"Words: Annabel Rose | Paper design: Brook Gossen | Origami and photography: White on Rice","standfirst":"Find out how the ancient art of origami can encourage a sense of calm and concentration, then have a go at folding your own \u2013 with a special design inspired by the large blue butterfly","content":{"layouts":[{"type":"singleColumn","areas":[{"items":[{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"gtmId","gtmClass":"gtmClass","image":"/media/6461/butterfly.jpg","width":1920,"height":1080,"altText":"","caption":"","link":null},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Cp\u003EOrigami is the art of transforming paper into a sculpture by folding, usually without a pair of scissors or glue stick in sight. Its history is a bit of a mystery. It\u2019s likely that people were folding other materials (like cloth) before paper was invented, but paper originated in different places at different times.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWe think paper folding probably began in China or Japan. There\u2019s evidence of it around 1000CE: origami butterflies represented the bride and groom during Shinto weddings, Samurai warriors gave gifts decorated with paper folded into noshi (good luck tokens), and Chinese funerals involved burning paper folded into yuanbao (golden currency). Beyond a few mentions, though, much of its ancient history has been lost (or was never recorded in the first place).\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EOne of the reasons origami\u2019s stuck around is because people have found new ways to share their ideas and patterns. One of the earliest paper folding instruction books we know about was written in 1797; since then, several key players have helped make sure it\u2019s remained popular.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ENow it\u2019s easier than ever to get stuck in. A quick online search brings up thousands of instructions. There\u2019s something for everyone \u2013 from a \u003Ca href=\u0022https://www.origamiway.com/easy-origami-penguin.shtml\u0022\u003Esimple penguin\u003C/a\u003E to \u003Ca href=\u0022https://youtu.be/Op3b5pcDeEY\u0022\u003Eintricate plants\u003C/a\u003E made from lots of sheets slotted together. It\u2019s up to you whether you focus on learning a few models by heart or try something new each time.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EOrigami\u2019s great for hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills (the fancy way of saying \u2018using information from your eyes to guide your hands\u2019 and \u2018using the little muscles in your hands and wrists\u2019), which are essential for school and everyday life.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EIt\u2019s also a fun way to practise problem-solving. Trial and error are folders\u2019 friends, and making a mistake isn\u2019t a big deal. The key to origami is taking a deep breath, flattening out the paper, and trying a different technique.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EOrigami can also boost wellbeing. It\u2019s used in both prisons and therapeutic settings as a positive coping skill. In one prison in America, prisoners folded 1,000 cranes for a peace memorial, while in Norfolk, a man spent his sentence crafting a swan from 2,500 folded prison forms.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EIt\u2019s soothing to focus on the feelings of smooth paper and crisp folds under your fingers; origami helps people to slow down and ground themselves in the moment, and gives them the chance to learn from mistakes.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ESome people even use origami as a form of \u2018focused attention\u2019 meditation. It also gives people the chance to have control over something and achieve things \u2013 models may seem small, but they can do a lot to boost someone\u2019s self-esteem.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EOrigami\u2019s a really flexible activity to slot into your programme. Of course, it\u2019s an obvious choice for \u003Ca href=\u0022https://www.scouts.org.uk/scouts/awards/team-leader/\u0022\u003ETeam Leader Challenge Awards\u003C/a\u003E and \u003Ca href=\u0022https://www.scouts.org.uk/beavers/activity-badges/creative/\u0022\u003ECreative\u003C/a\u003E and \u003Ca href=\u0022https://www.scouts.org.uk/cubs/activity-badges/artist/\u0022\u003EArtist Activity Badges\u003C/a\u003E, but it can also bring people together at the start of a meeting or help them calm down after a hectic game.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EPaper folding\u2019s also a great thing to have on hand for any unexpected gaps. It doesn\u2019t matter if you\u2019re in your meeting place or halfway through a hike \u2013 all you need is paper (or the tinfoil from your sandwiches).\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EHow to make a traditional origami butterfly\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMountain folds and valley folds\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWhen the page is laid flat, mountain folds raise up from the paper, like a mountain. Valley folds appear to sink back into the paper, like a valley.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Col\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003EValley fold and unfold along lines shown.\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003EValley fold and unfold from corner to corner through the center.\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003EMountain fold along the lines made in step 1, down towards the bottom edge.\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003EThis will form a triangle.\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003ERotate the model 180\u00B0 and valley fold the top flaps down to bottom point.\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003EFlip the entire model over.\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003EValley fold the bottom point up above the top edge. Fold through all the layers.\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003EFold the top right layer down. The right corner won\u2019t lie flat, but press it down to form the fold. See next step for final position.\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003ERepeat step 8 on left layer.\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003EFold entire model in half through the centre line.\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003EValley fold the wing up along line shown. Repeat on opposite wing.\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003EFold the top triangle down to form the head and complete your butterfly.\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003C/ol\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EDid you know? \u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E59\u003C/strong\u003E is the number of butterfly species in the UK\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E5\u003C/strong\u003E butterfly species have become extinct in the last 150 years\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E75%\u003C/strong\u003E of British butterfly species are in decline\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E4\u003C/strong\u003E is the number of its life stages: egg, caterpillar, chrysalis, butterfly\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""}]}],"config":null}]},"searchDescription":null,"pageType":null,"location":null,"versionDate":"04 May 2020","reviewDate":null,"furtherReading":[],"relatedLinks":[],"id":50921,"nodeName":"A moment of calm","title":"A moment of calm","type":"blogEntry","image":{"url":"/media/6461/butterfly.jpg?width=800\u0026height=450\u0026v=1d9becd0c1339e0","caption":"Butterfly","type":"jpg","size":381549,"width":1920,"height":1080,"altText":""},"assets":null,"headerOptions":{"headerTitle":"A moment of calm","headerSubTitle":null,"headerCta":null,"headerCtaText":null,"headerCtaLink":null,"headerBackgroundColour":null,"showSEOImage":false,"headerBackgroundImage":null,"quickLinks":null},"subHeader":"","browserTitle":null,"silktide":"eyJjbXMiOiJVbWJyYWNvIiwiZWRpdG9yVXJsIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9wcm9kLWNtcy5zY291dHMub3JnLnVrLy91bWJyYWNvIy9jb250ZW50L2NvbnRlbnQvZWRpdC81MDkyMSJ9","canonicalUrl":"https://www.scouts.org.uk/news/2020/may/a-moment-of-calm/"}