CraftsCrafts include Origami (paper folding) and Wool Mandalas. Origami is a traditional Japanese art, which has been added to and developed by many other cultures that have come into contact with it. Below are photos of a variety of origami models made by me. The complexity of origami ranges from easy to difficult- a small group of ages 10+ will be capeable of making many of the traditional classics like flapping birds, frogs, crane, boats and boxes. For younger children, simpler models that can be decorated are suitable- for an example of such models, note the black 'snapper' puppet that appears in some of the photos below. Modular folds are another variety of origami- these are models where a basic module is folded, then repeated over and over, then, the resulting identical modules are slotted together to form a large geometrical object. One of the positive aspects of modular origami is that the base modules tend to be easy to learn and, due to the necessity of refolding the same module many times during the workshop, there is a high probability that participants will remember the folds. Wool MandalasAlso variously known as 'Mexican Dreamcatchers', 'God's Eyes' etc. This is a craft that is suitable even for the younger child- using 2 sticks and a easily-learnt wool wrapping technique, they can produce several finished models in one workshop. I've further developed the form into models using 4,6,and 8 sticks and, with the addition of innovative wrapping techniques, a variety of different models can be created. Wool Mandala workshops can be a good investment for schools/community groups who have fund-raising days, as, children who are members of the group can have fun making mandalas to sell at the groups fund-raising days. The first photo below is of 3 Wool Mandalas.
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