Let’s make your airplane!

Date : 09/04/2020 10:00 (JST) Category : Blog

Hello everyone, I am MH from Australia. I work for Mamasan&Company and there are many reasons why I enjoy working here; I can work any time when I can and from anywhere in the world as long as I have the safe internet connection. Also I am not working alone because there are other moms through online who are supportive and help each other.

I am a mother of 3 sons, the eldest is in grade 1 and the others are still preschoolers. Where we live now is under lock-down due to the global pandemic, so I am busier than ever with 3 young boys at home all day. Literally we cannot go out to the park for a play so it can be tricky to entertain these energetic boys by myself. I bet there are many mothers or fathers out there feeling the same, what can I do with my child or children today? So in this blog I thought I will share with you what I enjoy with my kids at home these days.

Do you know or have heard about “origami”? It is a traditional Japanese art of paper folding. You can make so many things with a piece of paper such as airplanes, ninja stars, cranes and even dragons. It takes practice to fold some of the complicate sculptures but you can start with simple ones such as airplanes and this is just a perfect way to entertain my boys at home. I would like to show you one of the simple airplane for you to practice with your kids. To make this airplane you can use any type of paper, square or rectangle, as long as they are not too soft, so you don’t have to worry about getting origami paper if you don’t have them.

How to make your paper airplane:

1. Fold in half and unfold to make the crease in the middle.

2. Align the edges with the crease.

3. Align the edges with the crease again.

4. Fold in half.

5. Align the edges with the center.

6. Open the wings to shape like an airplane.

7. Take off – Throw it in the air gently and slightly upwards.

My youngest 3 years old struggles with folding the paper straight but this is a good way to practice his motor skills as well as to concentrate. My elder boys enjoy making various types of airplanes and more challenging sculptures by themselves. I can sit with them while I am working remotely and if they stuck with the instructions I can show them how to.

After airplanes are made, it is also fun to see how long they can fly. Even if it is inside the house, you don’t have to worry too much for damaging your furniture because it is just made of paper. Why don’t you try making your origami airplanes with your kids and see who can fly them the longest?