Keiki Krafting: Easy Origami Box

With NFL season underway and Labor Day picnics coming up, kids (and adults) are going to be doing a lot of snacking. Fold these boxes from newspapers to use to serve snacks or to collect the shells from boiled peanuts, soybeans, etc. It’s a great way to have fun with the comics page.

Make your box from decorative paper and fold a cover from a slightly larger piece of paper and you have a gift box. For a little sturdier box, put a square of cardstock at the base. This basic origami project is great for kids.

SUPPLIES NEEDED

>> 10-by-10-inch square sheet of paper (If using the comics page, you will need to cut it into a square.)

>> 3.75-by-3.75-inch piece of cardstock for lining the bottom of the box

INSTRUCTIONS

Start with the decorative side of the paper facing down. Fold in half vertically then horizontally to create 4 boxes. (Dotted lines show crease lines.)

Fold in the four corners to the center of the paper. Crease well.

Turn the paper so it is a square in front of you. Fold the top edge down to the center. Crease well. Fold the bottom edge up to the center. Crease well.

Open up the piece, leaving just the two side triangle folds. Fold in the left side to the center point and crease well. Fold in the right side the same way and crease well.

Fold down the top left corner, matching the fold to the angled edge of the paper. Crease well. Repeat with the top right corner. Repeat the steps with the two bottom corners.

Unfold to form two sides of the box (dotted lines show creases from step 5.)

Tuck in the corners and fold the top of the piece over the tucked corners into the box to form third side of the box, folding the point to flatten it at the bottom of the box. Repeat with the bottom piece, meeting up in the center with the other points.

Repeat with the opposite side of the box to complete the box.

The “Keiki Krafting” column is courtesy HouseMart Ben Franklin Crafts. For more craft ideas, visit benfranklinhawaii.com.