Hobbies And Interests
Origami Box
You will need two squares of paper for a folded paper box; one should be about a half-inch smaller on every side than the other. As you fold this, be sure to crease all the folds to see where they are. Fold the smaller one in half diagonally one way and then the other, and then flatten it out and fold in all four corners to meet in the center. Unfold these again. Fold one corner to the farthest crease away, and unfold it again, then do the same for the other three corners. Then fold each corner to its nearest crease. When you unfold it this time, there should be a checkered pattern of squares made by the creases. Now make cuts in two opposite corners; they should be two squares long and two squares apart each. Turn the paper if needed so that the cuts point up and down from you. Fold in the left and right corners along the creases twice, then bring them up as a vertical side. Fold the left and right pointed ends toward each other, crossing them. Now fold the bottom flap made by the cuts over these crossed ends, and do the same with the top flap, and you have made the bottom of the box. Use the same process with the larger square of paper to make the lid, which will be the same size, just slightly larger to fit over the box.
Card Box
Another type of box making project is to use old cards, whether from Christmas, birthday or any other greeting cards. Turning these into a pretty box is easy, and just requires some scissors and glue or tape. Cut the card's front apart from its back, and cut a thin border off the back of the card to make it just slightly smaller than the front all the way around. (If the back has a lot of writing or unwanted printing on it, you may want to simply use plain white cardstock instead.) On the front, make four cuts at the corners. They should be about an inch in, and about 2-inches deep each. Fold the edges of the entire card down, about an inch in on the sides and 2 inches at the top and bottom ends. This makes four flaps, one to a side. Fold the two end flaps in to the center of the card, then fold over the remaining end piece on the side flaps, and fold up the side flaps as well. Crease them all in place, and tape or glue the small interior flaps to the ends, and your box top is ready. Use the same process on the back of the card to make a bottom for the box. You can fold it so that the printed greeting is on the inside bottom of the box if you want to.
Paper Cube
Making a cube from paper is not only fun, but an exercise in geometry learning for students. What you will need is a regular sheet of computer or office paper, a ruler, pencil and scissors. The basic form to make a cube looks like a cross. It should be made up of equal squares, so measure your lines carefully. Try making a cross with a horizontal bar of 6 inches and a vertical tower of 8 inches. This will be made up of squares 2 inches on a side. Divide the cross with one central square, one on top and one on each side, and two below the center. To adequately connect the sides of the cube, you will also need tabs. Make horizontal or vertical tabs, whichever is easiest for you, on the tops of the two horizontal squares, the sides of the two bottom squares, and one more tab on the very bottom of the cross. Cut out the cross in one piece, and fold along the borders of the squares. Tape or glue the tabs on the interior to make a cube. If you would prefer a pre-measured template to make a cube, see the Resources section.