We were provided by the printer with the kits shown below to facilitate our review. As always, all opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

I’m a little bit embarrassed, because the original plan for these was to show you how you can use them as a boredom-buster for your kids during the lengthy summer break.  But one of these kits gave us more trouble than anticipated, so it’s taken us a while to assemble enough to show you.  We’ll just call them a “back-to-school” celebration. 🙂

Bible Origami

I know; this is not the first of the kits mentioned in the header, but let’s start here – because it’s where the girls and I started.  We’ve used Tuttle origami kits before, and the instructions were super-clear and easy to follow.  Unfortunately the Bible Origami is a bit trickier.  Most of the instructions are still pretty easy to follow, but when we hit a spot that stumped us, it really stumped us.  So we tried to make Adam and Eve and the Garden of Eden and we only managed the snake and the angel (and the background).

So Ariel moved on to trying Noah’s Ark.  She struggled with that one, too, but managed a dove.  So the instructions on this one were a little disappointing (maybe we just need to get more sleep before attempting the folds?  Or more experience under our belts) but the kit itself is pretty cool.

The figures are made in sets, to accompany various Bible stories.  The origami paper is preprinted – it looks pretty weird unfolded! – so once the figure is folded all the right parts are all the right colors or designs.  There are even backgrounds for the scenes.

Here are a couple pictures showing what the papers look like before folding.  The first is for the Garden of Eden group of figures; the second is for the Ark.

But folded up, they make more sense.  These figures aren’t all meant to go together, obviously!  But you can see where the snake and the angel (see the first photo) and the dove (see the second photo) turn out looking the way they ought.

One-Minute Paper Airplanes

Now what we should have done (had we known) was start with the paper airplanes!  These are, strictly speaking, not origami, because origami involves only the paper and folds (no outside fasteners, etc.).  These do make use of a stapler and such.  However, they are made out of paper and largely folded (or at least assembled).  And we had much better luck with these.

Now, I gave the girls free reign to assemble the airplanes themselves, and I’m still not sure one of our planes was assembled quite right.  But I’m pretty sure the others were, and they (we) still had a blast assembling them, then pitting them against each other to see which designs performed better in which ways.

Each plane is a different design and, like all the Tuttle kits, the booklet of instructions is included.  It’s pretty easy to follow, for the most part.  Once the planes were assembled, the next stage of the fun began.

The girls carted their planes outside.

And studied the instructions.

Even Liv studied the instructions.  (Never mind that she can’t read them.)

And off to launch them:

The planes the little girls selected just fly like regular paper airplanes.  So they were off doing that at the other end of the yard.  But this one comes with a catapult launcher (like a slingshot).  Or, if you’re three, a “shooting thing.”  (That’s why they were studying the instructions.  They were sorting out the launcher.)

So these were a lot of fun.  Perfect for a summer day.  Or an autumn one.  (And, hey, if you’re studying design or the like for school, they’d make a fun aerodynamics lesson.)