Origami Claws

What You Need:

• Unlined white 8 ½ x 11 inch sheets of paper
• Optional: Brown, gray, black markers

What You Do:

1. Start with a little science: Explain to your child that some animals have sharp points on their fingers or toes called claws. Animals use them to grip surfaces when climbing or walking, or to defend themselves against predators. Cats and bears have claws, and on birds of prey the claws are called talons. Talons are very important to birds: without them, they would not be able to catch prey. Can your child think of any other animals that have claws? How do they use them?
2. You and your child should do this craft together so he will have visual help with every step. Start with an 8 ½ x 11 inch sheet of paper in front of you with the 11-inch side vertical.
3. Fold up a triangle starting from the lower right corner of the sheet. That corner meets the left side of the paper at 2 ½ inches below the sheet’s upper left corner.
4. Next, take the lower left corner of the sheet and fold it up into a triangle (lower left page corner meeting paper’s right side at 2 ½ inches below the sheet’s upper right corner).
5. Fold in the top right corner of the sheet to make a smaller triangle, and do the same for the upper left corner.
6. Take the top 2 ½ inches (rectangle and small triangles) and fold that down over the larger lower triangle.
7. Then, take the right side of this shape and fold it over the left side of the shape (creating a triangle), then unfold it. This makes a crease down the middle of your shape.
8. Fold the right side of your sheet into the crease, making the right end of the shape align with the crease. This creates a triangle on the right side of your paper with a downwards-facing point.
9. Take the right side of this new shape and fold it in from right to left, then a second time right to left.
10. Take the top pointed part and fold it down into the paper “pocket” to hold that end in place. Your finger also goes inside the paper pocket. You now have what looks like a pointy origami claw!
11. Your child may wish to color the claw with gray, black, or brown markers to make it more animal-like. He may want to fold nine more talons for a full set!