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How To Make a 3D Snowflake

By: Theo W.

Materials: 

- 2 sheets of 6 inch by 6-inch origami paper (or normal paper cut into a square) 

- 4 pieces of tape, each piece should be 6 inches long or the length of the sides of your square 

- 1 pair of scissors  

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Instructions: 

1. Take one sheet of origami paper (or normal paper cut into a square) and put one piece of tape on each edge of the paper with half the tape overhanging the edge. Put the tape the long way on the paper so the tape should be as long as the paper. 

2. Take the unused sheet of origami paper and place it directly on top of the other one. Then fold the pieces of tape onto the other sheet of origami paper. These two sheets together create the 3D effect. 

3. If you already know how to make a normal snowflake, go to step 4. If not, here is how: first fold the square in half, diagonally. Then fold that triangle in half, and then finally fold it in half one more time. Break out those nice, sharp scissors! Make a few cuts. Triangles and half circles are a good start, but the more cuts you do the more intricate the design. Try to keep the taped edges mostly intact! 

4. Now comes the fun part. The Unfolding! With a 3D snowflake, the unfolding is much more complicated. Unfold your snowflake. Find your largest cut in the pattern. There should be an opening. Slip your finger into the opening to create a pocket in between the two pieces. Then get a good grip on the middle of both sides of the sheet and pull apart gently, careful not to tear the paper. Shape as desired. 

Tip: to make a snowflake more snow flakey, try to fill in the entire snowflake with patterns. You could also play around with shapes to try to create an animal cutout, like a moose. 

 

You have made a 3D snowflake! 

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