Origami: creativity and maths folded into One

This student shows off his just finished origami cat and dog.

A child from Tyre Community School proudly holds up his finished origami dog.

So many designs to choose from! these students look through the origami instruction book.

Seiko Hatakeyama, from All-One, a charity NGO engaged in promoting Origami in Lebanon, introduces Origami to teachers at Tyre’s Community School.

Children at Tyre Community School follow Seiko’s instructions during the Origami workshop.

An origami trainer shows students how to follow instructions from the Origami book published by All-One.

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1 Mar 2016

Origami: creativity and maths folded into One

This lesson is part of a series of Origami learning sessions organised by UNIFIL's Civil Affairs office in cooperation with All-One, an association promoting Japanese culture in Lebanon.

Origami is derived from two Japanese words – "Ori" (folded) and "Kami" (paper). Folding paper is a type of art therapy as it strengthens the muscles of the hands, helping children develop fine motor skills. It has also been linked to developing mathematical skills. Late American mathematician and physicist Martin David Kruskal belived "Origami helps in the study of mathematics and science in many ways. Using origami anyone can become a scientific experimenter with no fuss."

"The main purpose of the workshop is to enhance the children's capabilities and creativity through folding papers in different shapes," UNIFIL's Civil Affairs officer Habib Aziz says as he watches the children's faces light up as they transform their squares of paper into a piano, a cat and a windmill. Magic!

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Article: Aoibheann O'Sullivan
Video Editor: Suzane Badereddine
Video Camera: Mohamad Hamze
Photo: Pascual Gorriz Marcos
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