When I was in high school and college, I used to make origami lucky stars when I had some downtime. You can make hundreds of them, place them in glass flavor jars, and use them as homemade gifts for birthdays and holidays.
When we started talking about stars and the constellations during space week, I immediately thought of these origami stars.
Instead of using stickers or drawing the stars on a piece of paper, why not make the constellation 3D by using the origami paper stars? They are easy to make and great for practicing fine motor skills.
How to Make 3D Zodiac Constellations
Materials:
- Origami paper
- Black construction paper
- White crayon or white color pencil
- Optional: Free zodiac constellations chart
Instructions:
1. Cut a thin strip of paper from origami paper.
2. Tie a knot with the paper by making a loop with the paper on one end and pushing the other end through the hole.
3. Make the “knot” as tight as possible and press flat to form a pentagon.
4. Tuck the short end of the strip into the knot. If the end is too long, you can trim it or fold it slightly to make it fit.
5. Start folding the long end of the paper strip around each side of the pentagon. Make sure the color side is on the outside. It should naturally follow the right direction, but you may need to make small adjustments to ensure the folds are aligned with the sides.
6. Tuck the tail end into the knot.
7. Hold one corner in between your index finger and thumb. Gently press the middle of the two adjacent sides with your index finger and thumb. This will cause the star to puff up.
8. Repeat with the other sides.
9. Make enough stars for your zodiac constellation. You can grab the free zodiac constellation chart for reference.
10. Draw the outline of the constellation with a white crayon or color pencil on black construction paper.
11. Glue the origami stars on the black paper.
13. Optional: Write the name of the zodiac constellation.
Did you manage to get your star to puff up? It’s not the easiest thing to do, but after practicing a few times, you’ll be able to get it.
If you are having a lot of trouble, you can always practice with a bigger strip or use a thicker paper like construction paper. It would be more challenging to make the initial knot, but it would be much easier to pinch the sides.
These 3D zodiac constellations make a great decoration. You can frame them and put them up on the walls. My kids love having their constellations around the homeschool room.
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