Self-Folding Paper Models
2-3 hours
Ages 11+
What Will You Learn?
Use the following templates to make some simple self-folding models. Then get creative and design some of your own!
Choose a Shape
Step 1
Choose a shape you’d like to build. For each shape, there’s a template for the inside paper layer, the outside paper layer, and the plastic layer in the middle.
Step 2
Copy each template by hand or with a printer. (You can find Shrinky Dinks sheets made for printers, but other kinds also work. Just be careful not to rub the printer ink off by accident.)
Cut Around the Image
Step 3
Cut around the image you copied onto the plastic. You don’t need to cut along the exact lines at this point.
Step 4
Do the same with the paper images. Cut out each side and apply glue.
Step 5
Take the outside paper net and separate all the sides by cutting along each edge.
Step 6
Take one piece and place it on the scrap paper with the printed side facing down.
Glue
Step 7
Use the glue stick to coat the entire back of the piece with glue.
Step 8
Take the plastic and place it so the printed side is facing up. Attach the glue paper side over its position on the plastic. Do the same with all the other sides.
Step 9
Turn the plastic over. Cut out all the sides of the inside paper image. Cut away the thick black lines.
Step 10
Glue the sides just like before, being sure that the paper pieces don’t cover the lines on the plastic.
Step 11
Take the black marker and color over the thick lines where they are exposed. Black absorbs heat, so the black edges should start to shrink before the rest of the plastic.
Heat the Paper Model: Heat Gun
If you have a heat gun, place the paper model with the inside facing up on a heatproof surface. If not, skip to instructions on how to use a toaster oven to heat the paper models.
Step 12
Turn the heat gun on and blow the hot air on the paper model for a few seconds.
Step 13
Aim for the black lines where you want the model to bend. You should see the sides begin to fold up.
Step 14
Stop as soon as the edges meet. If you wait too long, the sides will start to shrink too.
Heat the Paper Model: Toaster Oven
Step 15
If you are using a toaster oven, pre-heat it to around 275-300 degrees Fahrenheit. (This is cooler than for regular shrinkable plastic projects.)
Step 16
Place the paper model, inner side facing up, on one end of the thick piece of cardboard. You will hold the cardboard “spatula” while the model is heating up, so make sure it’s long enough to keep from burning your fingers.
Step 17
Open the toaster oven door and leave it open. Slide the cardboard holding the paper model onto the rack inside while keeping a grip on the other end. Within a few seconds the sides should start to fold up. If it stops before closing up all the way, pull the model out to make sure the paper isn’t starting to burn.
Step 18
If it looks OK, put the model back in the oven for another couple of seconds until the model has closed up as much as it is going to.
What's Next?
In theory, any paper model that uses valley folds can be made with this self-folding technique. Just remember that the more sides—and folds—you add to a model, the harder it is for the model to fold itself up.
It is possible to use both valley and mountain folds in one self-folding paper model by cutting larger and smaller openings in the paper, depending on which direction you want that edge to fold. You may have to turn the model over halfway while heating it to make sure both sides of the paper shrink up correctly. (Let the model cool down in between to avoid burning the paper.)
You can also experiment with controlling how far the joint bends by changing the width of the opening in the paper. The amount of bend is known as the angle, and it can be measured with a math tool called a protractor. See if you can figure out how wide to make the opening to get a bend of 45 degrees or 30 degrees by measuring the finished product with a protractor. (You can find one where you buy school supplies.)
Take notes as you try different versions. That information may help you build more complicated self-folding models!
About the Book
Enjoy this project? Self-Folding Paper Models is just one example of fun and innovative projects you can find in the book Paper Inventions by Kathy Ceceri. Filled with color illustrations, step-by-step instructions, supply lists, and templates, this book will help you to create your own paper based projects!
Materials:
- Cardstock or construction paper
- Shrinkable polystyrene sheets (sold as Shrinky Dinks in art stores; you can also use recycled clear plastic containers marked with recycling symbol #6)
- Computer printer or copier (optional)
- Glue stick
- Scrap paper
- Black permanent markers
- Heat gun (available in craft stores) or toaster oven
- Long, narrow piece of thick cardboard (solid, not corrugated) to use like a spatula in the toaster oven (optional)
- Templates (optional)
Maker Camp Project Standards
Based on NGSS (Next Generation Science Standards)
National Core Arts Standards
The National Core Arts Standards are a process that guides educators in providing a unified quality arts education for students in Pre-K through high school. These standards provide goals for Dance, Media Arts, Music, Theatre, and Visual Arts with cross-cutting anchors in Creating, Performing, Responding, and Connecting through art. The Anchor Standards include:- Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work.
- Organize and develop artistic ideas and work.
- Refine and complete artistic work.
- Select, analyze, and interpret artistic work for presentation.
- Develop and refine artistic techniques and work for presentation.
- Convey meaning through the presentation of artistic work.
- Perceive and analyze artistic work.
- Interpret intent and meaning in artistic work.
- Apply criteria to evaluate artistic work.
- Synthesize and relate knowledge and personal experiences to make art.
- Relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural, and historical context to deepen understanding.
CCSS (Common Core State Standards)
The Common Core is a set of high-quality academic standards in mathematics and English language arts/literacy (ELA).Measurement & Data
- Grades K-2
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.MD.A.1 Describe measurable attributes of objects, such as length or weight. Describe several measurable attributes of a single object.
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.1.MD.A.1 Order three objects by length; compare the lengths of two objects indirectly by using a third object.
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.1.MD.A.2 Express the length of an object as a whole number of length units, by laying multiple copies of a shorter object (the length unit) end to end; understand that the length measurement of an object is the number of same-size length units that span it with no gaps or overlaps.
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.2.MD.A.1 Measure the length of an object by selecting and using appropriate tools such as rulers, yardsticks, meter sticks, and measuring tapes.
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.2.MD.A.2 Measure the length of an object twice, using length units of different lengths for the two measurements; describe how the two measurements relate to the size of the unit chosen.
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.2.MD.A.3 Estimate lengths using units of inches, feet, centimeters, and meters.
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.2.MD.A.4 Measure to determine how much longer one object is than another, expressing the length difference in terms of a standard length unit.
- Grades 3-5
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.3.MD.B.3 Draw a scaled picture graph and a scaled bar graph to represent a data set with several categories. Solve one- and two-step "how many more" and "how many less" problems using information presented in scaled bar graphs.
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.4.MD.A.1 Know relative sizes of measurement units within one system of units including km, m, cm; kg, g; lb, oz.; l, ml; hr, min, sec. Within a single system of measurement, express measurements in a larger unit in terms of a smaller unit.
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.4.MD.C.5 Recognize angles as geometric shapes that are formed wherever two rays share a common endpoint, and understand concepts of angle measurement.
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.5.MD.A.1 Convert among different-sized standard measurement units within a given measurement system (e.g., convert 5 cm to 0.05 m), and use these conversions in solving multi-step, real world problems.
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.5.MD.C.3 Recognize volume as an attribute of solid figures and understand concepts of volume measurement.
Ratios & Proportional Relationships
- Middle School
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.6.RP.A.1 Understand the concept of a ratio and use ratio language to describe a ratio relationship between two quantities.
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.6.RP.A.3 Use ratio and rate reasoning to solve real-world and mathematical problems, e.g., by reasoning about tables of equivalent ratios, tape diagrams, double number line diagrams, or equations.
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.7.RP.A.1 Compute unit rates associated with ratios of fractions, including ratios of lengths, areas and other quantities measured in like or different units.
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.7.RP.A.2 Recognize and represent proportional relationships between quantities.
CCSS (Common Core State Standards)
The Common Core is a set of high-quality academic standards in mathematics and English language arts/literacy (ELA).Geometry
- Grades K-2
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.G.A.1 Describe objects in the environment using names of shapes, and describe the relative positions of these objects using terms such as above, below, beside, in front of, behind, and next to.
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.G.A.2 Correctly name shapes regardless of their orientations or overall size.
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.G.A.3 Identify shapes as two-dimensional (lying in a plane, "flat") or three-dimensional ("solid").
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.G.B.5 Model shapes in the world by building shapes from components (e.g., sticks and clay balls) and drawing shapes.
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.G.B.6 Compose simple shapes to form larger shapes.
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.1.G.A.1 Distinguish between defining attributes (e.g., triangles are closed and three-sided) versus non-defining attributes (e.g., color, orientation, overall size); build and draw shapes to possess defining attributes.
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.1.G.A.2 Compose two-dimensional shapes (rectangles, squares, trapezoids, triangles, half-circles, and quarter-circles) or three-dimensional shapes (cubes, right rectangular prisms, right circular cones, and right circular cylinders) to create a composite shape, and compose new shapes from the composite shape.
- Grades 3-5
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.4.G.A.3 Recognize a line of symmetry for a two-dimensional figure as a line across the figure such that the figure can be folded along the line into matching parts. Identify line-symmetric figures and draw lines of symmetry.
- Middle School
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.6.G.A.4 Represent three-dimensional figures using nets made up of rectangles and triangles, and use the nets to find the surface area of these figures. Apply these techniques in the context of solving real-world and mathematical problems.
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.7.G.A.1 Solve problems involving scale drawings of geometric figures, including computing actual lengths and areas from a scale drawing and reproducing a scale drawing at a different scale.
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.7.G.A.2 Draw (freehand, with ruler and protractor, and with technology) geometric shapes with given conditions. Focus on constructing triangles from three measures of angles or sides, noticing when the conditions determine a unique triangle, more than one triangle, or no triangle.
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.7.G.A.3 Describe the two-dimensional figures that result from slicing three-dimensional figures, as in plane sections of right rectangular prisms and right rectangular pyramids.
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.8.G.A.1 Verify experimentally the properties of rotations, reflections, and translations.
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.8.G.A.3 Describe the effect of dilations, translations, rotations, and reflections on two-dimensional figures using coordinates.
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.8.G.A.4 Understand that a two-dimensional figure is similar to another if the second can be obtained from the first by a sequence of rotations, reflections, translations, and dilations; given two similar two-dimensional figures, describe a sequence that exhibits the similarity between them.
National Core Arts Standards
The National Core Arts Standards are a process that guides educators in providing a unified quality arts education for students in Pre-K through high school. Also see Standards with cross-cutting anchors in Creating, Performing, Responding, and Connecting through art for Visual Arts.NGSS MS.Engineering Design
The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) are K–12 science content standards.- MS-ETS1-1. Define the criteria and constraints of a design problem with sufficient precision to ensure a successful solution, taking into account relevant scientific principles and potential impacts on people and the natural environment that may limit possible solutions.
- MS-ETS1-2. Evaluate competing design solutions using a systematic process to determine how well they meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.
- MS-ETS1-3. Analyze data from tests to determine similarities and differences among several design solutions to identify the best characteristics of each that can be combined into a new solution to better meet the criteria for success.
- MS-ETS1-4. Develop a model to generate data for iterative testing and modification of a proposed object, tool, or process such that an optimal design can be achieved.
NGSS HS.Engineering Design
The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) are K–12 science content standards.- HS-ETS1-1. Analyze a major global challenge to specify qualitative and quantitative criteria and constraints for solutions that account for societal needs and wants.
- HS-ETS1-2. Design a solution to a complex real-world problem by breaking it down into smaller, more manageable problems that can be solved through engineering.
- HS-ETS1-3. Evaluate a solution to a complex real-world problem based on prioritized criteria and trade-offs that account for a range of constraints, including cost, safety, reliability, and aesthetics as well as possible social, cultural, and environmental impacts.
- HS-ETS1-4. Use a computer simulation to model the impact of proposed solutions to a complex real-world problem with numerous criteria and constraints on interactions within and between systems relevant to the problem.
