ORIGANIMO Foldable Fun with Insects & Cats - Inkyeoung & Sunkyung (IK&SK)

Schiffer Publishing sent me a package of books to keep my kiddos busy during the April 2020 quarantine.  Pretty awesome, right?  They should be nominated for sainthood.  I don't know if that's a thing, but that should be a thing. Anyway, it came on my 40th birthday, and in it, among other things, were these two cute little intro-to-origami (origanimo) books:

Insects: Fold & Play 

More than twenty multicolored insects are ready to crawl in just a few folds!  Have fun recognizing and playing with them all.  Pop out the pieces on each page and follow the instructions to create your perfect little paper friend.  Each page features the name of the bug to help you identify them on your outdoor adventures.

(Summary from back of book - Image from Schifferbooks.com - Book given free in exchange for an honest review)

Available for purchase here (This is NOT an affiliate link)



Cats: Fold & Play

A merry band of black cats in multiple positions are easily made in a few folds!  Are you ready for some fun?  Pop out the pieces on each page and follow the instructions to create your perfect little paper friend.  The back page features yellow balls of yarn to assemble for each kitty to have their own fun.

(Summary from back of book - Image from Schifferbooks.com - Book given free in exchange for an honest review)

Available for purchase here (This is NOT an affiliate link)



My Review:  I have always been fascinated by origami.  The precision required to make paper creations appeals to my perfectionism, but also makes me extremely hesitant to do it with my children. Obviously, precision can be tricky for little hands and then comes the waaaaailing.  I'd do just about anything to avoid the wailing right now.

When I saw these Fold & Play books, I thought they might be a perfect intro to origami for my little ones, ages 7 and 9.  I was pleased to find that the folding activities were much simpler than standard origami. While the book doesn't do everything for you, kids are able to pop the basic pre-cut shape out of the page and follow the solid and dotted lines that tell you which ways to fold the paper.

After all the 'distance learning' my kids have been doing lately (SO MUCH un-fun screen time on their school computers), it was nice to give them something tactile, colorful, and creative to do.  Once my kids understood that lines were folded like "tents" and dotted lines were folded like "tacos" they needed very little help.  The fact that I didn't need to be there every second was just a big. freaking. bonus.

Do you hear that sound? That kind of desperate gasping?  Don't worry. It's just me, crying tears of joy.

While the suggested age for these books is 5-8 years old, I'd say that's more of a jumping off point.  My seven-year-old definitely was the most interested, but her nine-year-old sister came in a close second, and one of my teens even got in on the action.  When I asked my youngest what she thought about the book she said:

I really like it.  It's fun! ...and later... I want to do this every day.  I'm going to do ALL of these! 

Thankfully, I convinced her to save some for her older sister who had taken a break from folding to do piano lesson via Zoom in another room.


Both of these books would be great gifts for someone who has a bunch of stir-crazy little kiddos at home right now. Grandmas and Grandpas out there -- I'm talking to you!  If forced to choose, I would definitely recommend the Insects Fold & Play for the 5-8 age group over the Cats Fold & Play, for two reasons.  First, the Insects pop out of a page that is covered in flora and they come in a variety of colors that are simply are more attractive to little ones.  Second, it is slightly easier to see the solid and dotted lines on the colored paper.  However, I would recommend the Cats Fold & Play for slightly older kids, teens, and even adults who want to just enjoy some relatively effortless paper play.  Here are just some of the foldable figures my children made today ------------------------------------> (many more were made after I took this picture).

Not interested in Cats or Insects? Never fear. Dinosaur Fold & Play and Baby Animals Fold & Play and Dinosaurs coming in October 2020!

My Rating: 4 Stars for Insects -   3.75 for Cats

For the sensitive reader:  All the cats are black.  Don't let them cross your path! ;)