In this project, students can fold and cut a three-dimensional star out of paper. This is a good project to do on one of those days just before Christmas vacation, when the students are usually not interested in doing any real work! It is a fairly quick and easy project to do, and results in a wonderful decoration for the classroom door, to really get everyone in the spirit of Christmas!
You will need to give each student one sheet of green paper, at least 8.5 by 10 inches. If your paper is larger, cut it to these dimensions. Then ask the students to follow the directions below. It works best if you read them the instructions, demonstrating each fold yourself, as you go along.
1) Start with a piece of paper that is 8 1/2 by 10 inches, or a similar rectangle (with sides in that proportion) as shown on the left below. Fold it in half across the horizontal midsegment as shown on the right, below:
2) Draw, construct, or fold to create the midsegments of the rectangle as shown:
3) Fold corner E to meet midsegment GH (not to point H):
4) Fold E to line KL (reflect across the bisector of angle LKE; see previous drawing).
5) Fold polygon KDFM across line KM (Reflect across KM)
6Then fold triangle FKL across line KL (reflect across KL):
7) Cut through all the layers of paper on line F''P, which is at any reasonable angle from F'' (P should be approximately as shown) so that it looks like this:
Throw away the larger portion (the bottom part) and unfold the smaller portion (the upper part) and you will find a star. Re-crease the folds so that you get a 3-dimensional star .
If each student is then given a piece of scotch tape ( or double-stick tape) the class can tape all of their stars onto the outside of the classroom door, to create a lovely green Christmas tree of stars for all to see and enjoy. It will also look nice to make a slightly smaller star from red paper, for the star at the top of the tree as shown:
