The Japanese kusudama (薬玉; lit. medicine ball) is a paper model that is usually (although not always) created by sewing multiple identical pyramidal units (usually stylized flowers folded from square paper) together through their points to form a spherical shape. Alternately the individual components may be glued together. Occasionally, a tassel is attached to the bottom for decoration.

You will need:

• 5 squares of paper for a flower
• 12 flowers for a ball
• 60 squares of paper in total (sugar paper is cheap, but doesn’t tape together well)
• String if you wish to hang it up
• Card if you wish to mount a half ball on the wall
• Sticky stuff: glue sticks or glue dots or pva glue or tape or a hot glue gun – whatever works for you!
• Beads or ribbon for decoration (optional)

Activity

I showed this website to my class: http://www.origami-instructions.com/origami-kusudama-flower.html

It has an instructional video and very clear step by step photographs. It’s so easy a six year old can (and did) do it!

1. The instructions assume 30 pupils in a class. Let each pupil make a petal following the step by step instructions and then independently make another (2 petals each).
2. Pupils pair up and stick two petals together (1 petal each and 1 pair stuck together).
3. Pairs team up with another pair and stick their pairs together (1 petal each and 4 petals stuck together).
4. One person in the four uses their extra petal to complete the flower – that person is in charge of the flower ( three people with 1 petal, one person with a flower).
5. Flower pupils form a group and start sticking their flowers together.
6. Petal pupils work with new people in groups of 5 and create another flower.
7. Eventually 12 flowers are completed and stuck together.

 

Notes:

• String should be firmly attached before the ball is complete.
• It is advisable to staple a half ball to card or the wall to prevent it collapsing.

 

Thank you to @c0mplexnumber for the original inspiration for this activity.

Have fun folks!