Easy Butterfly Origami

My new book, Easy Butterfly Origami features 30 bold full-color patterns designed to accurately portray the dorsal and ventral sides of some of the most beautiful butterflies from around the world!

Origami Folding Tips

Origami, from the Japanese ori (to fold) and kami (paper), began in the 6th century when Buddhist monks introduced paper to Japan. The print-and-fold crafts and easy diagrams are designed to help children with fine motor skills, directions and hand eye coordination. Some basic origami folding tips:
  • Print and cut out patterns carefully.
  • Fold with clean, dry hands.
  • Follow the instructions. Study the diagrams and be patient.
  • Be precise: fold each crease well, flattening the creases by running your fingertip over the fold.
  • Folding the paper away from you is easier than folding towards you.
  • Be creative...use your origami on greeting cards, holiday decorations, table place cards and bookmarks.

Owl Origami Video Tutorial and Print-and-Fold Pattern

Video instructions for folding your Owl Origami:




Print and fold Owl Origami Pattern:



You can find this origami and more activities in my book, Rainforests and Reefs.


From the mountains to the sea, make learning fun at home or on the go. A variety of activities and puzzles teach children about tropical wildlife and conservation. Featuring mazes, mandalas, spot the difference, word seek, and more. With 14 bonus paper projects including masks, paper bag puppets, and origami. Links to instructional videos guide children through the paper projects.

Print and Fold Turtle Origami

Video instructions for folding your Turtle Origami:




Print and fold a Red-Bellied Turtle Origami Pattern:



You can find this origami and more activities in my book, Rainforests and Reefs.


From the mountains to the sea, make learning fun at home or on the go. A variety of activities and puzzles teach children about tropical wildlife and conservation. Featuring mazes, mandalas, spot the difference, word seek, and more. With 14 bonus paper projects including masks, paper bag puppets, and origami. Links to instructional videos guide children through the paper projects.

Print and Fold Butterfly Origami

Video instructions for folding your Butterfly Origami:




Print and fold Butterfly Origami Pattern:


You can find this origami and more activities in my book, Rainforests and Reefs.


From the mountains to the sea, make learning fun at home or on the go. A variety of activities and puzzles teach children about tropical wildlife and conservation. Featuring mazes, mandalas, spot the difference, word seek, and more. With 14 bonus paper projects including masks, paper bag puppets, and origami. Links to instructional videos guide children through the paper projects.

Moorish Idol Origami Tutorial

Video instructions for folding your Moorish Idol Origami:




Print and fold Moorish Origami Pattern:


You can find this origami and more activities in my book, Rainforests and Reefs.


From the mountains to the sea, make learning fun at home or on the go. A variety of activities and puzzles teach children about tropical wildlife and conservation. Featuring mazes, mandalas, spot the difference, word seek, and more. With 14 bonus paper projects including masks, paper bag puppets, and origami. Links to instructional videos guide children through the paper projects.

Mermaid Origami and Coloring Page

Just in time for the holidays, here are origami and coloring activities for my new book, The Castle That Kai Built, Island Heritage Publishing.

Kai Mermaid Origami (Color)

Kai Mermaid Origami (BW)

Kai Coloring Page



The Castle That Kai Built

By Tammy Yee
Island Heritage, 2019

Kai the mermaid builds a lavish sandcastle under the sea. The castle seems to attract all kinds of sea life, from clams and jellyfish to fearsome sharks and playful dolphins. One-by-one, each visitor causes a troublemaking chain of events that leads to disaster for Kai! What will happen to Kai and the castle that Kai built? The Castle That Kai Built is a cumulative tale in which the story repeats and builds as more characters are introduced.

Shark Patrol Coloring Page

New! Coloring page for my book, "Shark Patrol," written by Ron Hirschi, illustrated by Tammy Yee, Mutual Publishing.



Enjoy, and visit my author/illustrator page, www.tammyyee.com

And follow me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/babyhonu/



Young Kai and Lehua hop aboard the SS Scoutabout for an adventure of a lifetime, studying sharks with Captain Mike, biologist Aunt Jan, and their seafaring pup, Scout. Cruising from Hawaii to California, they encounter beautiful oceanic whitetips, great whites, thrashing threshers, and the biggest fish of all, the whale shark. Approaching the mainland, they discover all is not well for some sharks in California waters and the two kids make plans to help the sharks, to help the ocean!



Wanda the Humpback Whale Origami and Activities



I just uploaded fun activities for my book, "Wanda's Humpack Hula Show," written by Marian Parks and illustrated by Tammy Yee, available at American Nature Tale Books.

When Wanda's new baby brother arrives, she feels left out . . . until she cleverly hulas her way to humpback fame. But one day a careless mistake ruins everything. How will Wanda fix this mess? Kids will enjoy Wanda's entertaining antics, but they'll also learn about the North Pacific humpback whale migration and that sometimes, they need to say, I'm sorry.

American Nature Tale Books also features a fun Story Activities and Teacher's Guide that you can download on their website.

Here's what the Midwest Book Review has to say about Wanda: 

A charmingly entertaining picture book story with a genuinely important underlying message, "Wanda's Humpback Hula Show" is an especially recommended addition to family, elementary school, and community library picture book collections.
Print and fold a Wanda the humpback whale origami:
Print and make a Wanda paper bag puppet:


Wanda's Migration Coloring Page


Wanda under the sea coloring page

Enjoy, and visit my author/illustrator page, www.tammyyee.com

And follow me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/babyhonu/

Celebrations Around the World: Boy's Day (Tango-no-sekku), May 5




Boy's Day Celebration in Hawaii

On May 5th, Japanese families throughout Hawaii display beautiful carp banners outside their homes. Called koi-nobori, each streamer traditionally symbolizes a male in the household. The largest carp at the top represents the father, followed by the eldest son, while the littlest carp at the bottom represents the youngest boy.

Watching these colorful windsocks flapping in the wind reminds one of the vigor, strength and perseverance of the koi (carp) as they swim upstream against powerful currents. Koi are also known for their longevity. They can live for as long as 50 years in the wild and have been reported to live even longer in captivity. Thus the carp is a fitting symbol for the traits desired in sons.




Inside the house, families may display heirlooms such as swords, bows, arrows and special musha-ningyo, or Boy's Day dolls, mirroring the dolls displayed during the Girl's Day Festival. Common are elaborate dolls of warriors and legendary heroes of strength and valor, some posed on beautiful horses. The earliest samurai dolls date back to the Edo period, during the18th century, when displays were commissioned by those in the samurai class. Originally, only men could fashion these samurai dolls, and their doll-making secrets were passed down from generation to generation.

Boy's Day evolved from the Shinto iris festival, Shobu-no-sekku. Shobu is the Japanese word for the iris, and it also means "striving for success." The long narrow leaves of the plant resemble swords, which boys would sometimes use to stage mock sword battles. The iris is also thought to have healing powers, and families would hang iris leaves on their houses to ward off evil spirits. Today iris leaves are still used in making kashiwa-mochi, a traditional Boy's Day rice cake.






Print and Fold Boy's Day Crafts

Boy's Day Clip Art

 

Origami Koi-Nobori








Koi-nobori OrigamiKoi-nobori OrigamiKoi-nobori Origami


Make a Koi Nobori, a Boy's Day carp kite on May 5th. Traditionally, a koi is flown for every male in the household, with the largest carp on the top representing the father.










©2009 Tammy Yee



Copyright ©2009 Tammy Yee
All rights reserved. No portion of this web site may be reproduced without prior written consent.