Origami for the blind

Clatter bird

The clatter is a bird head with a beak that can open and close to eat or to klatter clack-clack-clack.

Design
Traditional.
Type
Action.
Difficulty
Really easy.
Paper
A6, 80-120 gsm

Folding

See also vocabulary and general help.

Make sure to mark all creases firmly.

  1. The paper is horizontal, with the long sides on the top and bottom. If two-coloured, place the paper with the beak colour up.
  2. Fold the lower, long edge to the top.
  3. Rotate the paper so the folded edge is up.
  4. From the bottom, fold the edge of the upper layer about 8 millimeters up.
  5. Turn the paper over, still with the folded edge up.
  6. Fold the bottom edge of the top layer up, matching the folded edge of the behind layer.
  7. Open the last fold so the edge points outwards.
  8. Fold the top, left, closed corner down along the creaseline of the folded edge. When done, the corner forms a right angled isosceles triangle.
  9. Repeat with the top, right, closed corner.
  10. Refold the opened edge. This locks the folded corners into their position.
  11. Optional: You may mark an eye with a pen in the triangle in one of the the ends, and another eye in the same end, but on the other side.
  12. The paper is now trapez shaped with a long, open edge, a shorter, folded edge, and two short, slanted edges, like a boat. The long, folded edges form the rails of the boat.
  13. Rotate the boat to have the rails up. Open the pocket of the boat. Make sure to put a finger into both corners inside the boat, so we are sure it is open.
  14. Grab the mid of each rail, use one hand for each rail.
  15. Pull the rails apart. The boat opens, and the ends will pull towards each other, becoming the beak.
  16. Gently bring the two ends together, forming the beak of the head with two eyes (if you marked those). Keep holding the beak ends together. The top and the bottom of the head each has a closed, cone-like corner.
  17. Hold the two corners with two fingers of the other hand on the top corner and the thumb on the bottom corner.
  18. Let go of the beak.
  19. Finished.

Use

By gently releasing and applying pressure on the head, the beak will open and close. The closing produces a clattering sound. Hold it towards your ear, and it is really loud.

Also let it eat paper balls, jumping frogs, noses, and other things.