Fold and snip booklet

Project Daguerre

Fold a sheet of paper into eighths by folding into half ~ then half ~ and then again ~ or any other way you find most easy. The picture ~ below ~ shows what it should be like when you unfold it.

We have marked our creases in this picture to help you.
You do not need to make any marks ~ just work by the creases.
Ignore the numbers for now

Fold the sheet back into half. With the paper now doubled prepare to cut from what was the central point of the open sheet. This point is now at the centre of the folded edge. Using the central fold as a guide (here marked in black) cut through the two layers of paper. Stop when you meet the fold that lies across your path (dotted blue). The red triangular stop sign marks the end of the snip.

Cut through two layers of paper ~ only up to half way along

Loosely fold the two long edges towards each other. Also bring the two short edges towards each other. Jiggle the sheet so that the slit widens out.

Some of the creases will have to be reversed at this stage

As your hands close-up together try to encourage a X shape to form.

Bunch the papers to form a star shape ~ then squeeze up the gap

Fold the flaps of the cross-shape to one side, say on the left. Fold the edge in your right hand (my hand is missing in the picture - it is holding the camera). You have finished! Some of the creases will need to be re-pressed. Every page is double-thickness. If you make a booklet by starting with a printed sheet you will have to think about the layout of the pages! Our numbers, and one of the earlier pictures will help.

This is called Project Daguerre in the busybusydotco range of discovery projects. Louis Daguerre was a Frenchman who played a major part in the invention of photography before he died in 1851. We have used his name simply as an identifier for this project. There is no linkage between him, his discoveries and inventions, and this. It is much easier to refer to 'Project Daguerre', or to find it on Google, than to say 'page/12/45/03.htm'.

A kit for this project will be available from our shop, at busybusy.shop. [Although it is not yet available - sorry!]

The Daguerre Discovery Kit contains a ready-made booklet with instructions, as above ~ two printed sheets marked similarly to those above ~ five plain sheets ~ five sheets with page numbers printed on them. It does not include scissors, although we can supply youngsters' scissors as an extra.