Sadako Sasaki was a young Japanese girl who became sick due to the atomic bombing of Hiroshima in 1945. After hearing the legend that if you fold 1000 paper cranes, a wish will be granted, Sadako started folding, using any pieces of paper she could find. Though Sadako wished to be well again, she died at the age of 12 from leukemia.
Since then Sadako and the paper crane has become a symbol for peace. Though folding a 1000 cranes is a huge project, the end result is beautiful.
Materials Needed:
Step one:
Fold paper in half. Open and fold in half again. Lines drawn for easier instruction.
Step two:
Fold diagonally, open and fold diagonally again.
Step three:
Leaving the fold as a diamond, take one corner and push it in. Do the same on the other side.
Step four:
Take the sides and fold them into the middle. Fold same on other side. Black lines drawn for easier instruction.
Step five:
Bend top down for crease. Open folds.
Step six:
Pop open and fold upwards. It should take shape on its own. If not, crease the folds again. Do the same on the other side.
Step seven:
With the “legs” pointing down, fold to the middle. (The same as step four) Repeat on other side.
Step eight:
Pull the “legs” up to form head and tail.
Step nine:
Push down on one tail to form the head.
Voila! You’re done!
For further reading:
Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes by Eleanor Correr
