Make your very own Charlie the Cheetah. No fuss, no mess, this project is a great rainy day activity. We've even included the special patterned paper!
This origami model may look like a little like a sweet pussy cat, but the cheetah is strong and wild and, as the fastest animal on Earth, no other creatures on the African plain can keep up with it! Did you know that the cheetah's tail is essential to its speed? They use it to steer and balance themselves as they run.
1.Download your special patterned paper here. Fold the sheet of 10in (25cm) paper in half from corner to corner through the design of the face, then fold in the edges at the face so that they meet along the central crease.
2. Turn the paper over and fold up the narrow point to the opposite corner and make a crease, then fold the narrow point down to the right so that the left-hand edge now runs along the bottom of the model.
3. Pick up the paper and fold the left-hand side of the model underneath along the central crease, then fold the narrow point to the left so that its top long edge turns over and sits on top of the other edge. Fold what is now the upper edge of the long point over from the model's bottom right-hand corner and make a crease so that the tip stands up vertically.
4. Bend the head forward so that it aligns with the crease down the model’s neck and turn the nose underneath to form a flat chin. Next turn back the top corners before turning them back on themselves again to form the ears.
5. Fold over the right-hand corner at an angle then turn it back on itself so that the tip crosses the new crease. Open up the back of the model and fold the tail inside, reversing the crease.
6. Use scissors to make two cuts into the bottom of the model and fold up the flap created to leave the cheetah’s front and back legs.
Zoom! A cheetah runs at 70mph (110kph), as fast as a car on the highway!
For more origami projects for kids, check out Fun Origami for Children: Wild! by Mari Ono