Recently I blogged about making seed packets from unwanted books. This is a brilliant concept in that it’s an informal approach to children continuing to interact with text in a way that is short, sweet and fun.

When I posted this blog, Mark Paterson, the Curator of Cruickshank Botanic Garden, told me that he and his father always created their seed packets using an origami technique. This requires no template and no glue. Here are the instructions…

First you find a sheet of paper. A rectangular shape works best.

Fold it lengthways in half.

Fold the outer edges of the paper to seal the open side of the packet and to create a lip.

Then turn the packet over. Fold one corner diagonally up so that the lip is facing outwards.

Fold the pointed corner into the lip of paper to seal the bottom part of the packet.

It should now look like this (see below). At this point you can put seeds into the packet at the open end.

Then repeat the process of sealing the top end of the packet by folding the paper to create the triangular seal. Remember to write the name of the seeds and date collected before storing in a cool place.

This design is very simple to create. It enables children of all ages to perfect the technical skills involved in origami which are transferable to other projects. The ability to be accurate, to fold and crease the paper neatly, to make the design symmetrical are a good precursor to other pursuits such as kite making.

Thank you Mark and Allen Paterson for sharing your knowledge!