A paper crane is a symbol for peace, and 1,000 paper cranes is a symbol for hope. That is the message in the true story of Sadako Sasaki, a Japanese girl who was two years old when the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. Ten years later, Sadako was diagnosed with leukemia. She remained helpful throughout her illness by folding paper cranes, because of a Japanese legend that your wishes will come true if you fold 1,000 paper cranes. Sadako's memory lives on as an example of keeping hope in times of adversity.
Materials - Scissors, pen or pencil, paper (anything thin and sturdy, like printer paper. I used printer paper that I decorated during Project #9 - Texture Walk.)
Making -
1. All origami begins with a square of paper, so first step is to cut your rectangular paper into a square. To do this, fold the left edge of your paper so that it is matched to the bottom edge.
2. Take your pen and draw a line along the edge of the top folded layer.
3. Cut the extra paper, the narrow rectangle on the right.
4. Now you are ready to fold a paper crane. I will not ask you to read step-by-step instructions, as it will be much easier to follow the steps by watching this video. Be sure to pause or replay, as needed.
5. One more thing- Toward the end of the video, I blow into the body of the crane to inflate it. When taking this step, you are blowing a personal wish for peace into the crane.
Inspiration - Sadako Sasaki is definitely our inspiration for this project. The two photos above show us different views of the Sadako memorial in the Peace Park in Hiroshima, Japan. People from all over the world send bundles of 1,000 paper cranes as messages of peace and to honor the memory of Sadako. Other memorials of Sadako have been created around the world, including this one in Seattle, Washington.
You can read Sadako Sasaki's story in many different books, including these three:
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