Origami for the Holidays

The annual Origami Tree at the American Museum of Natural History
Central Park West at 79th Street, New York City.
www.amnh.org/programs/specials/holiday/?src=kf_c

For over 30 years the museum has celebrated the holiday season with its origami tree. This year the tree is decorated with the theme of Fantastic Creatures: Mythic and Real. This is a MUST GO! If you can’t…at least do some origami. Bears, gorillas, cows, pigs, beavers, weasels panthers, wooly mammoths, buffalos, longhorn sheep, squid, blue whales, walruses, seals, lobsters, sting rays, horseshoe crabs, hammerhead sharks, etc., etc., etc. You get the idea…Get patterns and make some for your science, math, and art celebrating. What fun!

Around this time last year, we at Spigot were getting ready to publish our very first issue, WATER. I took three of my grandchildren to the American Museum of Natural History in New York City to see the special exhibit on WATER. It was worth the trip. The exhibit covered everything—the past, present and future of WATER. But we were especially amazed at the museum itself. The day before we had watched the movie, “Night at the Museum” where every animal and human in the place comes alive. So we were prepared for the sights we would see.
However, two other sites stand out in my mind—first, the subway from Penn Station goes right to the museum. The subway slows down as it approaches the station where we were to get off. And the ceramic walls of the subway tunnel come alive with tiles of animals on them. Then the train stops and you go right to the underground entrance into the Museum. The other memory is of the crowds. It was a Friday and I think every student in New York and New Jersey was at the museum that day. It was crowded. I remember the kids as being so very interested and excited about the very dramatic exhibits all over the place. I’ll bet some smart teachers had showed them “Night at the Museum” movie too.
Val Girandola, Editor in Chief
Spigot Science Magazine for Kids and Classrooms