Hopping Frog

Fold a paper frog that will really hop. This is a fun toy that the entire family can make. We have contests to see which frog jumps the furthest, the highest, or jumps without falling upside down. The weight of the paper does matter. So does the side of the front legs. You can experiment with this toy to have lots of family fun with your own tournament.

1 Square of paper. While Origami paper is lighter and the frog jumps better, a smaller square of printer paper works just as well.

1. Fold corner to corner creating a triangle and crease.
2. Unfold.
3. Fold the other corners. When you look at the square, you should see an "X" going from corner to corner.

Fold the long sides top to bottom.

Unfold.

The long side fold gets folded into the center creating a triangle.

The open end of the body, you can seesaw the long folds allows the body to become a triangle with many layers.

1. You will eyeball this step. Fold one side over making the the inner edge perpendicular to the bottom edge of the triangle.
2. Fold the other side over. Make sure there is enough room for your finger between these folds or the frog won't be able to hop.

1. Flip the frog over. Take the very outer point and fold it up to the nose of the frog.
2. Repeat with the other side.

Fold the tips of the legs down just a little. You may have to adjust this later depending on how the frog jumps.

1. Use your best judgment. With the frog right side up, fold the body towards you forming the bottom of the legs.
2. Crease really well.

Fold the frog again so the nose is to the top. This will create a "spring" within the paper.

To make the frog jump, hold your finger on the top of the frog and allow it to slide between the back legs. The frog will jump as your finger slips off.

Create many frogs of different sizes to see which jumps better and have a jumping contest.