Paper and Cardboard Workshop

This multipart workshop from our NH-DI Roundup newsletter is all about paper and cardboard! We’ll show you how to make your own paper, use origami techniques to fold paper into fun creations, and use recycled cardboard to create sculptures, backdrops, and other kinds of structures.

Part 1: Paper Making

Learn about the invention of paper and its history, and make your own paper at home by following our step-by-step instructions.

Part 2: Origami

We’ll show you how to transform a flat sheet of paper into a finished sculpture through folding and sculpting.

Thanks to NH-DI volunteer Craig Richardson for developing this workshop!

Part 3: Cutting Cardboard

Many Destination Imagination teams use recycled cardboard to create props and costumes, and often use utility knives to cut the cardboard. There are much better (and safer) tools available for this.

Part 4: Sculpting and Carving Cardboard

Even if you can’t draw especially well, you can create some impressive looking works of art using these techniques, because you can start with a photograph. You’ll just need to be able to trace lines, and have the time and patience to carefully cut up a LOT of recycled cardboard.

Part 5: Bending and Folding Cardboard

We’ll show you how to cleanly bend and fold corrugated cardboard, and why it’s important to understand what’s inside each sheet.

Part 6: Connecting Pieces of Cardboard

We’ve shown you lots of ways to cut, bend, and fold cardboard. Part 6 is about ways to connect all of the pieces!

This workshop was created by NH-DI volunteer Craig Richardson. You can find more workshops on our Online Workshops page and in our NH-DI Roundup newsletter.