Origami Butterfly Bookmark Workshop

For a nice cozy craft in October, I decided to teach seniors how to make origami butterfly bookmarks. Considering the recent rainy weather I thought that the bookmarks would be the perfect craft for the seniors to use when they read indoors. As an avid reader myself, there is no greater pain than creasing the spine of a book. I was looking forward to this session. In preparation, I had brought some new ornamental origami paper that I had a bunch of beads I had amassed from my aunt, myself, and multiple friends throughout the years.

Regarding the difficulty of the craft this time, I made sure to tone it down. The tutorial I based it on was very simple and short. During the craft session, I could tell that the seniors were much better suited for making these bookmarks. Instead of needing to one-on-one guide them for everything, they were able to do some of the steps themselves. As well when I brought out the beads, many of them got excited and were eager to create a design pattern on their own. Unfortunately, the string I brought with me was no good so the seniors had trouble finishing up their craft.

From this workshop, I regained a lot of the confidence that I had lost originally after the one in August. I learned how to adjust to the senior's needs and how to figure out what worked well with them and what didn't. I was really glad that the craft went smoothly and that I was able to better connect with the seniors and hear about their lives and hobbies. I look forward to planning next month's craft and continuing to spread joy.

Image of all the seniors together

Photo of one of the butterfly creations

Photo of the participant's finished creations

Picture of the bookmark