Folding Worlds 'Creature Maker'
Folding Worlds Downloadables & How-To
The ‘Folding Worlds’ pack is an invitation to spark your child’s imagination. The pack is an activity for parents, children and their families designed by Helium Arts’ artist, Chelsea Canavan. The pack contains an instruction booklet, 2 different sheets of paper that can be folded into ‘Creature Makers’ and a sticker sheet. Use the ‘Creature Makers’ to help you to make your own unique imaginary creature. Pick the features they will have. Will they be furry or smooth? Will they have eight legs or no legs at all? You can add stickers in the ‘sticker spots’ before you play to give even more possibilities.
If you have not already done so, you can pick up a pack, from our Helium Arts’ artists, at your next appointment in one of our partner hospitals – Cork University Hospital, University Hospital Limerick and University Hospital Galway. Alternatively you can print and download a pack here.
How to Fold your ‘Creature Maker’
The pack is designed to inspire creativity in children who may be experiencing periods of isolation e.g. long hospital stays, long waiting times for appointments and more. It is a tool for parents and children to use together to help relieve anxiety, provide distraction and relieve stress for young people and families.
To research and develop this pack, Chelsea initiated a series of creative conversations with internationally renowned artist, Eamon O’Kane. Through this research and creative connection, Chelsea built an image bank around nature, animals, and curiosities. The idea developed that placing these images together on papers would encourage a myriad of possibilities within the child’s imagination.
What to do with the ‘Folding Worlds’ pack?
The possibilities of the pack are endless and there is no right way to use it!
Some suggestions include folding the paper, sticking it together with the stickers or even tearing it!
Build the ‘Creature Maker’ by following the instruction booklet in the pack or watch the following video. This origami based folding game allows the player to ask questions such as what skin does it have, what shape is it and where does it live to create your own imaginary creature.
Use the holes as portals to peer through the papers and play games of I-Spy together.
Continue folding and playing with the papers in as many ways you can think of. If you don’t have adhesive paper for the stickers, don’t worry, as they can be cut out and glued on in the sticker spots!
You can even make up stories about the images on the papers and your creature!
Don’t forget to try and draw your creature and the world it lives in.
Download and print your ‘Folding Worlds’ pack HERE:
Share Your Creature
After using the ‘Creature Maker’, try drawing your creature and make sure to share it with us. You can email a picture to hello@helium.ie or share your picture on social media @HeliumArts using #HeliumArtsCreativeCreatures. Together we can create a whole world full of unique animals.
So grab or download a ‘Folding Worlds’ pack today and transform what can be a difficult environment, into a space for play and creativity. The great thing about the ‘Folding Worlds’ pack is that it doesn’t rely on having any extra materials to hand. Everything is available in the pack.
Helium Arts Founder, CEO and Artistic Director – Helene Hugel speaks about the ‘Folding Worlds’ pack.
The Folding Worlds art packs have been funded by the RTE Does Comic Relief Fund at The Community Foundation for Ireland with support from the Government of Ireland and additional funding from the Arts Council.
