Clover Paper Chain

1. Take a piece of paper and cut into into 4 strips lengthwise.

2. Valley-fold the strip in half.

3. Valley fold the strip into quarters.

4. Mountain fold the strip into eights.

5. Compress the strip into a stack, accordion style.

6. Draw a clover or shamrock onto the top sheet of the stack. Cut out the clover making sure that you leave ¼" of space uncut (shown with an arrow). This uncut gap will allow the clovers to remain connected to one another.

7. Unfold the stack and you have a clover paper chain! Repeat with the remaining strips of paper. Tape the four chains together to get a longer chain. They're great decorations for a St Patrick's day party.

Note: there are two possible outcomes of this project. The first is 4 clovers linked side by side. The second outcome is 3 linked clovers plus 2 half clovers at the beginning and end of the chain. Experiment a little to see how you can get the outcome you seek. Hint: see figure below.

• see other St Patrick's Day crafts for kids
• see St Patrick's Day origami (not for kids)
• see once-a-week paper projects