DIY Chopstick TONGS
How to Make DIY Chopstick Tongs Using an Origami Lucky Star
Materials
Wrapped chopsticks (the kind you get with takeout food), or a strip of paper (about 11 x 1/2 inches)
2–3 small-sized rubber bands
Follow the steps below with reference pictures to make your very own DIY chopstick tongs. As you create the origami lucky star, you may find it helpful to view this "How to Make an Origami Lucky Star" video and play/pause to fold along as you need.
Steps
Remove the chopsticks from the wrapper and set aside. Be careful to not tear the wrapper completely. You'll need it to make the star!
2. Fold the wrapper in half lengthwise.
3. Make a knot at one end of the wrapper—like how you make a loop when tying one of your shoelaces—and pull the other end through the knot's hole.
4. Gently pull the long end so that all the edges are touching, then flatten the shape. You should have a flat pentagon (a shape that has five points) on one end and the rest of the wrapper on the other.
5. Wrap the rest of the paper around the pentagon, along its edges.
6. Tuck the last bit under an inner fold of the pentagon.
7. Pinch one tip of the pentagon while pushing the edges inward to puff up the star. Repeat this step for the other four tips.
8. Take the chopsticks you've set aside and place the star between the thicker ends so that each chopstick fits between two points of the star.
9. Use one or more rubber bands to secure the star in place.
10. Test your chopstick tongs and adjust the placement of the star as needed.
*Note: You can roll and tape the folded paper strip into a 1/2" x 1/2" x 1/2" wad. Then, use steps 8–10 to create the chopstick tongs.
Bonus Challenge
In the back of the TRICKY CHOPSTICKS book, the illustrator Fanny Liem created visuals for these steps based on the real-life pictures above. Can you figure out which of these pictures match each of the illustrations?