8-Sided Tree

This 8-Sided Tree is easy to make and looks quite cute. It has a lot of presence and impact given how simple it is to fold. Children can make lots of these and arrange them into a diorama or forest scene.

You can also make a Lucky Star and glue it on top of the tree to make it even cuter.

8-Sided Tree Instructions:

Start with a Preliminary Base. Make the valley and mountain folds as shown and then collapse the paper into a square shape which has a total of 4 flaps (2 flaps on each side).

1. Start with a Preliminary Base. Lift one of the flaps up towards you.

2. Make a squash fold. To do this, press the flap evenly so it is flattened into a triangle with some white showing.

3. Notice how the one flap is now made into two smaller flaps. Like turning pages of a book, swivel one of the smaller flap from right to left.

4. Lift the right flap and repeat the squash fold. Continue in this fashion until all 4 flaps have been squashed onto 8 smaller flaps.
5. Like turning pages of a book, swivel one flap from right to left. To keep the model even (with 4 flaps per side), swivel one flap from the back-left towards the back-right.

6. Mountain fold (fold behind) the lower half of the paper and tuck it under itself. This converts the model from an inverted kite shape to a triangle shape.
7. Turn the “pages” of the model and repeat step 6 until the model has a flat base.

8. Flare open the flaps evenly.

9. The 8 Sided Tree is done.