Origami

Brennon has been interested in Origami for a few months now.  Some friends had him over to their home and did a craft with some decorative paper, and ever since he's been hooked.  He's even gone so far as to watch a few videos when he found one to be particularly difficult.  Tyson wanted to do it with him, but found himself frustrated more times than not, many times even asking Brennon to "help" as he watched him do it all, before he gave up on the endeavor altogether.

A few weeks ago, Mike Salisbury saw Brennon folding the Sacrament program before church began.  We've always been early to church, but now that we need to sit on a certain side to see Randy on the stand, we get there early-early.  This leaves the kids with time before the meeting in addition to the hour and ten minutes of reverence.  They've been taught since infancy to be quiet, so they're really good.

A few minutes into the meeting, Mike handed Brennon back an Origami bird, showing him that if you pull one part of the bird the wings move.  Brennon was captivated.  It took him a second to learn how to pull it just so, and then he sat staring at the bird as if he was cherishing it.  It was pretty cute.  But then he did something that surprised both Mike and myself-- he started to take it apart!  I was mortified that he was so obviously being rude to take apart the gift!  But, being Brennon, he was just planning to astonish us all-- he wasn't cherishing it, but memorizing the look and learning how to make that swan himself, no videos needed.

Brother Salisbury stopped me in the halls, telling him how stunned he was that Brennon did that.  He'd never had someone take one apart like that to learn how to put it back together.  It made my heart swell to hear someone praise my Brennon.  Brennon has a sharp mind and eye.  He really is a neat kid!  Who knows, maybe he and Tyson will both be engineers...

After church, Brennon changed his clothes and got right to work.  I barely had time to change my clothes before I captured this at the kitchen table.

 "I just want to make sure I remember."  He'd put Brother Salisbury's back together a few times during Sacrament meeting, but hadn't been able to do another one during the two remaining hours of church.  Those two hours are full of activity, so I'm sure he was worried he might have already forgotten.

He didn't forget.

His closet has now been transformed into a bird cage.  His shelf, and some of Tyson's, is now lined with the best of his many different Origami creations. Boxes that have lids was the one he was most proud of before this new feature-- moving parts. 

I made sure to send Mike an email with pictures, telling him Thank You for giving Brennon his two-fold gift.  He told me he has a few more projects he could teach him, anytime.  With a gift we got for Christmas, Brennon will have plenty of supplies to take for a lesson with Brennon's newly-appointed "Origami Master" in the New Year.  I love that Brennon has something visible to showcase one of his talents.