For the craft portion of our Japanese stop on the World Culture Tour, we decided to make a Japanese fan, or "sensu".
These folding fans are usually beautifully painted with scenic Japanese settings or calligraphy. Many times, Japanese cherry blossoms are included in the scenic art.
Speaking of scenes, we set the scene to get us in the mood for arts and crafts. We played koto and shakuhachi flute music. So, with beautiful tunes playing in the background, we each began drawing our Japanese scenes on a piece of paper.
1. Draw your fan's background picture
2. Fold your paper from about an inch in (from top to bottom) and crease it.
3. Accordion fold the paper over and over till you get to the other side.
4. Hold your folds together at the bottom and fan out the top of the fan, allowing the picture to be seen.
5. Use clear tape to wrap the bottom inch or so of the fan, making that your handle.
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