Inspiration can strike at the strangest times – I was sitting playing with a children’s train set and noticed how the trains were linked together. I wondered if I could do it with paper – just paper and scissors – and here’s the result. It’s fun to be creative and see what shapes come out. Kids old enough to use scissors can totally do this too – it’s a perfect rainy day activity. It’s not the most secure construction, so if you want to make it a little studier, use glue, tape or even a stapler to keep it all together.

Materials needed: paper (I found heavier stock worked better), scissors.

Step 1: Out of a 4” x 2 ½” (approximately) piece of paper, cut a shape like a capital I or capital H. Repeat as needed to get the length you desire. (I got about 2 feet of garland for every 10 shapes).
Step 2: Out of 3” x 2 ½”(approximately) piece of paper, cut a variety of shapes that are open in the middle – O, 8, {}, [], etc. Be creative – there is no right or wrong way to cut these shapes!
Step 3: Link the papers together, alternating between O shapes and H shapes.

Photography by Tim Gibson