Try origami for long roadtrips

My father was in sales and because of that he was not around most of the time. However, my father tried his best to make his presence felt in our lives.

Roadtrips were not about the destination. It was the stops during the roadtrip that made the journey longer and more fun.

When we started the roadtrips, the most common game we played was the “number plate game.” It was a simple game – dad would pick a car and we would add up all the numbers on the number plate. The fastest one with the accurate answer would be the winner. At the end of the journey, the one with the highest overall score would get to pick the fast-food restaurant we would eat at.

Then, there was the “I spy with my little eye” game. The objective of this game was to name the object the parent had seen in the surrounding area. Again, this would be turned into a competition among the children and the winning child would get to decide what treat the rest would enjoy. Ultimately, there was no loser in these games but we did not grasp this until we were much older.

These “simple games” satisfied us but I think my children will feel bored if we played them today.

So, a few years back, I invented a new game during our balik kampung (return to our hometown). Going back to Sungai Petani, Kedah, is already a long journey with my husband. However, with our five children, it would usually feel longer with the endless bickering.

With the children aged seven to 14, roadtrips are a good time to get them to work on something. When I first thought of asking them do origami, I was not prepared. I had some used wrappers under the passenger seat. The children were getting restless, so I asked my husband to stop at the next rest stop.

During this stop, I quickly cut the used wrapping paper into long strips. All five children were given a crash course on how to make an origami star. It was simple and kept the children occupied throughout the rest of our journey. Each child had a plastic bag and this would help us see who could make the most origami stars.

When we reached our village, my mother congratulated the children for their efforts as we named the winner. We also named the one with the neatest work and the most creative.

My mum had a wonderful idea – she would display all the stars in a jam jar in her living room.

My children were so thrilled that I thought we would continue doing this on all our trips home. So, from origami stars, my children moved on to cranes and rabbits.

Now, I make sure I have the coloured paper ready for our origami efforts.

Today, my children's origami work sits in the homes of our relatives who have heaped praises on them.

Rasidah Adris