Children love
making and 'popping' paper poppers. This webpage explains
not only how
to make the easiest and loudest paper popper, but also how to color
them for added fun.
Paper poppers come in two types: the triangular origami popper and the rectangular folded-edge varieties. In the image below the origami popper is on the far right. Starting next to it and moving to the right there is a five-fold popper, a four-fold, three-fold and on the far right a two-fold popper. All were made from a single piece of standard copy paper.
The rectangular folded edge poppers vary mainly by how many times one edge is folded over. More folds make it stronger. The question is: "Which creates the loudest pop?" To determine this I made one of each, videotaped them popping then compared the results.
The loudest popper was the simplest: the two-fold popper. This makes sense because it traps the greatest amount of air.
To make one,
start with a piece of typing paper and fold it in half lengthwise.
Avoid setting the crease too hard. Loose folds facilitate paper movement making for louder pops.
Now fold the
paper widthwise.
And that's all! To arm the popper, pinch the two outer loose corners with the popping hand while the other hand pinches the inner two corners and swings them out one inch. The paper near the folds will balloon outward. When the hand holding the popper is snapped downward very quickly, air catches in the ballooned paper channels and snaps the popper open, creating a loud pop.
If one side of the paper is selected and colored in a computer before printing and a bright word or image is added...
... when the popper snaps open the colored face and image will appear, greatly increasing its entertainment value.
A small pinch of confetti can also be placed between the folds for added excitement.
The following
video shows all the poppers in action so you can judge for yourself
which is the loudest:
I hope you found this webpage helpful for making your own paper poppers. Thanks for stopping by!
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