"We're a little bored," whispered one of the kids.

"How about you learn some origami?" I suggested. I'd come across the idea in a little book of math games, so it was tucked away in the front of my mind, over to the side, for a rainy day.

"Ori-what?"

"Origami. Japanese people fold paper into shapes. You get some paper, and I'll get the instructions. Let's see if we can figure it out together."

The first instructions were easy, so we made folds that we could puff air into and blow up to become a cube. The kids made about a dozen of these, scribbling numbers on each side of some to be dice.

They wanted more. Thank heavens for the Internet. I searched for easy folding instructions and found a swan. It was perfect. They made dozens of all sizes, learning to make smaller squares of paper so they could create tiny baby swans, all colors.

We tried a little boat and a crane, but they didn't go so well. It was beyond our beginner's minds. But it delighted them, which delighted me. I mentioned that I had a kimono in my closet, a gift from my mother-in-law. She'd brought it from her mother's apartment. My husband's grandma was a missionary in Japan for years. I can pull out several Japanese items--a beautiful doll, some plates and bowls, some writing. It could make for some interesting exploration.