Street Origami, Valentine's Day Box, Gliderboy and Blue Peter Badges Blue Peter

It's Valentine's Day tomorrow. Ooh-la-la!

So we're feeling very romantic here in the Blue Peter studio.

-Look, I've got hearts on my shirt.

-I like your shirt.

-Fan club.

We're also going to be showing you how to make an alternative

to a Valentine's Day card with a surprise gift box.

-What is in the box?

-I can't say, you've got to stay watching.

And find out about an artist who's turning the streets of Paris

-bright with colour.

-That's all coming up on today's Blue Peter.

Hello and happy Valentine's Day to everyone for tomorrow.

Have a look at this big bag of post.

We found it outside the studio

and I think it might be full of Valentine's Day post.

I think it's for me, Linds. I always get loads.

Always from my mum, my sister,

-and my mum, and my sister...

-That's cool.

Let's have a look. So, the first one says "Shelley". That's nice.

We'll pass that on. "Shelley the tortoise" again.

The next one, "Superstar Shirley", "Shelley."

-Yeah, they're all for Shelley.

-It makes sense. She is pretty dreamy.

ROMANTIC HARP MUSIC

Moving on, later in the show, we're going to be meeting Alex,

who, at just 16 years old,

is flying an aircraft 2,000 feet in the air with no engine.

And that's just his hobby.

Plus, Lindsey travels to the city of love to put

her paper folding skills to the test

with origami ace Mademoiselle Maurice.

And we're feeling the love in the studio today for Valentine's Day

and we know that you lot at home are feeling it as well.

-Have a look at our big badge wall.

-Love it.

Yes, you guys always deliver with the quality.

And take a look at this from Abbie. She's eight.

She's drawn a picture of Shelley, with lovely eyelashes

and blushing cheeks.

And she's got a boyfriend cos she's in love.

-I like that.

-Look, he's given her a flower as well.

It's really difficult for tortoises to do

because, well, you've never seen one hold a coffee. They just can't.

This here is a picture of me. Look at my hairy face.

That is really good.

A really good portrait, Matthew, I'm very impressed.

I'm going to frame it. Put it in my room.

And have a look at these from Isabelle.

She's made these Blue Peter earrings. Aren't they nice?

I'm going to be wearing them later, thank you very much, Isabelle.

Please keep your stuff coming in. We love it when you send us things,

whether it's e-mail, post, carrier pigeon, just keep it coming.

And if you enjoyed last week's Blue Peter Winter Olympic show,

make sure you head to our website where you'll find Hacker and Dodge's

alternative guide to the Winter Olympics.

Let's give this a go.

A-a-a-a-a-gh!

Oh, I didn't even know you had skis on!

Oh, dear. There's more from Hacker and Dodge online,

so make sure you check it out.

That's right. We love it when you get involved,

especially with awards and competitions.

Back in December,

we told you the six books shortlisted for the Blue Peter Book Awards 2014.

Children all over the UK from ten different schools have been

taking a look at the best stories and the Best Books With Facts.

Recently, we went along to one of the schools to find out what

makes these fact-filled titles so brilliant.

It's not easy to say that.

THEY LAUGH

Meet the experts.

These are some of the children that have been selected to read

the shortlisted books for the Blue Peter Book Awards.

They've been busy reading all six and we want to know their insider

knowledge on the three titles in the Best Book With Facts category.

First up, Tony Robinson's Weird World Of Wonders World War II

sees the curiosity crew, Jojo, Stig, Peewee

Grace and Nits the dog discover the smellier

and more disgusting bits of the Second World War.

My favourite book was World War II

cos it had some brilliant and interesting facts.

I like the World War II book because I like history,

and, like, some people don't. But I like history.

I found it interesting about all the army techniques

and how to survive and what they used to eat,

and how they used to live.

It's amazing how they can just bring back the pictures

from the '30s and '40s.

Find out about wheelbarrows full of money, things that go bang,

standing up to bullies,

mashed potato, moustaches, secret codes and spies.

It's history, but not as you know it.

I liked the World War II book because it was very funny and I really

like history, and I really want to learn a lot more about World War II.

I like Tony Robinson's book because there was lots of good,

interesting facts.

And there was a quiz at the end, so you had to read the book

and, at the end, you had to answer the questions to the quiz.

I like this book because it's funny

and it finds a way to tell the facts in a funny way.

I think that some of the pictures

and the jokes were a little bit too silly for a World War II book.

You should read this book

because you'll learn a lot more about World War II.

I just read it cos I found more interesting

than any other book I've read.

Next, a picture is worth 1,000 words

and nowhere is that more true than in Jon Richards and Ed Simkins'

The World In Infographics: Animal Kingdom.

This infographics book is a mash up of icons and pictures,

facts and figures to help you make sense of the stats.

From bugs to birds, mammals to amphibians, each and every page

is bursting with unexpected info about the world of animals.

It's wild.

I like Animal Kingdom and it's my favourite book

because I thought I knew a lot about animals but I got proved wrong.

And I bet half the adults won't even know some of the facts in that book.

I liked Animal Kingdom because it tells you great facts about

the other animals that live in the sea,

where they live and what they do.

And I liked Animal Kingdom because it makes it look like

a fiction book but it's actually a non-fiction book.

I learned from this book that some animals don't have backbones.

I thought they all had backbones.

When it was telling you about some of the information,

the illustrations helped you to understand.

It made it come to life, as if there was pictures in your head

that was moving, animating inside your head.

I think it needs some real pictures instead of drawings.

I don't really remember anything cos I didn't find the book

really exciting, so I didn't really want to remember any of the facts.

One of the facts that really stuck in my head was about how small

a bat was, and it was the size of my fingernail.

I liked everything about this book.

And, finally, did you know the number zero had to be invented?

Or that there's an equation to work out the geometry of a doughnut?

Mathematics fact.

And that's exactly what you get with Marvellous Maths

by Jonathan Litton and Thomas Flintham.

Incredible ideas plus interactive bits and bobs equals

maths made easy.

And if you're a budding numbersmith, that's quite some sum fun.

I really like Marvellous Maths because some of it was pop-up,

some of it was fact, and it was a very fun book to read.

I like Marvellous Maths because I don't really like maths,

but in class we usually just have to do really boring maths

but it's a more exciting way to learn.

I didn't really like Marvellous Maths because I don't like maths.

My favourite bit about the book was

when you could open all the facts

to find out different answers and questions.

This book made maths interesting

because it had little games in it, and really good facts.

And the games were all pop up so it was like a pop-up book

and really fun.

It's not got as much writing as boring old numeracy books.

Marvellous Maths was really helpful.

And really good because you can use the tips anywhere.

I thought this book was fantastic.

So, there you have it. Three brilliant contenders.

You can really see why those books were shortlisted, can't you?

Next week, we'll be showing you even more about the top three

-best story books.

-And the eventual winners will be announced

live on Blue Peter on world book Day on Thursday 6th March.

If reading isn't your favourite hobby, what is?

Maybe you like football?

Or cricket? Maybe you like dancing, or acting?

Or maybe you just like to fly thousands of feet in the air

without an engine? That's what one lucky Blue Peter viewer, Alex, does.

-I am well jel.

-You and me, too.

And it's time to find out what life's like for him

in the pilot seat.

My name's Alex Harris. I'm currently flying an aeroplane at 2,000 feet.

This is what it's like being me.

I love flying. One day I want to be a pilot.

When I was 15, I flew on my own for the first time ever.

And I've never looked back.

I've flown over 100 hours in total

and it's my dream to be a gliding world champion.

Gliding is flying an aircraft in the air without an engine,

sometimes thousands of feet above the ground.

Sounds impossible, doesn't it? Well, it's not.

It's all about airflow and there are three types that help gliders fly.

Thermals are columns of rising air

created by the heating of the Earth's surface.

As the sun heats the ground

and the ground radiates the heat into the air,

this creates lift and can get the aircraft really high in the sky.

Ridge lift is when wind is whipped around the hills and mountains.

This doesn't get you as high as thermal

but it can keep you in the air for a long time.

Quite similar to ridge lift, wave lift is created

when air moves over the top of a hill or mountain.

Wave lift gets you higher than a ridge lift.

So, now we know how gliders stay in the air,

but before I tell you how we get them in the air,

let me answer some of your questions.

JadeHyperCherry says...

My parents are both pilots

and from the moment I first stepped foot in a glider and had my first

flight, I was instantly hooked on it and I wanted to learn how to fly.

I started when I was 12.

When I came up here, I was kindly offered a place on the cadet scheme.

That offers me free flying for help around the airfield.

I drive the winch.

I help with the logbooks, I help retrieve gliders,

and that all helps towards my flying.

Curious200Caistor says...

The answer to that is I get nervous every time I go flying.

The time when you don't get nervous before you launch is the time

you've got to worry about what you're doing cos you won't be as alert,

you won't be ready for anything that can come to you.

StarSignDottyHawk says...

I'd say go and find your local club,

see if they've got a cadet scheme, go and have a trial lesson,

see if you like it first, make sure you don't get sick.

And then come down and if you liked it, join the club

and start to learn from there.

So, we know how gliders work. But first we have to get them up there.

There are two ways of doing this.

Aerotowing is a rope connected to a regular plane.

When at the right altitude, the glider pilot releases the cable

and is free to glide on their own.

Winching is a long cable run out along the length of the field.

At the other end of this cable,

there will be a hook which attaches to the underside of the glider.

When the glider's at the top of the launch, the glider pilot will

release the cable and is then free to fly on its own.

Before I attempt to take off, I have to check the weather charts...

..I have to check the aircraft is all right and safe to fly.

Looks good. Now I need to attach the winch cable and take to the sky.

I still get excited now about flying like I did the first time I went.

I'll see you guys up there.

OK, we're going up the wire now.

About a 45 degree angle. I'm at 55 knots.

We've released the cable and we're now completely gliding.

SPEAKS ON RADIO

You really can't beat that feeling.

I love being in the air and I love gliding.

Hopefully, this won't be the last time I see you.

Who knows? One day I might be flying you on your holiday.

This is your pilot, Alex Harris, speaking. See you soon.

How cool is that? What a way to travel, Alex. You are very lucky.

Now, check out my glider. Here we go.

Yeah, it's not very good.

And that's because I'm not very good at folding paper.

Luckily for me, a few weeks ago I got to go to Paris to meet up with

Mademoiselle Maurice whose paper folding skills, or origami skills,

are absolutely incredible.

This city is the capital of France

and is on the banks of the River Seine.

And it's famous for a lot of things, such as the Eiffel Tower...

..the Arc de Triomphe

and...let me think. Oh, yeah. Croissants.

Don't mind if I do.

Paris doesn't just have the reputation for being a city of love,

but also the city of art. What better place to come

and check out a bit of street origami on the run up to Valentine's Day?

I think it's time we brighten things up.

I've come to meet Mademoiselle Maurice who is well known in Paris

for her very colourful and impressive street origami.

The name origami comes from two Japanese words.

Ori and kami.

Ori means folding and kami means paper.

Mademoiselle Maurice has brought origami to the streets, installing

her paper creations all around the world.

Hi, Mademoiselle Maurice, it's so nice to meet you.

Now, you are an artist. But one of the things you do is street origami.

So, what exactly does that mean?

So, I bring from Japan the technique of origami.

I go in the street and I stick hundreds

of colourful paper on the wall.

When you do your street origami, you have to measure things

and be mathematical, or is it quite free?

When I put it on the wall, it's freestyle and it depends

on my mood, and it depends on the weather, on the size of the wall.

And it's really... It's a complete creation and feeling.

I can do it in the street because there is no limit, no frame.

Do you find people stop and look at your work a lot?

Cos it's pretty amazing. It's very different.

People stop because they are surprised at this form of art.

It's a big contrast with the colour of the street

because there are a lot of grey colours, the walls are grey, white.

And then the rainbow colour that I put up

like something surprising in the city

because there isn't this colour.

Maybe if we start on a small scale

and you can show me the basics of origami. Is that OK?

Yeah, of course.

I can't promise I'll be good, I've never done it before.

But I'll have a go.

So what kind of wall do we need? What do you look for?

Er...I search for a wall without windows or without doors...

OK, we need like a blank canvas.

-Yeah. You see maybe something like that.

-OK. We can do this.

-Yeah. I think this one.

-This works for you.

Yeah, I think so.

-I would like to create something like a heart.

-OK.

Because finally, my message is a love message, peace message.

-And it's a sign of Valentine's Day, the heart.

-Of course.

It makes sense. Good luck.

'The first task is a chalk outline of the heart.

'Then it's time to get colourful - placing pre-folded origami pieces

'straight on to the wall.'

She has only just started,

but you can already see it starting to take shape a little bit.

You can see the outline.

'Each piece of origami has sticky tape on the back

'to keep them in place.'

So if you look down there in those little bags

we're using, there's all different colours and shapes,

and that shows how much thought and preparation

and how many hours have gone into this.

'I was really enjoying watching her work,

'and then it got even better.'

-Do you want to take one?

-Yeah!

I don't want to ruin it, it looks so beautiful.

-So it needs to be like that?

-Yeah, perfect.

-There?

-Yeah.

These colours are the colours of the rainbow,

but it's to the spectrum of the light.

You can even see on a kind of cold rainy day like this,

the walls are all grey, and it just really brightens it up.

-Yeah, to give some warm feelings.

-It definitely does.

It's making me feel warmer and happier, that's for sure.

I'm going to put it on an angle.

Cos these ones are on angles.

This one will be the last one, if you want to put it.

So it's a big responsibility.

I don't want to ruin it at the last minute!

-Like that?

-Yeah! Finished!

-It looks absolutely incredible, well done.

-Thank you.

-'But you've got to be quick

'to catch this unique street origami.'

It's really important for me to come back and remove everything

that I can use another time for folding,

and most important,

-they won't be on the floor.

-Good for the environment.

There we go. So, there you have it.

Street origami all the way from Paris.

-Au revoir!

-Au revoir!

How good are her folding skills?

Well, if all that Parisian wonder has got you feeling romantic,

you've come to the right place.

This is our lovely corner,

and today we're going to be showing you how to make one of these.

Cue drumroll...

look at that!

CHEERING

Yes, exactly.

It's a surprise gift box,

but it's not just for Valentine's Day. Faith, do the honours, please.

Lift that lid up. Look at that!

Now, that one is for a birthday.

So you can make this for anything.

It is quite literally the gift that keeps on giving.

I've got a team with me - the Team of Wonder.

Cameron, straight up the top.

Hannah. Jack.

And Faith. Welcome to Blue Peter, my friends.

They're ploughing on already. Here is what you need.

Two rulers, scissors,

some sweets - we'll come to that later -

some coloured pens, some decorations,

and the coloured card.

So you start off with this A3 sheet of card.

There are lots of measurements in this make.

The measurements are online at...

You know what it is, but I'm telling you anyway.

All the details are there.

First thing you need to do is cut it out into a square,

which will leave you something like this.

I've made mine 27cm by 27cm.

So the aim of the next thing is to get nine equally sized squares

so it will look like a grid.

So the very first thing I'll do is mark it with 9cm along,

So, 9cm mark, one on 18.

Same on the other side, 9 and 18 on the other side.

And then simply draw grid lines across,

leaving you something that looks like that.

The next stage is you cut out all four corners.

I'll get those scissors. Faith, are you somebody who likes art?

Yeah, I do like art.

I make, like, storage things,

so I can just store whatever my mess is into that box.

-Do you really?

-Yeah.

-My mum would like you, Faith.

She's always telling me I'm messy.

I think that's what I need for my bedroom.

Now, once you've done that, you will then have a cross

which looks like...this.

And the next part is we need to score it

to help us fold those squares in,

and that's where the rulers come in.

So we take the ruler and we score it along the edges.

And then once you've done that,

they'll be able to fold in like that.

And as you can see, the box is just four of these crosses

that we've made. So it's just a case of making another smaller one,

another smaller one and another smaller one, like Russian dolls.

Boxes within boxes.

So when you've done three more, you'll have crosses, like so.

And then the fun part begins - we decorate it!

Now, Jack, you're making something for someone special.

Yeah. I'm making my box for my little brother Jimmy.

Let's have a look. We don't want to see him without a face,

we want to see him with a face. That's Jimmy?

-Yeah.

-He looks like you. When's his birthday?

-March.

Happy birthday, Jimmy!

Yes. Thank you, I'll let you carry on with that.

All four of you have been doing a wicked job decorating.

-Can I collect them in?

-Yeah.

-Thanking you very much.

Thank you. Perfect. Perfect. Now, the aim of the game

is to decorate the boxes on both sides.

We haven't all had a chance to do that.

Then I'll stick them down - thank you, Faith.

So a load of glue there and I'll stick the crosses on.

A little Blue Peter top tip is if you don't stick the squares

exactly dead centre and straight,

it makes for a nice effect when you open the cards.

But each square that you fit in must be in the square below,

that way you can fold them up at the end.

A final bit of glue there, and stick it on like that.

-Now we need to fold it up, but we need a lid, don't we?

-Yeah.

So exactly the same as you did before.

We start with a piece of card. I've cut it into a square.

The measurements are on the website,

the lid has to be the same size as the very first square at the bottom.

And then...

I've turned that into a grid.

And again the rules are the same - cut out all four corners there,

which will leave you with something which looks like that.

I've already started scoring the sides,

so Faith, we'll put a little bit of sticky tape on one of those corners.

Ideally we'd put it on the inside but we don't have enough time

so we'll put it on the outside and you can decorate over it.

Perfect, Faith, thank you!

Once you've done all four corners,

you will have a lid which looks like that.

-Faith, shall we put the lid on top?

-Yeah.

Can you help fold it all in for me?

Thank you. It's a tricky job, this - for more than one pair of hands.

And on it goes, and it fits beautifully!

I think we need a round of applause.

Yes! Give yourself a round of applause.

-Straight up top, Cameron. Hannah, Jack, Faith.

-Boom.

Boom, exactly. And if you make one at home,

please send it in to us. We love it when you do that.

Lindsey, over to you.

Well, thank you, Radzi. Now, we are nearly at the end of the show.

AUDIENCE BOOS

But it's half-term next week!

AUDIENCE CHEERS

Some of you will already be on half-term holiday

and for some of you it starts next week,

but either way it's a perfect time to try and earn...

Thanks, magic hand.

..one of these.

It's a Blue Peter badge, of course,

and inspired by how creative you lot have been when trying to earn one,

here's Barney Harwood with a round-up of ways to earn your badge.

Hello, and welcome to WTEYB - Ways To Earn Your Badge.

Tonight's top story, from the Cul-de-sac-ees.

They live in, yes, a cul-de-sac.

And they've designed a Blue Peter badge mural

and included a Blue Peter booklet to tell us all about it.

They're already blue badge holders

and this little bad boy has earned them all silver badges.

Definitely not a dead-end idea.

Cos they live in a cul-de-sac!

Next up, Blues Peter. A few weeks ago, you may remember,

the brother and sister duo Harry and Jasmine

took the Blue Peter theme tune and turned it into a jazz piece.

THEY PLAY

Yes, the memorable Blues Peter -

what an incredible tune! I bet they weren't blue

when they found out that performance earned them a badge.

They weren't blue, cos it's a blue...badge...

And finally, on tonight's show, here we have the Blue Peter ship

designed by Amelia and Lucy from Devon.

And I have to say, it's a wonderful thing to say,

that they've been plain sailing in earning themselves a badge.

Always finish on a strong joke!

So as we've shown you here on WTEYB,

it's not just the blue badge you can apply for, there are so many more.

And here with a special report on these symbols of greatness

is Brett Domino.

# Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah

# Badges

# Blue Peter badges

# There's loads of different colours to adorn your sternum

# Can't buy them in the shops You have to earn 'em

# What did you do to get your Blue Peter badge? #

So you're saying there's more than the blue one that me and you got?

# Yeah, there's purple, orange, green, gold, silver, sport

-# As well as the blue one... #

-Wow. You must have worked really hard,

-especially for that gold one.

-Yeah. Er, no, I just borrowed them.

# Anyway, let me talk you through them all

# This is the one that you've probably all seen before, right?

# "But how do I get one?" is doubtless what you all wanna know

# Well, it's as simple as sending something in to the show

# Could be a poem or a story Serious or silly

# It could be a picture that you've drawn for Lindsey

# Got a great idea? Stick it in an e-mail or letter

# And in return you could be rewarded with this handsome treasure... #

I've already got one, but I've written this great rhyme.

If you send something in for a second time,

-you could get this silver badge.

-Wow.

# Yeah, look at it gleam... #

Except technically you can't get any because you're over the age of 15.

# Have you seen this orange one? It's even more rare

# If anybody's the owner of one of these out there

# It's cos they won or were runner-up in a BP competition

# It's a miniature trophy you can wear on your britches

# Fancy answering some questions about an episode of Blue Peter?

# Fill in the feedback form and get a purple badge - feast your peepers!

# Or is green more your colour? If it's the green badge you favour

# Submit stuff about the environment, conservation or nature... #

What's this about a sport badge? I think I heard you say.

It's fairly self-explanatory, Steven. The clue is in the name.

# This one's only available in summer and to get it, in short

# You have to have inspired other people to get involved in sport

# Then there's the gold one Notice the music's gone all celestial

# You can only get one of these if you do something really special

# Demonstrate amazing courage in the face of danger

# Like saving someone's life or something equally major

# Some gold badge owners you might have heard of, I reckon

# Jessica Ennis has got one and so has David Beckham

# The most famous person to own a badge by far, though

# Is a little Northern chap by the name of Gary Barlow... #

Isn't it the Queen?

-Huh?

-I'm sure it's Her Majesty The Queen.

-I would have thought...

-Yeah, no, you're right.

Her Majesty The Queen.

# Badges

# Blue Peter badges

# There's loads of different colours to adorn your sternum

# Can't buy them in the shops You have to earn 'em

# They can get you into theme parks, castles and zoos

# They can liven up your jumper or your bag or your shoes

# What will you do? What will you do? What will you do?

# What will you do to get your Blue Peter badge? #

Thank you, Brett Domino. Well, that's your WTEYB,

I've been Barney Harwood, and I hope you feel inspired.

I like that. I do feel inspired. I prefer Barney in glasses.

Definitely a sophisticated look.

And if you want to see that performance of Brett Domino again

just jump on to the website.

We really are near the end,

just time to tell you what's coming up next week.

I'll show you how to make this -

an incredible artwork using crayons.

That is amazing. I like it a lot.

-Hi.

-Hi!

-And I'm going to be trying my hand at training police dogs

and, more exciting than that, I'm going to be bringing some puppies

-into the studio. So exciting.

-Will people notice if I take one home?

-They probably will.

-They might, Radzi.

Have a lovely week, it's been great to see you. Give us a wave.

Bye!