Our Story
With programs for students of all ages, So Cool Crafts is where new students and experienced paper-crafters alike can develop their abilities while expanding their creativity and imagination.
The art of paper folding (a.k.a. origami) is beneficial to all. Students and practitioners can take a much-needed break from technology and video screens to become engaged in a fun hands-on activity that is both artistic and educational. While the art of paper folding strengthens one’s grasp of geometry and mathematical concepts, it also develops greater concentration, attention to detail, and self-confidence. Beginning from step-by-step instructions, students will be surprised by what they are capable of making.
Our proprietor and master teacher, Seon Joo So, is a mother of two young-adult children, who both attended Shorewood public schools. A graduate of University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, she holds a Master’s degree (2008) in Curriculum and Instruction with a specialty in Early Childhood Education.
Ms. So has taught the art of paper folding since 1997. She first discovered Jong-Ie Jopgi, or Korean origami, as a mom when her children were small. She was interested in paper folding as a fun way to encourage her kids to stimulate their minds while playing. She went on to teach the art of paper folding to young children at a family-daycare center and then worked as an after-school teacher at her children’s elementary and middle school. In 1997, after she received her origami instructor certification, she began teaching people at all age levels.
In addition, Ms. So has extensive experience working with Special Needs students. Until 2006, she taught people with autism and cognitive disabilities for seven years in her native South Korea. In recent years, she has also completed graduate coursework in Exceptional Education at the University of Milwaukee School of Education.
Finally, Ms. So seeks to use the art of paper folding to help people see the extraordinary in the ordinary. Just as a humble square of scrap paper can be transformed – with skill and patience -- into a masterpiece, so can anyone draw upon modest materials or resources to make the world a better, more caring, and more beautiful place.
Seonjoo So
