You can make dragon stars also from thin white writing paper, though the result isn't as beautiful as with dragon paper, of course.

It took me some time to get the hang of the Fröbelsterne. If you like, I could mail you my instruction sheets. This Youtube clip seems useful, too, but I haven't watched it until the end. Makin 2D Fröbelsterne is easier, only the third dimension makes things tricky.
It's also very helpful to use differently coloured paper slips at the beginning, to undestand which one goes where.