Activity Overview
The only thing more whimsical and fun than pinwheels spinning around are pinwheels in the act of spinning that you made yourself. Lots of pinwheel projects actually use pushpins which are unsafe for younger children to play with. While this craft is geared for school age children and teens, they can be played and enjoyed by younger children. Adult supervision may be helpful for this fun paper craft. Try using patterned paper and vibrant colored paper for contrast and whimsy. Take them outside on a breezy day and watch in delight as the wind catches the grooves of the paper and spins around and around.
Materials Needed
- 2 Elastic Bands
- A plastic flexible straw
- Colored card stock or scrapbook paper sheets
- Ruler
- Hole Punch
- Pencil
- Scissors
- Glue
- Double sided tape
How to Make It
- Take an elastic and tie wrap it around the end of the straw just before the bendy part. Scoot the elastic band back to the edge of the crinkled bend.
- Measure and cut out a 5 inch square of card stock or decorative scrapbook paper.
- Use a ruler and a pencil to draw two diagonal lines from corner to corner in the shape of an X.
- Measure out another X which will be over top of the first but only one inch in each direction. Mark off on the line.
- With your scissors, cut from each corner along the line until you reach the one inch marker.
- Take a small piece of double sided tape and stick it to the exact center of the paper where the lines intersect. Peel the backing off so that the sticky part is exposed. Keep the paper flexible, but do not fold.
- Take one corner of the paper at a time and bring it toward the center. Press the tip of each down on the center.
- Draw a one inch circle on another colored piece of card stock.
- Punch a hole in the center of that circle and cut it out.
- Use glue to attach this small circle to the center of the paper square, over top of the exposed tips that were folded in. Allow the glue to dry.
- Take your pencil or other sharp object and poke a hole through the hole punched hole and the double sided tape and paper behind it.
- Insert the small bent end of the straw through the holes in the paper.
- Tie wrap an elastic band in the front of the paper to hold it in place.
- Make sure that there is space for the paper pinwheel to spin and trim the rest of the small end of the straw in front of the band.
- Glue another circle of card stock over the the end of the straw and elastic for decoration.
