How to Make a Paper Pinwheel Craft

A paper pinwheel amazes young children in how you can take very simple items and turn them into something entirely different. You can use this craft to educate them on wind, movement and cause and effect actions. They'll enjoy these colorful personalized wind toys.

Things You'll Need

• Decorated 2-sided paper (such as origami)
• Scissors
• Flexible straw
• Hole punch

Instructions

1. Begin with the paper. You'll want a square that is either 6 or 8 inches square. This is the time to decorate the paper if you'd like.

2. 

   Fold the paper diagonally into a triangle. Open it and fold again the other way. Open it up again.

3. 

   Using your scissors, cut down the diagonal folds at least halfway to the center. Make all the cuts similar in size.

4. 

   Using a hole punch, punch one hole into each corner and another hole in the center of the paper.

5. 

   Put the paper aside and focus on the straw. At the top of the straw, where you would normally drink, use the scissors to cut into the straw. Make four or five cuts about a quarter of an inch long.

6. Bend the straw at the flexible joint. Place the paper square onto the straw, putting the cut end of the straw through the center hole of the paper. Then thread each of the corner holes onto the cut pieces at the center. The paper should make the pinwheel shape.

7. 

   Open the cuts of the straw into a spread-out flower shape. This will hold the pinwheel paper onto the straw. The pinwheel is now ready to be blown on to make it move and spin.

Tips & Warnings

• This example was created with double-sided wrapping paper. Origami paper also works well, or create your own designed paper using a lightweight paper similar to copy paper.

• When placing the corners onto the straw, be careful not to bend or crease the paper.