How to Make a Sixth Grade Windmill Science Project

You can use a milk carton to make your own windmill.

The blades of a windmill catch the wind as it blows. As the blades spin, the motion is converted into energy. Windmills have been used for centuries to harness the power of the wind. Whether you want to demonstrate how a windmill can grind grain, pump water or power a home, you can build your own windmill for a sixth grade science project using everyday supplies.

Things You'll Need

• Half-gallon paper milk carton
• Playground sand
• Pencil
• Cork
• Plastic drinking straw
• Construction paper
• Scissors
• Metal paper brad
• Glue
• Thread
• Paper clip

Instructions

1. Use soap and water to clean the inside of a half-gallon paper milk carton. Leave the carton turned upside down until the water has completely drained out and the carton is dry. Usually this will take an entire night.

2. Fill the bottom of the dried carton with 1 to 3 inches of playground sand. You can also use soil from your back yard. You just need a substance to weigh down the carton so it won't tip over.

3. Make a hole in one of the sides of the milk carton using the point of a pencil. Make a second hole directly across from the first on the other side of the carton. The easiest way to do this is to continue to press the pencil through to the other side of the carton.

4. Use the tip of your pencil to make a hole in the end of a cork. Insert a plastic drinking straw into the hole you made in the cork.

5. Insert the other end of the straw through the holes you made. Pull it through until the cork is almost flush with the outside of the carton.

6. Cut a piece of construction paper, in any color, into a square 4 inches by 4 inches. Use scissors to make diagonal cuts at each corner to 1 inch from the center of the square. Bend, do not fold, every other corner toward the center of the square. Insert a metal paper brad through the center of the square and the four corners to create your pinwheel.

7. Attach the pinwheel to the end of the straw that does not have the cork, using glue or a straight pin.

8. Cut a length of thread 6 inches long. Tie one end to a paper clip and the other end to the cork so that the paper clip hangs freely.

9. Blow on the pinwheel to make it spin. This will cause the paper clip to go up and down, demonstrating the function of a windmill.

References

• Think Quest: Windmill Instructions
• Pinwheels for Peace: Pinwheel Directions