How to Build a Whirligig
In a world of video games and non-stop televised entertainment, a craft project can be an excellent way to get your kids away from the flashing lights and into the wide outdoors. Colorful, paper whirligigs look excellent hanging from the porch and twist and turn delightfully in the air when pulled behind an eager runner. Customizable and cheap to make, shake things up at your house with a homemade work of art.
Things You'll Need
- Newspaper
- Paper plate
- Permanent markers or crayons
- Scissors
- Hole puncher
- Yarn
Instructions
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1
Cover a flat workspace with a few layers of newspaper.
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2
Color a paper plate with permanent markers or crayons. Draw stripes across the circle, or cover the plate in squiggles. Don't draw full-sized pictures across the plate because the spiral cut will render your artwork unrecognizable.
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3
Start a cut on the edge of the plate following the edge and working towards the center. This spiral cut can be as tight or as wide as you like. Note that a tighter spiral will cause your whirligig to hang much lower from the porch and bounce less in the breeze. For a bouncy whirligig, try to keep the spiral width approximately one inch wide.
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4
Cut your spiral into the center of the plate. Create a hole using a hole puncher in the plate's center. Try to keep the hole at least one-half inch from any spiral edges to reinforce the hole and prevent easy tearing.
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5
Insert a length of yarn through the hole and tie a knot around the spiral edge. Cut your yarn as desired. Shorter yarn "tethers" make for increased maneuverability, but might need lengthening if you wish to hang your whirligig from the porch. It is usually better to have too much yarn than not enough.
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Run around the yard with your whirligig to watch it spin and twirl behind you. Alternatively, hang it from your mailbox, entry way or porch for an attractive wind-blown work of art.
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Tips & Warnings
For an added element of messy fun, use finger paints to decorate your whirligigs.
Do not leave your children unattended with sharp scissors.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit scissors image by timur1970 from Fotolia.com
