Pinwheels- a tutorial

To top off our wind themed week we made some super cute and functional pinwheels!  What preschooler doesn't like pinwheels?  My 3 year old has been begging me to buy him one for months. Something about them is mesmerizing.  The beautiful colors spinning around and around in the wind just make me smile.  

 To make your own you will need:

~ a pencil

~ 3/4 inch pin with round head

~ tape- I used masking tape but you could use almost any kind

laminated white paper or some type of lightweight plastic paper*

~ permanent markers

*You could also make these with just card stock type paper, I decided to go with a white sheet of paper through the laminator to make them more sturdy and durable for outdoors!

I cut my plastic to 5 inches square and folded it corner to corner both ways, making an X across it. 

Then I made this fun little design with zig-zags in different colors and cut from each corner about half way to the middle.  You will end up with 4 "flaps"  one one each side, each with a point on each end.

  

Take one point and push the pin through. 

  

  

Pull each flap up using the same point of each one as you go around and push the pin through.  

Once you get the pin through each flap, stick it down though where the "X" meets in the center.  It will look like this if you did the right edge of each flap.  I had to do it a couple times to get the right flaps.

Next, take your pencil and find the little holes  ( they are tiny) in the metal part below the eraser.  You are going to press the pin in one of these holes and out the other side.  

  

Once it is through, bend just a small amount of it ( 1/4 inch or so) down.  You will be taping this down to prevent being poked.   

Take some of the tape and wrap it around that point of the pin, taping it down tight to the pencil. I did about 4 layers of tape.

There you have it!  Now all you need is a windy day, or if your in Arizona, a fan!