From YLE’s “Craft Chic”- Party Pinwheels

PARTY PINWHEELS !

Gather the kids together for a fun afternoon project!

These instructions will take you through simple steps to make your own pinwheel.

Pinwheels are easy to make. As long as you begin with a square, the size of your pinwheel is up to you. If you decide to make a big pinwheel, be sure your dowel is longer.

HERE’S WHAT YOU’LL NEED

• Double sided paper, or two sheets for each pinwheel

• Hat pin or push pin

• Wooden dowel, round or square

• Pencil

• Scissors

• Beads, ribbon & rick rack (optional)

• 1. Begin with a square of paper.	2. Fold your square, corner to corner, then unfold.
  3. Make a pencil mark about 1/3 of the way from center.	4. Cut along fold lines. Stop at your pencil mark.
  5. Bring every other point into the center and stick a pin through all four points.	6. The head of the pin forms the hub of the pinwheel.

7. Turn your pinwheel over – make sure the pin pokes through in the exact center.

8. Roll the pin around in little circles to enlarge the hole a little. This guarantees your pinwheel will spin freely.

9. Push the pin into the dowel.

TIP: Separate your pinwheel from the dowel with two or three beads. Stick the pin through the beads first, then into the dowel.

If you make your pinwheel for an outside garden, laminate the paper before you cut it

*Here are some examples of Pinwheels with decorated wands we made.
Decorating the wand of the pinwheel can be just as fun and really jazzes it up !

HERE’S WHAT YOU’LL NEED

• Dowel, square or round
• Ribbons, different widths
• Rick Rack
• Beads
• Jewels & sequins
• Feathers
• Glue gun
• Scissors
• Small hand saw or needle nose plyers
• Anything that sparkles !

INSTRUCTIONS TO MAKE IT

1. Cut dowel with saw or snap with needle nose plyers to length according to the size of your pinwheel.
2. Cut your ribbons different lengths.
3. Glue or string beads, jewels, sequins etc. to the ribbon.
4. Glue ribbons and feathers to wood dowel at top and at bottom is optional. Twist ribbon around dowel and glue at ends or glue rick rack onto dowel .
5. Decorate top and bottom with your embellishments, gluing in place.
6. Attach pinwheel to top of decorated dowel by pushing pin into dowel.