You probably already know that I love kids paper crafts. I love transforming a sheet a paper into something special and for today’s project we are going to tackle a classic: Pinwheels.

If you love paper toys, check out our Play Pack:

This project is part of the Kids Crafts 101 Series, 14 easy children’s crafts made with everyday materials.

Pinwheels are a great springtime project, perfect for a breezy spring day. And because I love exploring the way designs look when spinning I turned ours into an Op-Art drawing exercise. I want you to explore how different designs look when the pinwheel spins!

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Kids Paper Crafts: Op-Art Pinwheels

Materials

DOWNLOAD TEMPLATE HERE

• Pinwheel Template
• Cardstock- this is the type I recommend
• Markers- we used our trusty collection of these
• Scissors
• Hole punch
• Bamboo Skewers
• Wood Beads-These are my favorite brand, colorful and inexpensive
• Milkshake Straws
• Hot glue

Instructions

• Step One Print and cut out the template. Cut along the solid lines making sure to stop short of the center as shown.
• Step Two Decorate the triangular areas labeled “A” as defined by dashed lines and shown on the pattern guide
• Step Three Turn over and decorate the areas shown as “B on the pattern guide.

• Step Four Punch a hole though the black “B” circles and one through the center of the pinwheel.
• Step Five Trim your skewer to be 2 1/2” long. Pierce the straw about 3/4” from the top, leaving about ¼” visible on the backside of the straw.
• Step Six Place a wood bead on the skewer.
• Step Seven Thread the pinwheel onto the skewer through the center hole with sides “A” facing up. Gently fold and thread each “B” flap through the skewer.
• Step Eight Thread a bead onto the end of the skewer and secure in place with hot glue. The bead should be at the end of the skewer leaving plenty of room for the pinwheel to move.

Tips

• Use milkshake straws. Regular straws are too flimsy.
• Make sure there is platy of room for the pinwheel to rotate. You don’t want to bunch up the pinwheel or it will get caught on the straws as it tries to rotate.
• Experiment with the designs and colors. When these rotate the designs look circular.

More

If you enjoyed this simple craft for kids then I have 13 more projects for you in this series but some of my favorite bloggers!

Have you seen our PAPER TOYS PLAY PACK?

It includes 7 paper toys you can download, print, and play with today!

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