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What You’ll Need
- Square piece of paper
- Tape
- Thick straw
- Thin, bendable straw
- Pencil
What to Do
- Mark the center line on each side of the paper
- Fold the right and left sides in to meet at the center, then unfold.
- Fold the bottom and top sides to meet at the center, then unfold.
- Fold diagonally, top left corner to bottom right, then unfold.
- Fold diagonally, top right corner to bottom left, then unfold.
- Fold each corner in to the center, then unfold.
- Bring the center line on each side to the center of the paper.
- Flatten each corner peak to the right, along the pre-creased lines.
- Put a piece of the tape across the center to prevent unfolding.
- Poke a hole through the center.
- Cut off a 1-inch piece from a thick straw, and push it through the center of the pinwheel.
- Slide the end of a thinner, bendy straw through the thicker straw at the pinwheel’s center. Blow air at your pinwheel to make it spin.
Download our free printable guide for step-by-step visuals on how to fold your pinwheel.
Extend the Fun
For younger kids: Buy a pack of origami paper—it’s thin, with colored patterns on one side only, designed especially for origami. Examine all the different patterns; arrange them by color. Practice making more pinwheels. Put the pinwheels in a tall glass jar as a table decoration. Share your pinwheels with friends, neighbors, and teachers.
For older kids: Consult a book, online video, or website devoted to origami, and practice more complex foldings. Teach a friend; start a club. The origami crane is a symbol of healing, peace, and health, often used to decorate evergreen trees during the winter holidays. According to Japanese legend, making 1,000 paper cranes (a Senbazuru) makes a wish come true. Try it!
