DLTK's Crafts for Kids
Canada Day Pinwheel Craft

contributed by Leanne Guenther

I loved pinwheels when I was little... They seem to be one of those toys that have been around forever.

You can use the maple leaf templates I've provided or design your own using:

Fun foam ones are nice and sturdy, but you'll need to use straight pins instead of push pins to make them.

Print out the Canada Day template.
Color the template, if using the B&W option and cut it out.
Optional: Paint the pencil white or red using the acrylic paint because it dries quickly. You will need to give it a couple of coats to cover.
Fold on the dashed line to make a square decorated on both sides.
Note: At this point, you can put a piece of thin cardboard or construction paper between the two halves to make your pinwheel a bit sturdier.
Glue the sides so you have a square decorated on both sides.
Cut on the diagonal dotted lines (don't cut all the way into the middle.
Bend each corner to the center dot, but don’t crease your folds.
Push a pin through the center into the eraser of a pencil (don't push it super tight).
Optional: Put a bead in between the eraser and the paper ... some people find it spins a bit better this way... I've never noticed the difference (maybe it's the type of pencil eraser? I use fresh, unsharpened school pencils).
Blow the edge of your pinwheel to make it spin (if it doesn't spin, loosen your pin a little or wiggle it around to make the hole in the paper bigger).

Close template window when done printing to return to this screen.
Set page margins to zero if you have trouble fitting the template on one page (FILE, PAGE SETUP or FILE, PRINTER SETUP in most browsers).