Find and print a picture of a peacock feather from a book, magazine or on the internet. This will be the inspiration for the base model of the handmade peacock tail. Use a pencil to divide the feather into three parts: the base, which consists of the shaft and the shape of the vane; the eye, which is the large design on the barb of the feather; and the parts of the eye, which are the individual colors inside the eye.
Draw on the tag board paper the shape that constitutes the base of the feather, it should fill the entire 8"x10" or A4 paper. Draw a shaft that is one inch thick that extends for three inches. In the remaining paper extend the shape into the fringed vane and draw a semicircle at the top of the paper with four or five very small inverted triangles to indicate the thinly spread strands arching towards each other. This should be a rough outline and not perfectly detailed feather.
Cut out the base shape. Place it on the second piece of tag board and use the pencil to draw the outline of this shape in pencil. Set the base shape model aside and inside the outline, draw what will become the model of the eye of the feather, which should take up about one-third, or the upper part of the feather. Base the shape on the peacock feather picture you have, it should resemble the top a large, round lollipop.
Cut out the the eye shape model from the tag board. Place it on the third piece of tag board and trace the outline in pencil. Set the model eye shape aside and draw the interior of the peacock feather eye; cut out the interior of the eye shape model. Stack all three tag board models of the base, eye and eye interior to ensure they are proportionate. Freehand cut additional modifications. Once the feather models are finalized, it will be possible to more actively involve elementary-aged children in the project.
Trace the base model onto ten pieces of the thick black or dark blue paper using the chalk. Trace the eye onto ten pieces of yellow or marigold paper; trace the interior of the eye onto ten pieces of turquoise or bright blue paper. Either give this task to elementary-aged children or involve them after the tracings are made.
Instruct the elementary-aged children to cut out all of the tracings and stack them together to complete the feather shapes. Use the white glue to glue together pieces of the ten peacock feathers. Turn the feathers over and reinforce the one inch shaft by gluing a wooden Popsicle stick to each.
Adorn the feathers with oil pastels to enhance the color and with strategic dollops of blue and gold glitter. Allow the glue to dry.
Arrange the ten feathers evenly around an open hand held wooden fan. Place six feathers lower and four feathers slightly higher to give the tail dimension. Use the hot glue gun to glue the wooden stick bases to the fan, ensuring that at least two inches of the stick are glued to the fan which will finalize the handmade paper peacock tail craft project.