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How to Make a Pinwheel in the Classroom

Pinwheel classroom projects can be accomplished easily for any age group and accompany a variety of lesson plans. Students can experiment with various pinwheel blade designs to determine how blade shape affects rotation speed. Older students can explore turbine power by placing classroom-created pinwheels over the steaming spout of a tea kettle. Younger students enjoy simply blowing on classroom-designed pinwheels or holding them up in the wind to watch blades spin. Create pinwheels within the classroom before teaching electricity lessons or before introducing information about the Pinwheel Galaxy. For easy classroom pinwheels, use aluminum pie plates and drinking straws.

Scissors
Aluminum foil pie plate
Hole puncher
Drinking straw
Paper clip
Masking tape
Pencil

Instructions

- 1
  Cut the outer edge "crust" area away from the aluminum foil pie plate. This action leaves only the center flat section.
- 2
  Punch a hole in the middle of the pie plate with a manual hole puncher.
- 3
  Cut eight evenly spaced slits from the outer edge of the pie plate toward the center, without cutting all the way to the center hole. Leave an uncut center circular section, about 2 1/2 inches around the center hole.
- 4
  Cut small slits at the end of each of the eight cuts. These slits allow the pinwheel blades to turn without tearing off completely from the center.
- 5
  Rotate each blade gently, angling one side facing you and one side facing away from you.
- 6
  Cut a drinking straw 1/2 inch long. Insert the straw into the center hole of the pinwheel.
- 7
  Bend a paper clip into an "L" shape. Slide the long end of the "L" through the center straw and then bend the end of the paper clip, hanging out of the center straw, in a downward position.
- 8
  Tape the paper clip downward-hanging portion to a pencil with masking tape. This serves as the pinwheel's handle.

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