DIY Fun via Curious Jane Camp: Pretty Pinwheels for Spring!

Curious Jane runs summer camp and after-school programs for girls, all focused on science, design and creativity. We CJ logooffer hands-on, project-based classes that give girls the opportunity to explore design, building and science in a creative, gender affirming environment. Our goal is to empower girls to be active in learning and problem-solving, look at things in new ways and above all – experiment and have fun!

This summer, we are returning to the McGehee School in New Orleans for six weeks of camp: all of June and two weeks in July. Classes offered include: DIY Your Room, Wired 101, Digi-Fun, Spy Sciene, Build the City, Toy Design, Animal Nature, Magic + Mystery and more! Visit our website for more info and to register, or give us a call at 718-369-6320!

DIY Pinwheels for Spring             

Want a fun and quick DIY make-it for spring? Try our colorful spinning pinwheels! Once we started making these, we were hooked! Playing around with different types of papers and color combinations is mildly addictive, and the finished spinners are lovely CJ_Pinwheel_1_Suppliesin their simplicity of design and palette. Plant them in your garden; group them in a vase; or take them outside to play!

Supplies

  • Paper squares. Use anything at hand! Heavy paper is harder to work with, so think light! Construction paper, newspaper, wrapping paper, origami paper, etc.
  • Sturdy straws (we used cute, patterned paper straws) or wooden dowels
  • A few sequins and small beads
  • Straight pins (one-inch size works best)
  • Double-stick tape (certainly not essential, but incredibly helpful!)
  • Scissors
  • Pencil
  • Bit of clay, pencil eraser, cork or anything else to cover the sharp point of the pin

Project Steps

  • Cut a small stack of colorful paper squares; a size of 4 to 6 inches works best. Draw two lines connecting the corners (or fold your square corner to corner and unfold), and mark each line about one inch from the center. Cut along each line, stopping at the pencil mark.CJ_Pinwheel_3_Fold
  • Bring every other point into the center to create the pinwheel shape. Using a bit of double-stick tape to secure the points is very helpful, especially for little hands!
  • Stick a pin through all four points at the center. Adding a bead or sequin on the pin gives a pop of color! Roll the pin around to enlarge the hole a bit, helping the wheel spin freely.
  • On the back, add another bead or two, and stick the pin into a dowel or straw. If you are using a straw, and the pin pokes through the other side, cover the sharp point with a bit of clay or pencil eraser (we pinched off a piece of wiki-stick and rolled it into a small, wax stopper).

Now take your pinwheels for a spin!

CJ_Pinwheel_7_Finished copy

Samantha Razook (Camp Founder)

CJ_Samantha_Girls_SittingSamantha is the mother of two girls and lives in Brooklyn, NY. She holds her BA from Yale and Masters in Industrial Design from Pratt. She was inspired to create Curious Jane to give her girls, and all girls, a chance to be creative and inventive in a high-energy, collaborative, gender-affirming environment. She loves designing, tinkering and figuring things out. She has a blast with her camp girls – they have amazing ideas, and they keep her young!

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