Aluminum Foil Origami Pinwheel

Are you really (REALLY) bored on a rainy (or a sunny) day? Could your home or garden use some festive decoration?

Why not make an aluminum foil origami pinwheel?! It's fun, easy, very cheap, and can add something shiny and interesting to any place inside or outside your home. See the instructions below for 14 easy steps!

(ENGL 42100: Ben Barr, Eugene Chen, and Szu-Kai Yang.)

What You'll Need

Aluminum foil
A pair of scissors
A push pin or thumbtack
A drinking straw, pencil, or chopstick (or any "stick-like" thing)

Cut Your Aluminum Foil Into a Square Piece.

Tear out a piece of foil (as big or as small as you'd like), and use scissors to make it a square. TAKE CARE when you're using scissors!

Fold the Piece of Foil in Half, Vertically.

Open the Foil Back Up.

Fold Each of Those Two Halves in Half Again, Vertically.

The new folds you make should meet at the crease of the fold you made in step 3.

Fold the Top and Bottom Sides Horizontally Toward the Center.

Now, take the bottom and fold it horizontally so the bottom edge goes to the center of the rectangle you made in the last step. Take the top and fold it horizontally so the top edge goes to the center of the rectangle. You should end up with a square that is smaller than the one with which you started.

Unfold the Folds You Just Made.

Now you should have a long rectangle like you did in step 5.

(Tricky) Form a "canoe Shape" With the Bottom.

Bring the bottom side upward toward the center of the rectangle, while opening the corners out to the side. You should end up with a "canoe-like" shape.

Repeat Step 8 With the Top Side.

Fold Up One of the Corners.

Take one of the four triangular flaps, and fold it up so the tip faces up (or is flipped along the edge of the triangle that is connected to the square base).

Fold Up the Opposite Corner.

Repeat the previous step for the corner triangle which is opposite the corner you just folded. Now, you have your pinwheel shape!

Poke the Center of Your Pinwheel With Your Push Pin or Thumbtack.

BE CAREFUL not to poke your hand!

Attach the Pinwheel and Push Pin or Thumbtack to One End of the Stick.

Again, BE CAREFUL not to poke yourself!

TIP: Use the pushpin or thumbtack to make a hole in the stick first.

You're Finished!

You can decorate your home, your garden, or anywhere else! The shiny surface of the aluminum foil can help keep animals away from your homegrown fruits and vegetables! Get creative with different materials. Paint it if you'd like. Enjoy!