Red, white and blue painted Fourth of July pinwheel painted with Natural Earth Paint

Fourth of July Pinwheel with Natural Earth Paint

Looking for a fun craft to do with the kids on the 4th of July? Pinwheels are an easy DIY for kids to make and play with, and can be made with supplies you probably already have around the house!

Supplies:

  • Heavy paper/thin cardboard
  • Scissors
  • Natural Earth Paint
  • Paint brushes
  • Pencils with erasers still intact (one per pinwheel)
  • Push pins (one per pinwheel)

Let's get started!

Box of Natural Earth Paint kit with two packets of powder (red and blue) leaned against it

Step 1. I used the red and blue paints from the Children's Natural Earth Paint Kit. They come in powder form, and the mixing cups pictured were included. The ratio is 1 part paint to 1 part water, so I mixed 1 tablespoon of each. This was enough to make all 4 pinwheels, and I had a little left over at the end. 

Two containers of mixed up paint (red and blue) with paint brushes in them, sitting next to a glass of water and two packets of red and blue pigment sitting in the background

Step 2. Cut your paper material (I used a file folder) into a perfect square without getting out a ruler by folding the bottom edge over till it's flush with an adjacent side, and cutting off the excess.

Assorted shapes and sizes of paper cut and laid out on a table next to a pair scissors

Step 3. With your squares set, lay down some protective material and get to painting! Be sure to paint both sides of your square, as both will be seen at the end.

Paper square painted with red and blue stripes sitting next to red and blue containers of paint with a paint brush in each
Paper square painted with red and blue swirls on the opposite side sitting next to red and blue containers of paint with a paint brush in each

Step 4. Once your artwork is dry, fold each square in half so opposing points align. Repeat with the other two opposing points. This will create creases in the form of an 'X' that you'll use for cutting guides in the next step.

Square piece of paper painted with red and blue stripes with a superimposed arrow showing the proper direction to fold the paper
Square piece of paper painted with red and blue stripes with a superimposed arrow showing the proper direction to fold the paper

Step 5. Identify the center point of your square. Cut along each of the creases until you're about 3/4s of the way between the edge and the center.

Square piece of paper painted with red and blue stripes with superimposed dots showing where to cut the paper

In the next image, I've drawn white dots to show you which four edges you'll use to fold into the center.

Square piece of paper painted with red and blue stripes after being cut showing how to fold / bend the paper for the next step

Step 6. Take the first edge, fold it in, and push the pin through so its tip is facing the center point of your material. Moving around the square, fold in one corner at a time and push the pin through each new edge until all four are gathered on the pin.

Square piece of paper painted with red and blue stripes folded in the appropriate way
Red and blue painted paper square with the four corners bent in towards the center and held together with a push pin

Here's a GIF to show you the gathering steps from above:

GIF of all the steps for folding the paper square to create a pinwheel

Step 7. Once you've got all the edges gathered on the pin, push the pin down and through the center point of the square. The pin should poke through to the other side of your material. Now, push the point of the pin into the eraser of your pencil. Make sure it doesn't go through the eraser completely.

Completed Fourth of July pinwheel showing a close up of where the push pin holds together the bent paper in the center
Close up showing a hand pressing the sharp end of the push pin into a pencil eraser to create a handle

Ta-da, you're done! They spin well, and can be put in the garden when the kids are done playing with them.

Hand holding the pencil stem of the completed Fourth of July red and blue painted pinwheel
3 different sizes of red and blue painted Fourth of July pinwheels stuck into the ground next to each other

Have fun crafting, and a happy 4th of July!

Interested in more crafts featuring Natural Earth Paint products? Visit our Nature Crafts DIY page!
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