Craft tutorials and free templates

Paper toys: Whirlybird

I love simple paper toys. Yes I’m talking about whirly birds – I’m sure you remember them. My son and I have been making them today and we’ve both been pretty entertained.

Paper toys: Whirlybird

These neat little gizmo’s are really easy to make and just impossible to photograph! Click on the link below for instructions and a template.

How to

Paper toys: Whirlybird

You will need:
♥ Paper
♥ Scissors
♥ Paperclip (optional)

1. Print out this template (pdf) on to an A4 sheet of paper. Each sheet contains five whirly birds.

2. Cut along the solid grey lines.

3. Fold flap A forward and flap B back

4. Fold lines C & D upwards – this adds weight to the base of the tail

5. Fold flaps E & F inwards along dotted lines

6. Hold the whirlybird by the tail, high above your head and let go.

7. If you change the length of the wings you can make the whirlybird go faster or slower. You can also add a paper clip to the tail to give it more weight.

10 thoughts on “Paper toys: Whirlybird

  1. I adore your blog! One question: is there tape or glue involved in keeping the tail “closed”? What keeps flaps e & f folded in place?

    Thanks!

  2. Hi Shaay – thanks for the lovely comment. No you don’t need tape or glue. Just good strong folds. You can put a paper clip at the bottom of the tail to weight it and hold it in place if you want.

  3. Thanks for a fun idea, we needed this today! By the way, I think the photos you took are fabulous!

  4. This is great fun – kept Mr7 and Ms1 busy for an hour! Thanks for the uninterrupted breakfast and coffee 😉

  5. Thank you guys. So glad you managed to have a peaceful coffee nzAlly. I cherish mine when they come along as they are few and far between 🙂

  6. Thank you so much for the fabulous tutorial! We’re going to make these as a gathering activity with a Cub Scout pack tonight 🙂 Gorgeous blog, btw. . .

  7. Thanks Brenda…glad it went well. Pretty much all of my ideas are on the site so have a rummage through the archives. Kate ^_^

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