Flying Wonders

Making Paper Helicopters

These happy helicopters, modeled after the whirling maple seeds we see so often, will keep children entertained as they drop from heights all around your home. They dazzle from the stairway, the porch and from second story windows!

You will need:

8 1/2 X 11 Paper (we used printer paper; craft paper is too heavy) (you can experiment with other sizes and adjust the pattern accordingly)

Scissors

Pen/ Pencil to mark pattern

A full sheet of paper will make 3 helicopters.

Each third of the sheet will be a helicopter. Refer to the pictures for the pattern. In the picture above, the right side is the blade and the left side is the stem.

We use the straight lines to denote where you will make cuts and dotted lines for where you will fold.

Make the two side cuts at the top of the stem.

The stem then can be folded into thirds.

Fold the bottom inch of the stem upward to secure it.

Cut the blade section down the middle.

The blades fold in alternate directions to create the twirling motion.    

Now to try it out: 

Watch this live action video of a test flight from Joy's second story window! (Important safety tip: sometimes it's a good idea to hold on to the pilot behind the scenes!)