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How to fold an origami whirlybird

A strip of paper with one slit down the top. Fold the bottom up for weight, bend one blade forward and one back, then let it fall and watch it twirl like a sycamore seed.

You need: 1 strip of paper, about 5 × 17 cm (a long third of an A4 sheet). Medium, 6 steps, about 4 minutes.

Steps

  1. Fold in half. Fold the strip in half the long way, left edge onto right edge, and crease.
  2. Open it. Unfold it again. The crease marks the middle.
  3. Cut the blades. Cut along the crease from the top edge down to just under halfway. The two flaps are the blades.
  4. Fold up the bottom. Fold the bottom edge up a little, about a finger's width.
  5. Fold it up again. Fold it up once more. The thick bottom is the weight that keeps it falling straight.
  6. Bend the blades. Bend the left blade towards you and the right blade away from you, so they stick out to the sides like a T.

Twirl!

Hold it up high by the bottom and let go. The blades catch the air and it spins all the way down.

How to fly it

  1. Stand on a step or chair (ask a grown-up) and hold it up by the weighted bottom.
  2. Let go and watch it spin as it falls.
  3. Add a paper clip to the bottom for a faster spin, or bend the blades flatter for a slower one.

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