These falling Paper Poppy Spinners (helicopters) are a simple craft for all ages & they work so well indoors or outside. Made from just one piece of paper there's no need for paperclips or glue, all you need to create these pretty falling poppies are our Free Printable & a pair of scissors!
Over the last few days we've made several of these spinning poppies & they've been played with again & again. As we watched them spin & twirl around us it gave us an opportunity to talk about the significance of the Remembrance Poppy.
If you're looking for a way to explore this further with children this is a brilliant short film from CBeebies, or for older children this one from Poppy Scotland Learning explains the history of the poppy.
To make the Poppy Spinners we printed out our printable onto paper which is the ideal thickness for this craft. We printed some on white paper to colour them in, & some on red sheets of paper.
Once you've cut around the outline of each Paper Poppy Spinner you'll need to fold the 2 central dotted lines, folding one section to the back & one section to the front. This will create a concertina fold & should look like the image below.
Now unfold the template & cut along the two small thick lines one either side.
Refold your template in the concertina style as before, but fold the newly cut upper section in the opposite direction to the base, like the image below.
Fold the bottom dotted lines upwards, it doesn't matter which side, this just creates a weight for your Poppy Spinner.
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Finally, fold down the poppy petals each side & your template is complete.
Make sure all the folds are pressed down firmly as this will help your poppy to twirl.
If you printed your poppy on white paper you can colour in the different sections & add a black centre to your poppy before taking it for a spin. If you're a little short of time, the poppies printed on red paper can be left plain.
We found the most effective way to make our poppies spin was to hold them upside down by the stalk & then throw the base up towards the sky.
The poppies will turn & spin as they fall to the ground. If you can, try throwing them from a safe height (obviously with adult supervision) & the poppies will twirl for even longer.
The poppies will turn & spin as they fall to the ground. If you can, try throwing them from a safe height (obviously with adult supervision) & the poppies will twirl for even longer.
A simple but poignant craft for kids to explore the significance of the Remembrance Poppy, & to give thanks for those who gave so much for our today.
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