Hi there, I'm Mrs. Charles with another science project for you to make at home.
Today I'll show you how to make a model windmill that's made from a six-inch square of cardstock.
You'll then be able to make two more windmills using construction paper and computer paper.
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A windmill is a machine that uses the wind to make energy. It uses sails or blades.
The sails rotate on an axle to catch wind and then they make power, pump water, or do mechanical
work, which is moving objects. So, windmills have been used to bring air to mines, to pump water
for irrigation, to saw wood at sawmills, and to power motors, and many other things.
Okay, this is a picture of a windmill that was used many years ago in the Netherlands.
Windmills were used to pump out water from low lands
and for grinding grain into flour to make bread. And this is, of course,
a picture of a modern wind turbine which you're more used to and that's used to make electricity.
To make a model windmill this is what you need: a piece of cardstock-- mine is this color--
printer paper-- mine is white-- and construction paper-- mine is lavender. You need a large
plastic straw, a string, a paper clip, tape, scissors, glue stick or glue, a wooden skewer,
and a pen or pencil, and a ruler.
For the first piece of paper, I'm using my cardstock. I'm going to measure six inches,
make two, and measure six inches this way...
and then you simply make your line here
and then make your line here so that you've got a six-inch square. Cut it out using your scissors
and you will be doing this with your other two sheets of paper
after we finish the first windmill.
Now you're going to draw an "x" from corner to corner, like this. Use your ruler-- match up the--
like that and you're going to do it to your other two pieces of paper too.
Now, right here where the two diagonal lines meet you're going to take your pen or pencil and poke a
hole right on that center and push it in to make a hole like that because it has to be big enough
so that your straw can fit in easily.
So, now, draw a line about a half an inch away like that
and then you're going to cut along each one of these lines and stop where you made that
little line about here. So there's the first one and you do all four.
Okay, now you're going to bring the corner to this line like this and you're going to
to put glue right here, then you're going to glue it down and since it takes a while for the glue...
to-- I'm going to actually glue it a little more up here. Since it takes a while for the
glue to dry, I'm going to take a piece of tape and I'm going to just tape it down.
Okay, now I'm going to do that with the other
three. So I'm going to put it down here-- let me put my glue here
and put this down like this and then I will tape it and then I'm going to do it with the next one.
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Now I'm going to put my pen again through to make sure that my straw can get through.
You don't want the tape stopping the straw from getting through,
so put your straw through and the straw will be your axis.
Okay, now you're going to put your wooden skewer through the straw so that it can rotate around freely.
Now, the next thing you need to do is take your string and tie a knot around the end of the straw.
I'm going to make a hole like-- you make a circle and pull it through and then you're going
to make another little circle like this and knot it. So you'll pull it through like this...
and tie it off. Then the other end of your string you're going to tie
around the paper clip. So, I'll push it through. Again make a circle and I have plenty of string
so I can do a big circle.
So, you might need help from your parent to tie a knot.
So, you make another circle and push the end through
and there you have a knot at the end of the paper clip and at the end of the straw.
Okay, so move your windmill around about here, like not too close to the string.
You're going to hold the ends of your wooden skewer and blow on the sails of
your windmill model. You'll have to figure out where the best place to blow will be.
You should see the string wind around the straw as the windmill moves. The paperclip will be lifted
which shows work being done.
You made a sail out of the paper which will catch your breath when you blow on it.
Your breath will then spin or rotate the pinwheel which will spin or rotate the axis.
Since the axis is connected to the string and the dangling paper clip,
it will convert the energy from your breath into work, which is twisting up the string and lifting
the paperclip. Windmills are good examples of wheel and axle machines. A wheel and axle can
be used to move an object from place to place, to drive a machine, or to create power.
So, how do you make this into an experiment? After you've made one model windmill, make models
with the other pieces of paper-- you've got the three different kinds. Which kind of
paper works best and why do you think it does? You should also try making larger and smaller
squares. I tried using a four-inch, an eight-inch, and a six-inch pinwheel.
All of them worked but one of them needed more breath to turn. Can you guess which?
Have fun experimenting. You might like to check out books in the library about wind energy
or simple machines. A fabulous book by Joseph E. Brown, called Harness the Wind: The Story of
Windmills, is great for fourth and fifth graders and can be gotten through interlibrary loan.
Don't you love being able to make projects like this windmill? Now that you've made these three
windmill models you have the knowledge to make different types of windmills.
You can make a pinwheel by attaching a pin and attaching your sails to a pencil eraser.
You could make windmills and give them to your friends and if you use patterned scrapbook paper,
like this one, you can make beautiful pinwheels. I hope this gives you some ideas to get creative.
See you next time with another fun science project!
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