Give the season's inaugural picnic a boost of color with this fanciful forest of brightly colored pinwheels. At the center of each pinwheel are letters that spell out "spring." Or, for a birthday bash, spell out your child's name.

Select papers and patterns to match your own tastes. And don't be afraid to mix and match different colors and patterns. See below for complete instructions on making your own set of whirling dervishes.

• Paper, fabric, or foam material
• Scissors
• Pencil
• Straightedge or ruler
• Straight pins with plastic heads or aluminum screw posts (like those used in scrapbooks and photo albums)

 

1. Cut a square of material to desired size.
2. With pencil, draw two light lines between the opposite corners of the square, using a ruler or straightedge.
3. Make four cuts along lines, starting at each corner and stopping three-fourths of the way to the center of the square, as shown in the pinwheel diagram.
4. Poke a hole through every other corner and through the center of the pinwheel. Be careful not to poke too close to the edge, or the hole may rip when the pinwheel is assembled.
5. Fold the pricked corners into the center. If using a pin, push the pin through the pricked points, then through the center hole. If using a screw post, push the screw post through the underside of the square and then through the pricked points. Secure with screw.