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How to Make a Mini Helicopter Out of Cardboard for Kids

A simple cardboard helicopter can be both entertaining and educational. This cardboard helicopter design takes only a few minutes to construct, but can lead to an hour or more time spent exploring the principles of air resistance and aerodynamics. Experiment with different sizes, proportions, blade angles or numbers of paper clips to see the effects on the helicopter's hang time.

Things You'll Need

Box cutter
Cardboard
Pencil
Ruler
Paper clip

Instructions

- 1
  Cut a strip of cardboard four inches wide and 10 inches long.
- 2
  Draw a line parallel to the short sides for inches from either end to divide the strip into three sections that are four, two and four inches long, respectively.
- 3
  Cut a straight vertical line from the midpoint of the top short edge to the midpoint of the higher line.
- 4
  Make two cuts from the lower line to the bottom edge, each one inch from the side of the cardboard strip.
- 5
  Remove the one-inch-wide strips by making a diagonal cut from each edge of the higher line to the tips of the cuts made in the previous step. After this step the cardboard strip should look like the letter Y.
- 6
  Fold the 2-inch-wide strips at the top down in opposite directions to form 90-degree angles with the body. Attach a paper clip to the base of the helicopter. To play with it, children can drop the helicopter and watch it whirl as it falls slowly.

Toy Vehicles