Paper craft · Challenge · about 45 minutes
Five-Petal Paper Flower
Uses scissors · Uses glue · Adult help suggested
- Sheet 1: petals, back circle and center, printed on paper, 216 x 279 mm (8.5 x 11 in (Letter) or A4)
- Sheet 2: stem strip and two leaves, printed on paper, 216 x 279 mm (8.5 x 11 in (Letter) or A4)
- Blunt-tip scissors
- Glue stick
- Pencil (to curl the petals and roll the stem)
- Ruler (to check the scale bar)
For the grown-up: Help with cutting the curved petals and the small fringe cuts, and with holding the stem while the glue sets.
Safety: Use blunt-tip scissors and cut away from your fingers.
Blue dashes: valley fold (toward you). Pink dash-dot: mountain fold (away from you). Thick line with scissors: cut. Yellow: glue.
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Start. Print both sheets at 100% (Actual size). Check that each 5 cm bar measures 5 cm. Color the pieces now if you like.
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1. Cut: On sheet 1, cut out the five petals, the back circle and the center circle along their solid outlines.
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2. Cut: Cut the short slit at the bottom of each petal, along the solid line, up to its end.
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3. Glue: Rub glue on the shaded wedge beside each slit. Slide the other side over it until the edges meet the line, and press: the petal cups.
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4. Curl: Roll the tip of each petal outward around a pencil, then slide the pencil out. The tips curl back a little.
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5. Glue: Glue the five petals onto the back circle, one on each glue mark, with the narrow ends near the middle.
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6. Cut: Snip the fringe on the center circle: cut from the edge in to the inner circle all the way around.
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7. Glue: Glue the center onto the middle of the flower, then bend the fringe up toward you.
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8. Cut: On sheet 2, cut out the stem strip and the two leaves. Keep the small tab at the bottom of each leaf.
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9. Roll: Roll the stem strip tightly around a pencil, starting at the plain edge. Glue the last edge down, then slide the pencil out.
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10. Cut: Snip the top of the stem four times, down to the line, and bend the little tabs out flat.
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11. Valley fold: Fold each leaf in half along its center line, then open it a little so it stands out from the stem.
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12. Glue: Glue the tab of each leaf around the stem, one leaf a little higher than the other.
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13. Turn over: Turn the flower head face down next to the stem.
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14. Glue: Rub glue on the stem tabs and press them onto the middle of the back circle. Hold for a minute.
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15. Turn over: Turn the flower face up. Gently bend the petals so the flower looks full.
If something goes wrong
- The petal will not stay cupped. Use a little more glue on the wedge and hold the overlap for a full minute before you let go.
- The petals overlap unevenly around the circle. Place one petal on each glue mark first without glue, check the spacing, then glue them one at a time.
- The stem unrolls. Roll it tighter around the pencil, glue the whole last edge and hold it until it sticks before sliding the pencil out.
- The flower head flops forward on the stem. Spread the four stem tabs flat and press them onto the back circle; add a small strip of tape across them if needed.