The windmill is one of the best-known national symbols of the Netherlands. Why are there so many windmills in the Netherlands and what were/are they used for?
The Dutch needed the windmills to drain water from their low-lying land below sea level. Some of the windmills are still used for this purpose today. Dutch windmills were and some still are used for grinding grain, producing paper and paint, and sawing wood.
Let’s create a windmill together!
What you’ll need:
- cardboard tubes (toilet rolls or paper towel rolls)
- coloured paper (optional, you can just paint your rolls)
- scissors
- glue
- pencils or markers
- hole puncher
- paper fasteners
- windmill blades, use our template, download here
Instructions:
1. Print out the template.
2. Take a cardboard tube, place it on a coloured paper sheet and make a mark with a pencil or marker.
3. Cut out a stripe of coloured paper, wide and long enough to cover your roll.
4. Apply some glue and stick it to the roll.
5. Add doors and/or windows if you want.
6.Take the template and colour in the blades.
7. Cut them out.
8. Punch a hole in the middle.
9. Punch a hole at the top of the roll.
10. Place the paper fastener. Keep it slightly loose so the blades can spin.
11. Your windmill is ready!
