Imagine “Whirled” Peace.   It's easy if you try. September 11th is a hard day for me.   I usually try to attend some kind of a memorial service, but it has become more difficult as my son gets older “ I ™m not ready to talk to him about the events of that day yet nor do I want him to see me upset.

World Peace

This year, I learned about a campaign for world peace that my town was participating in called Pinwheels for Peace   in honor of International Day of Peace on September 21st.   There are instructions to teach you how to make a pinwheel and even a template you can use.   Instead of limiting the celebration to just this day, our town decided to begin planting the pinwheels following our town's memorial service on 9/11.   We had missed the service (on purpose), but wanted to see the pinwheels and perhaps take one home with us to plant in our garden or somewhere in the city.

world peace

There were lots of pinwheels that had been created by school children, senior citizens, and everyone in between.   Everyone learned how to make a pinwheel.   There were large and small ones, colorful and simple ones, and ones that spoke messages of peace.   We were handed a pinwheel that would be ours to plant.   My son asked if he could make a pinwheel too.   I thought that we had missed out on participating in this event, but I was happy to find out that they were continuing through the 21st.   I sought out the event coordinator and asked for the materials.   She handed me an envelope in which she placed several templates, some straight pins, stickers, pencils, and pipe cleaners.

make a pinwheel

Make a Pinwheel

When we got home, I gave my son the template and his box of crayons, pencils, and markers.   Although he colored a tiny bit, he was much more interested in using the stickers.   Once he finished his creation, we worked together to cut out the square and then made the slits.

pinwheels for peace

We had a little difficulty figuring out exactly how to assemble the pinwheel but finally got it.   As per the instructions, we pulled every other corner into the center, placed the peace sign (over the points) in the middle and then secured the shape by sticking a straight pin through the gathered edges.   We then put the straight pin into the eraser of a pencil, angled it, and took it for a test drive.   It spun!

world peace make a pinwheel

I went back to make a pinwheel for myself (I used water colors) because I needed a moment to reflect on the day and give myself some peace of mind.   Although my son didn't know the significance of the day, we talked about peace “ what it means, how to strive for it, and what we can do to make this world a better place for all of us.   Then we planted our pinwheels in the garden and waited for the breeze to come on that glorious afternoon in September. What is your message of peace? Here are some kids activities that may not bring about world peace but will hopefully bring some peace in your home and your community.



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2 Comments

  1. Cool idea. Looks like a fun activity that you can adapt to other significant days via your choice of decorations on the pinwheel. I’m sure you can make pinwheels for Earth Day as well using recycled paper.