Grade 2 Art And Craft Paper Craft – Curling Notes

Art & Craft — Paper Craft: Curling

For children aged 7 in Kenya — easy, safe and fun paper curling to make flowers, hair, waves and bright school decorations.

Materials (Use what you have)

• Paper strips — old newspaper, magazine pages, coloured paper or scrap paper
• Child-safe scissors ✂️
• Pencil or wooden stick (for curling) ✏️
• Glue or sticky tape
• Optional: crayons or paint to colour

Safety first

Ask an adult to help with cutting. Keep scissors away from small children. Work on a clean table.

What is curling?

Curling is rolling a long thin strip of paper around a pencil or stick so it makes a spiral or gentle curve. When you slide it off, the paper keeps the curl. We use curls to make petals, hair, waves and fun decorations.

Steps — make one curled strip

1. Cut a strip of paper about 2 cm wide and 15–20 cm long. (Wider strips make looser curls.)
2. Hold the pencil at one end of the strip.
3. Wrap the paper strip tightly around the pencil two or three turns. (Like winding a small snake around a stick.)
4. Hold the paper tight for a few seconds, then gently slide the curl off the pencil.
5. If you want a tighter curl, use a thinner strip or wrap more times. For a looser curve, use a wider strip.

Fun craft ideas using curls

• Paper flower: glue 4–6 curls around a circle for petals and a small rolled centre.
• Waves for a beach picture: make blue curls and stick them on a paper boat drawing.
• Animal hair: add curled strips for mane on a lion or tail on a monkey.
• Classroom garland: make many curls and string them together for a bright border.

Kenyan ideas

Use colourful pages from old adverts or wrappers to get bright colours like those in kitenge fabrics. Make flowers to decorate a school noticeboard or a Mother's Day card with Kenyan sunlight colours (yellow, orange, red).

Tips & Troubleshooting

• If the paper tears, try a wider strip or stronger paper (card can work if strips are not too narrow).
• To keep a curl, add a dot of glue where the curl starts to unroll.
• Practice curling with scrap paper until you get the hang of how tight to wrap.

Small practice task

Make three curled strips: one tight, one medium, one loose. Glue them together to make one colourful flower. Show it to your teacher or parent — smile and say: "I made this with curling!" 😊 🇰🇪

Note: Always clean up scraps so the classroom or home stays tidy.