Make a small Thanksgiving mobile with one paper straw, one paper pumpkin, and one paper leaf. Suspend the shapes from opposite sides of the straw, then slide their attachment points until the bar hangs approximately level. A single bar makes it easy to see which adjustment changes the balance.
This version is small enough to explore over a table. Hold it by its top cord during the activity, or display it on an existing sturdy tabletop ornament stand with enough clearance for the pieces to turn.
Gather lightweight materials
You need a straight paper drinking straw, lightweight cardstock, a pencil, crayons, scissors, a hole punch, thin cotton string, and small pieces of tape. An adult should prepare holes and help with cutting and knots as needed.
Draw a broad pumpkin about 7 centimeters wide and a narrow leaf about 7 centimeters long. Use the same sheet of cardstock for both. Keep the pumpkin as a single cutout with a drawn stem, rather than adding separate decorations.
The Hirshhorn Museum’s Balance Build activity explores moving sculpture with everyday building materials. Here, autumn colors and two original paper shapes provide the Thanksgiving theme.
Prepare two hanging shapes
Color both sides of the pumpkin orange and both sides of the leaf rust or gold. Add simple lines rather than glued embellishments. Punch one hole near the top of each shape, leaving enough card above the hole that it will not tear easily.
Tie a short string through each hole. Aim for about 8 centimeters between the pumpkin and the straw, and about 11 centimeters between the leaf and the straw. Those different drops give the shapes different heights. They are starting dimensions, not measurements that guarantee balance.
Tie each upper string end around the straw with a snug loop that you can slide by hand. Start with the pumpkin near the left end and the leaf near the right end, keeping both loops a little way in from the ends. Do not tape these attachment points yet.
Find the balance over a table
Tie a separate short suspension cord around the straw near its midpoint. This is the cord you hold. Its lower loop should also be adjustable while you are setting up.
Lift the mobile just high enough that both shapes hang freely. Hold the top cord still and wait for the swinging to settle. Neither shape should touch the table, your fingers, or the other string.
If the pumpkin side hangs lower, slide its attachment loop a little closer to the suspension point. Lift again and check. If the leaf side hangs lower, move the leaf’s loop inward instead. Change one position at a time.
If you run out of useful space, bring both shapes back toward the ends and move the suspension point slightly toward the lower side. Retest. There is no fixed location that works for every combination of card, string, and tape.
Understand what your adjustment changes
The straw behaves like a small seesaw. A hanging shape’s turning effect depends on its weight and its horizontal distance from the suspension point. Moving a load inward reduces that effect; moving it outward increases it. Science Buddies’ mobile investigation demonstrates this relationship through adjustable hanging shapes.
A larger cutout from the same sheet will generally weigh more, but the strings, knots, straw, and tape contribute too. Look at what your actual mobile does rather than assuming the pumpkin must always be the heavier side.
Changing only a shape’s hanging height usually has much less effect than moving its attachment along the bar, because these short strings are light. Use different drops mainly to provide clearance.
Secure and enjoy the finished mobile
When the bar settles close to level, add tiny pieces of tape beside the three loops to prevent sliding. Check again after adding tape. If the straw bends, use smaller shapes or a sturdier straw rather than adding weights.
Move the mobile gently through the air, then hold the cord still and watch the paper turn. TeachEngineering’s Mobile Forces activity connects moving artwork with forces such as gravity and air movement.
For display, use only a broad-based tabletop stand that remains stable with the mobile attached and lets both shapes clear its base. If you do not have a suitable stand, keep this as a supervised handheld activity. Keep cords away from young children and pets, never hang the mobile over a crib, and keep paper away from candles and heat. No ceiling installation is needed.
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