Build the Flag
It is easy to build you're own flag with coloured paper!
Printer ink is expensive, where a ream of Blue, Green, Gold, is much better value at around $12-$15 / ream of 500 pages. If you had 3 reams of Blue; one each of Green and Gold, as well as 44 pieces of white A4 paper, that's 1,500 Flags to make! All with a minimum of ink used.
Alternative Method: Instead of using coloured paper, print the pages on white paper. Paint or colour in the pieces and then construct the flag.
Required:
- The 4 x A4 PDF files from this site
- Use the the Download the Files button below
- Blue A4 paper
- Gold A4 paper
- Green A4 paper
- White A4 paper
- Safety Scissors
- for younger children
- Paste
Download the Southern Cross Flag Project files and extract them. Inside the folder there are 4 PDF files. Note: The pages are not "coloured" as they are meant to save ink by printing on coloured paper.
The Sheets have the outlines for:
- One sheet of 70 Stars
- 14 x 5 stars: for 14 Flags
- One sheet of 4 Green crosses
- 4 long arms and 4 short arms: for 4 Flags
- One sheet of 4 Gold crosses
- 4 long arms and 4 short arms: for 4 Flags
- One Sheet for the Blue background
- 1 sheet per Flag
Tips to assist
- Tip: Do a practice print with one of each sheet on white paper first. First try printing at 100% for maximum size benefit. Each printer has slightly different margin set-up that generally can't be over-ridden. and might produce different results. The titles might not be printed and that's OK. As long as the rectangles and stars can be seen it should be ok.
- Tip: Check Sizing. Once you have printed the pages on white paper, overlap the sheets that are for the green and gold crosses and hold up to a light source (a window works well). The borders the cross rectangles and should align. It should be a neat overlap, or pretty close. If they align, you're ready to print the coloured sheets. Remember to keep that white sheet of stars!
- Tip: If the components don't align, try "Fit to Page." Each template has a border 2.5mm from the edge of the paper, so each page has a consistent outer 'landmark' to allow the printer to scale equally. In theory.
- Tip: Allow children to co-operate on a flag, each sharing the and taking turns. There is plenty of cutting out to do and the activity can be shared. One could do gold the other green. Or one long green, one short gold and 2 stars. The other, one short green, one long gold and two stars. For the final star... one cuts out the star and the other pastes.
- Tip: If concerned about young children and scissors, the pieces could be pre-cut, especially if a paper guillotine is available.
Economy of Scale or, the more the merrier!
- If you are just making a single flag - then the minimum is one sheet of each colour
- If making 4 flags - Print 4 blue sheets. 1 x green, 1 x gold, 1 x white star sheet
- If making 8 flags - Print 8 blue sheets, 2 green & gold, and 1 white star sheet
- If making 12 flags - Print 12 blue sheets, 3 green & gold, and 1 white star sheets
- If making 16 flags - Print 16 blue sheets, 4 green & gold, and 2 white star sheets
- If making 20 flags - Print 20 blue sheets, 5 green & gold, and 2 white star sheets
- If making 24 flags - Print 24 blue sheets, 6 green & gold, and 2 white star sheets
- If making 28 flags - Print 28 blue sheets, 7 green & gold, and 2 white star sheets
- If making 32 flags - Print 32 blue sheets, 8 green & gold, and 3 white star sheets
Download the Files
- All Project files are in a single ZIP file archive.
- All printable files are in PDF Format
- Read the README text file for best results
- No Zip extractor or PDF Reader? Visit the Resources Page
How to Make a Southern Cross Flag
The sheet for the Blue Background
1 sheet per flag
The blue sheet is the background. It has a faint outlines to assist positioning the other pieces.
(Another possible method of display is to print this as an additional base page in white. Then cut out the Blue Field and paste it on top of the white sheet.)
The sheet for the Gold Cross
- I sheet for every 4 flags
- One large and one small piece for each flag
- Cut around the dotted outlines
- Once the gold rectangles have been cut they should be fitted to the faint outline on the blue sheet.
Tip: Before adding paste, check for sizing by placing a piece into position and trim any edges if necessary.
Tip: Put the paste on the side that has lines, and then paste that side down. It will 'look' like it has been perfectly cut out.
The sheet for the Green Cross
- I sheet for every 4 flags
- One large and one small piece for each flag
- Cut around the dotted outlines
- Once the green rectangles have been cut they should be fitted to the faint outline on the gold pieces.
Tip: Before adding paste, check for sizing by placing a piece into position and trim any edges if necessary.
The White stars.
The stars each have 8 points
There is one point each for each of the 6 founding states. There is one point to represent all of Australia's Territories. And there is one point to represent the First Nations People. It has been estimated there were over 500 different clan groups or nations, many with distinctive cultures, beliefs and languages.
Each page has a total of 70 stars. The page has been organised into 14 strips of 5 stars
First, cut the page in half to separate the 14 strips of five. Then cut between the lines for each strip of 5. Then carefully cut out each individual star and position as below.
Postioning the star
- The Green Cross has a faint dotted outline to assist with positioning the star
- 4 stars should be positioned at the end of each arm. 3 cardinal points should touch the edge of the green cross and gold border.
- The 5th star should be positioned in the exact centre of the Green and Gold Cross
