How to Make Kites
When spring arrives with the blustery winds of March, one of the first things most kids (and some adults) think of are kites. But, while you can go out and buy a kite, it's much more fun to make your own.
Things You'll Need
- Opaque colored plastic sheeting
- Yard stick or other straightedge
- Pencil
- 1 thin 36-inch wooden dowel
- 1 thin 24-inch wooden dowel
- Kite string
- Hobby knife
- Scissors
- 1 sock
- Coins or rocks to serve as weights
Instructions
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1
Use pencil and straightedge to draw a kite shape on your plastic sheeting in which the vertical axis of the kite shape is 36 inches and the horizontal axis is 24 inches. Cut out the shape.
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2
Place your two dowels in position, with the 36-inch dowel running from top to bottom and the 24-inch dowel running from side to side. Tie the two dowels together using kite string.
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3
Use the utility knife to carefully cut a very narrow groove about 1/4 inch down the length of each end of the dowels. Then, with the dowels in place, gather up the corners of the plastic sheeting and use kite string to tie them to their corresponding dowel groove.
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4
Tie the sock to the bottom of the kite to serve as the tail of the kite. Run the string through the sock material in such a way as to leave a small opening in the sock. Add a few coins or rocks to the sock.
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5
Tie your main kite string line to the point where the two dowels meet. Test your kite. If it doesn't want to lift, remove some of the coins or rocks. If it does lift but is unstable, add more coins or rocks. Once you have the right balance for the tail, you have your kite.
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