How to Make a Jet Fighter Kite
On a breezy day kites can provide hours of enjoyment for you and your child. The experience can be made even more enjoyable by building a jet fighter kite together with a few supplies and your imagination. Once you have constructed the frame for your kite, you have the ability to make a variety of different plastic covers for it, changing them out to make a new kite whenever you desire.
Things You'll Need
- 1 dowel rod, 24 inch
- 1 dowel rod, 20 inch
- Utility knife
- Marker
- Ruler
- String
- Plastic
- Trash bag
- Scissors
- Tape
- Glue
- Ribbon
Instructions
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Dowels
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1
Cut straight notches about one inch long in the bottom of a 24-inch wooden dowel rod with a utility knife. The dowel should be either 1/4 inch or 1/2 inch in thickness. Cut notches in both ends.
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2
Cut straight notches about one inch long in the bottom of a 20-inch wooden dowel with a utility knife. The dowel should be the same thickness as the 24-inch dowel rod. Cut notches in both ends.
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3
Make a mark on the 24-inch dowel rod six inches from one end with a marker. Use a ruler to measure.
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4
Make a mark on the 20-inch dowel rod 10 inches from one end with a marker.
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5
Place the shorter dowel rod on top of the longer dowel rod, lining up the marks made with the marker and forming a small "t" with the two rods.
String
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6
Wrap string around the center of the two dowel rods where they intersect in a circle eight pattern, binding the two dowel rods together tightly. Knot the string once the dowel rods are secure, but do not cut the string.
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7
Extend the string up to the top of the 24-inch dowel rod and run it through the notch at the end of the dowel. Extend the string down to the first notch of the 20-inch dowel rod on the right and run the string through that notch. Continue running the string to form your frame by hooking the string in the notch at the bottom of the 24-inch dowel, to the notch on the left side of the kite frame through the notch on the 20-inch dowel and then back up to the top notch on the kite.
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8
Repeat running the string around the notches in the kite frame until you have doubled the string border.
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9
Pull the strings tightly on the frame, then run the string back to the center of the kite where the two dowels meet and tie off the string at the intersection of the two dowels. Cut the string with scissors after it is knotted.
Plastic
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10
Lay the kite frame down on a large trash bag or large piece of plastic. The plastic must be larger than the kite frame.
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11
Outline the kite on the trash bag or plastic with a marker, making the outline about two inches larger than the kite frame.
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12
Cut out the outline with scissors.
Complete
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13
Draw out the design for your jet fighter with markers on the plastic. Color the design in with markers, or paint your design with acrylic paints and a paintbrush. Allow the paint to completely dry.
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14
Lay the plastic upside down on a flat surface and place the frame for the kite on the back of the plastic. Center the frame on the plastic.
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15
Fold over the edges of the plastic all the way around the frame, taping or gluing the plastic edges down over the kite frame. Allow the glue to dry completely.
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16
Cut a two-foot piece of string, attaching one end to the top notch on the kite and knotting it, then to the bottom notch on the kite and knotting it.
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17
Connect a ball of kite flying string to the middle of the two-foot section of string. Then attach ribbon to the bottom of the frame for the tail of the kite. Use any length of ribbon you desire.
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1
Tips & Warnings
To make your jet fighter design last when painted, use polyurethane spray over the paint and allow the polyurethane to completely dry before completing the construction.
Paint the background of the plastic blue for the sky, with the jet fighter image in the center of the plastic and use white ribbon for the kite tail to make jet wash.
Make more than one plastic cover for your kite, painting any image that your desire on them. Then when your first kite cover gets old or damaged just remove it from the frame and replace it with your new design.
