Kite Crafts for Kids
According to legend, the first kite was discovered over 2000 years ago in China by a farmer who tied a string to his hat to keep it from blowing away in a stiff wind. The first use of a kite in as a tool was not by Benjamin Franklin, but General Han Hsin in 200 BC, who used it to determine how long the tunnel needed to be in order to breech the defenses of his enemy. In Korea, General Gim Yu-sin used a burning kite to rally his army who had seemed on the verge of defeat, the Wright Brothers and others used it to experiment with flight, and George Pocock used kites to propel his carriages, and avoid paying the tolls. Since the kite has represented so many things throughout history, from a toy to a weapon of war, a scientific tool to a method of propulsion and a prayer to the gods, it provides a rich number of kite crafts for kids. Go fly a kite.
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What Flies Like a Kite?
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Since legend has it that the first kite was a farmer's hat attached to a string (see Introduction), why not try to find out what every-day item will serve as a kite? Buy several rolls of kite string and tie them to paper plates, plastic bags (strict supervision needed with these), paper bags, toys and more. Go out into a strong wind and take note of what will fly.
Study Kites from Around the World
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Kites differ from country to country. Go to sites such as Kite Geography and Poole Kites to study kites from around the world. Your kids will be startled by a wide variety of designs and colors.
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Make a Kite
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Encourage your children to design their own kite. They can borrow designs from the Library Think Quest site (see References), or design their own. Above all, the kids should paint their kits, draw on them, affix stickers, and whatever they'd like to make them their own. Then, when the right wind's blowing, the kids should fly their kites and discover which designs fly best.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit kites image by Clarence Alford from Fotolia.com
