You might be wondering, "but wait — what does kite flying have to do with poetry or learning about the environment?"
In addition to providing a fun and engaging way to experience the outdoors, we think that kite flying is an effective way to connect to the part of ourselves and the universe from which poetry and art flow. Many cultures have valued kite flying as a kind of meditation and a celebration of beauty, grace, nature, and art. “Catching the wind” has fascinated humans throughout history and led to many artistic and scientific achievements, not to mention hours of sheer delight and contentment. Check out the sections below for more information about all the ways humans have used kites as tools or entertainment to interact with the environment — including as the objects of science experiments and even methods of espionage!
Materials:
- Twine
- Glue or tape
- A sheet of strong paper, such as construction paper or art paper
- 1 stick (bamboo, skewers, dowel rods) 90 cm in length
- 1 stick (bamboo, skewers, dowel rods) 102 cm in length
- Scissors or an x-acto knife (be careful!)
- Optional: supplies to decorate your kite! Markers, crayons, colored pencils, glitter glue, etc
- Optional: Ribbon to make the kite tail
Instructions
- Make a cross with your two sticks; place your shorter stick horizontally across your longer stick. Be careful that both sides of the shorter stick are equal in length - the shorter stick is called your “cross-piece.”
- Tie those two sticks together with your string or twine. Make sure the sticks stay at right angles to each other. When you are done, a dab of glue will help ensure the joint you’ve just made stays strong. Congratulations: you’ve just made a kite frame!
- Cut a notch at each end of both sticks — make sure it’s deep enough for the type of string you’re using to fit into. Cut a piece of string long enough to stretch around the whole perimeter of your kite frame. Make a loop in the top notch and fasten it by wrapping the string around the stick. Stretch the string through the notch at one end of the cross-piece, and make another loop at the bottom. Stretch the string through the notch at the other end of the cross-piece. Finish by wrapping the string a few times around the top of the stick and cutting off what you don’t need. The string frame needs to be taut, but not so tight that it warps the sticks.
- Lay your sail material flat, and place the stick frame down on top of it. Cut around the stick frame, leaving about 2 or 3 cm for a margin. Fold those edges over the string frame; then, tape or glue the sail margins down so that the material is tight.
- Cut a piece of string about 122 cm long, and tie one end to the loop at the other end of the string to the loop at the bottom. Tie another small loop in the string just above the intersection of the two cross pieces. This is the kite’s bridle — the string that attaches to the flying line.
- Make a tail by tying a small ribbon roughly every 10 cm along the length of string. Attach the tail to the loop at the bottom of the kite.
- Cut a flying line about 10 meters in length. Attach it to the kite using a square knot.
- Decorate!
Kite Dos and Don'ts
DO'S
- Do be mindful of the ground around you! Watch out for uneven ground, holes, and other hazards like roads.
- Do watch out for people and animals while launching and landing your kite.
- Do ask for an adult’s help if your kite gets caught in a tree, on a roof, or anywhere else it may be difficult to retrieve. Sometimes, you simply won’t be able to get it back, and you’ll have to let your kite go - but you can always make a new one!
- Do wear gloves unless you’re using a very light line, to protect your hands.
- Do watch the weather! Some days it’s not safe to fly a kite.
DON’TS
- Don’t walk backwards. You may fall over or walk into an unsafe situation.
- Don’t fly your kite in wet or stormy weather; lightning loves a wet kite!
- Don’t fly near power lines or antennae. If a kite does get loose and tangle in them, call the power company or fire department for help.
- Don’t fly your kite near busy streets.
- Don’t fly your kite within 5 miles of airports!
- Don’t use metallic string or wire on your kite.
- Don’t fly your kite higher than 500 feet - it’s a violation of international law, and could interfere with air traffic!
Crafting Tips
Things to keep in mind while you make your kite:
- Cut away from you!
- Your pivot point — the place where the two sticks of the kite frame connect — should be slightly above the center of the longer stick.
- Spray can glue is great for patching up paper kites.
- A flexible tail helps improve stability.
- Make sure your kite is balanced when you finish — hold it up by the string and see if it lists to one side. If one side is heavier than the other, you can weight the less heavy side by adding paper to it.
- Remember: kites are different every time you make one, so you might need to make slight adjustments for each kite.
Kite History
The exact origin of kites is not known, though many believe that they were first flown in China over two thousand years ago. Others say that kites were first used by the people of the South Sea Islands, who used kites to fish by attaching bait to the end of the kite’s tail. Still yet another story explaining the origin of kites comes from Bali, where it is believed that the first kite was made from a feather plucked from the neck of a goose. Whatever the exact origin of kites, we are left with a rich heritage of wonderful stories, designs, and techniques for making and flying kites.
Traditionally, kites have been associated with good luck. In some cultures, cutting the line of a kite is believed to release bad luck or evil spirits along with the kite. In Thailand, the flying of kites was believed to bring good luck for the year’s crops, saving them from bad floods. In what is now New Zealand, the Maori people sent prayers up to the heavens attached to kites. In South America, the Incas used kites to send messages from one Andean peak to another. In China and Japan, kites have been used extensively in battle and espionage, and in Korea, kites were flown to announce the birth of a new child.
Kites have been cited as the forerunner of the modern airplane. They have contributed to science and technology. Benjamin Franklin, noted American scientist and statesman, studied lightning and thunder in the sky with the help of a kite and then invented the lightning rod.
Kites are still used by some fishermen to lay bait in the sea to attract fish, and by photographers to take pictures from a bird’s-eye view. Kites have been used to lift many measuring instruments into the sky, helping scientists to study the atmosphere and our weather patterns. Kites also contributed greatly to aviation studies, as many of the earliest experiments of human flight involved the use of kites.
Today, kites are found all around the world. Almost every country in the world has a kite of its own; the form of each is determined by the climate and geography of the country it comes from. They are used for spiritual purposes; they are flown in celebration; they are used in ceremonies; they are used for scientific and research purposes; and they are flown for fun. Kites, in all their various forms and uses, are a part of most cultures, giving them a rich history and future!
Fun Kite Facts
Kites have been used for centuries to conduct scientific experiments, particularly those involving weather and aerodynamics. Kite technology led to the invention of the airplane, the parachute, and the helicopter. It may have even contributed to the Allied victory in World War II. Sailors aboard the aircraft carrier USS Block used kites to practice shooting at moving targets and to pass important papers from ships to flying aircrafts.
Chinese generals used kites in warfare as early as 200 BCE. Han Hsin, a brilliant general, flew a kite above a town to determine how far his army would have to tunnel to get inside the fortified walls. Han ordered his men to build a kite and fly it directly over the Emperor’s palace. When the kite was in place, the string was marked. Then the kite was reeled in and the line unspooled and measured. Thus the general knew exactly how far to tunnel in order to reach the inside of the palace walls. His victory marked the beginning of the Han Dynasty, which ruled China for the next two hundred years.
Kites built to carry human beings are called “man-lifting kites,” and often look like large box kites with an attached apparatus to carry a passenger. The earliest record of kites that could carry a person come from China, during the reign of Emperor Wenxuan of Qi. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, kites were used for lifting military observers to heights from which they could observe the location and size of enemy forces. During the American Civil War, kites were used extensively to spy on enemy troops.
In the fifteenth century, Leonardo da Vinci used a kite to discover how to span a river to help in bridge construction. Leonardo’s method was later used in the 1800s by Homan Walsh, a ten year old boy in New York State, in the construction of one of the world’s first suspension bridges. In 1749, Scottish scientist Alexander Wilson used several kites, attached in a row, to measure and compare air temperature at different altitudes. Benjamin Franklin used kites to pull boats, carriages, and sleds in experiments with traction and to experiment with electrical energy in the atmosphere.
Alexander Graham Bell, who invented the telephone, used kites to learn more about the weather. He also contributed to aviation by experimenting with kites to learn more about the possibility of enabling people to fly. Like Chinese and Japanese generals before him, he developed a kite that could raise a person up in the air. Graham developed what is called the tetrahedral cell. It has great strength and a light structure; many modern kites use this same tetrahedron form. In 1902, Gugliemo Marconi used a kite to help transmit the first trans-Atlantic wireless telegraph message.
Samuel Cody, known as “Buffalo Bill,” was a Texas inventor and showman, who became famous for his “Wild West Shows.” In his later years, he moved to England and used kites to tow a boat across the English Channel. Cody and his son, Leon, developed larger and larger kites and often competed against each other. Cody also designed observation kite systems for the Russians and the French. Many kite designs that were developed for the military and for scientific purposes can still be seen at kite festivals and competitions around the world today.
Kite fighting is a sport practiced in Thailand, India, and many other countries. In some competitions, the object is to catch the opponent’s kite and drag it across a pre-determined barrier; sometimes the game is to bring the other kite down to the ground. There are even kite competitions where fliers coat their kite strings with secret formulas of powdered glass (some are said to use crushed diamonds!) and try to cut their opponent's lines.