A SHORT HISTORY OF KITES

Kites have been flying in the wind for many centuries. The kite appears in Asian folklore and history as far back as 2500 years ago. One ancient tale about kites involves Chinese general Han Hsin, who used a kite in order to overthrow a tyrannical Emperor. He planned a surprise attack on the Emperor by flying a kite over his palace and measuring the distance of the kite string. In this way, he knew how far the men had to tunnel under the earth to sneak into the palace courtyard. The plan worked, and Han Hsin’s empire ruled China for the next two hundred years. Kites have also been used in festivals and celebrations, both religious and secular.

Windsocks, used to show the direction of the wind, were flown in early Roman times, and these devices may be the forerunners of European kites. Leonardo da Vinci experimented with kites, and some of his discoveries allowed engineers to build the first suspension bridges. Kites have been used to test air temperature in different altitudes and to design new methods of air travel. You may also remember Benjamin Franklin’s famous kite flight in which he experimented with lightning to learn more about electricity.

BUILD YOUR OWN KITE!
You have probably seen lots of different kinds of kites: kites shaped like fish and like boxes, kites with writing on them, kites with long tails that swing in the wind. They look beautiful floating high in the air, dipping with each tug on their long strings. It seems like they must be complicated. But kites are just obstacles that the air has to flow around. The change in air flow creates a difference in air pressure that lifts the kite into the sky.

Making and decorating your own kite is easy.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:
1 three-foot long piece of wood (dowels are great)
1 two-foot long piece of wood
1 long ball of string (preferably spooled kite string)
1 large piece of paper (newspaper is fine)
Scissors
Glue

Directions:

Step 1: Have an adult help you cut vertical notches in the ends of the sticks with a small saw or serrated knife so that you can make a string frame.

Step 2: Make a cross with the two sticks, putting the short stick about two-thirds of the way up from the bottom of the longer one.

Step 3: Weave a piece of string diagonally in an “x” around the joint of the two sticks to hold them in place. Then tie the string in a knot. Cut off the extra string. Cover the knot and the string with glue and let it dry completely.

Step 4: Put string through all four notches, pull it tight, and knot it. Cut off the extra string. Now you can see the shape your kite will be.

Step 5: To make the cover of your kite, place the frame on top of your paper. Cut all around the frame, but leave at least two inches extra on all sides. Cut away the corners as shown.

Step 6: Decorate the paper. (Remember that the extra two inches will be folded over and won’t show on the front of the kite.)

Step 7: Using a piece of string tied to one end of the horizontal stick, bend the stick carefully to make it bow. Tie the string to the other end of the horizontal stick to secure the bend.

Step 8: Now set your kite frame on top of the kite paper (the undecorated side), bend the paper edges over your string frame, and glue them down. Because you have cut away the corners of your paper, the ends of the sticks will be visible on all four corners. This will be important when you tie the harness on in the next step.

Step 9: Now you need to make the harness for the kite. Cut one piece of string a little longer than the length of the long stick. Make two small slits in the paper, one near the top of the kite and another near the bottom. Put the ends of the string through the slits and tie them to the vertical stick. Tie the end of your roll of string to the harness.

Step 10: To make a tail for your kite, cut a string that is about two to three times the length of the long stick. Tie strips of paper or ribbons onto the string and then attach the tail to the bottom of the kite.

Step 11: Go fly your kite!

Remember…
Always be safe when you decide to go kite flying. You should never fly kites close to the edge of a steep hill, near electric wires or poles, or in bad weather. Remember Benjamin Franklin! Electricity can travel down wet kite lines. Never use metal to make your kite because metal attracts electricity.