Up To The Highest Heights, Let's Go Drag a Kite?

With tuppence for paper and strings
You can have your own set of wings
With your feet on the ground
You're a bird in a flight
With your fist holding tight
To the string of your kite..

First let me just say, I'm very sorry that it's been many many days since I posted a blog. Between the Walk to End Alzheimer's, a 17 month old and school, I've been very busy. It's not always possible to set aside time to actually write out a blog. I have been able to craft a few things and since I had a few minutes I thought I would share them with you.

Let's Go Drag a Kite - Bonus Adventure Fail #1

I was reading the Summer issue of Baby & Toddler magazine while in the waiting room of my daughter's pediatrician. (Ms. Bean's fine, it was a check-up) And in the back was a craft section and one of the crafts they suggested was making a kite from things you have around the house. Admittedly this is a craft for older children, but since Vegas is never short on wind, I thought it might be a fun project to share with Ms. Bean anyway.

The instructions were overall easy to follow, but near the end they get a bit technical. I've never tried to make a kite before and I got a little lost. Oh, don't try to improvise, use the materials they suggest. For instance, I used wrapping paper for the sail (wind catching material) and chopsticks for the spars (framework), but the chopsticks were too heavy and I'm sure that's one of the reasons it wouldn't fly. 

Bean seemed to have fun dragging the kite all over the back yard and standing on it, so it wasn't a complete bust. I am fairly certain that no one will be calling me a kite-smith, either.

Bean dragging her kite around

So here are a few pictures and the steps it takes to make a kite.

Step #1

Trace your pattern on to your sail material (see below) and cut it out.

It's supposed to be a cat, but it could easily be a bear or a dog

Step #2

Fold sail in half to confirm if it's symmetrical. Trim if necessary.

Step #3

Decorate the surface of your kite. This is the side that the framework will be attached to, so keep that in mind.

Step #4

Tape the spars to the front side of the kite. (pattern below)

Step #5

Tape your tails to the bottom of your sail (see pattern below) I used a plastic store bag cut it into strips for my tails. They recommended a looped tail, but I didn't read that part originally. Since my kite didn't really fly, I think that is probably a better idea then what I used.

See how my tails are fluttery? Apparently I shouldn't have snipped them & just left them connected in a loop.

Step #6

Reinforce the towing points (see pattern) with a piece of tape and poke a hole in each taped area. With the

decorated side facing up, attach the bridle. Here's where it gets a little technical. It may behoove you to check the internet for instructions that are little clearer than my summary.

Pattern - I have no idea if you can read this. I'll try to post it on Pinterest and link that here.

Step #7

Okay, so now you suspend the kite and pinch the bridle in the middle and attach a knot with a loop at the end. Make sure when the kite is suspended by the loop that both sides align. Yeah, I have no idea if I did this part right.

Step #9

Tie the flying line securely to the bridle loop.

And your ready to fly.

Or stomp on it, as the case may be.

Here's the first page of the instructions with the materials suggestions:

Overall it's a cute project that has nice potential, especially if your kids are a little older. I highly recommend reading up a bit on kite making just to make sure that the instructions make sense to you, because I was winging it the whole time. With that said, I'd like to try this craft again, maybe in the spring and see how it turns out.

 

And that concludes my first Bonus Adventure Fail!

Stay Crafty! and remember..  

Sucking at something is the 1st step to getting sort of good at something. 

Jake from Adventure Time