Make an old-fashioned kite your child can decorate to their hearts delight!
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Materials: -ßa sheet of thick paper,. -ßan exacto knife or box cutter - masking tape or glue - nylon or cotton twine -ß2 strong sticks of wood - your child¦s favorite art supplies
Homemade Hand-Painted Kite Making:
Step 1: Make your Crossbar Start by taking your wooden sticks and make a cross with the shorter stick placed horizontally across the longer stick, it¦s important to make sure that both sides of the cross are equal in width. Now you want to tie the two sticks together, making sure they remain at a right angle. A good way to ensure that the joint is strong is to put a dab of glue to stick it in place. For good measure you should allow the glue to harden for about 30 minutes to an hour before moving on to step 2 Step2: Stretch your String Using a kite frame that we¦ve already let dry you need to cut a notch at each end of both sticks. You want to make these notches deep enough for the twine to fit into. Now take your twine and measure out a piece to cut that is long enough to wrap around the kite¦s frame. Once you¦ve done this you want to make a loop with your twine and fit it into the notch at the top of the frame, and then fasten it by wrapping the twine around the stick. After you made this knot stretch the string through the right notch of the cross bar and then make another loop in the bottom and then pull the twine through the notch on the bottom . Now stretch the string again and fit it through the notch on the left side of the crossbar, finish by wrapping the string a few times around the top of the stick , cutting off what you don¦t need. It is important to make the string taut so that the frame is secure, but not too tight or it will warp the sticks.
Step 3: Make your Kite Sail Now that we¦ve completed the frame you want to get out your sail material. Lay your paper flat and place the stick frame face down on top. Cut around the edge of the frame leaving about 2-3cm for a margin. Fold these edges over the string frame and tape or glue it down so that the material is tight.
Step 4: Attach your Flying Line Take your twine and cut a piece of string about 122 cm long, now tie one end of the string to the loop at the top of the kite and other end of the string to the loop at the bottom. After this tie another small loop in the string just above the intersection of the sticks. This loop is where you will attach your flying line. You can make a tail using your twine and whatever ribbon you have lying around the house. Fischer and I made ours with gift ribbon,and then affixed it to the bottom loop
Step 5: Decorate! You can really use anything you have at home to decorate your kite, crayons, makers, paint, or glitter, it¦s really up to the individual kite artist. If you love the idea of your child getting to decorate their own kite, but your not really crafty, we have a go paint a kite kit on our website that include an already constructed kite, a paint set, and flying line for the kite.
