Learn the Ways of the Wind with a Homemade Kite
by Esther Kiviat

The windy days of March, April and May are prime times to get outdoors with children, leaving television, computers and tensions behind to learn first-hand about the wind, a magnificent natural phenomenon. What is this mysterious force that you can feel, but not see or touch, that can lift kites on high and fill the sails of boats on the Hudson River?

Wind is simply air that moves because of differences in temperature. It is sometimes helpful, sometimes destructive. In hot weather gentle breezes help to keep us cool, but in cold weather strong winds can make 30o feel like zero (the "wind chill" factor). Powerful winds turn windmills to pump water and generate electricity, while in parts of the country such as the Great Plains and the Southwest they also can create blinding dust storms and "dust devils"--whirlwinds that swirl eerily up from the plains. Gale-force winds and tornadoes can topple trees, move cars on roadways, lift roofs off houses, overturn mobile homes and cause destruction and death.

As spring returns, pick a breezy day to walk where children can feel the wind on their faces, hold up a wet finger to find which way it's blowing, watch tall grasses swaying or bending gracefully. If the wind is strong, they may see large branches moving wildly. If you are in a forest, youngsters can listen to the symphony of dead leaves rustling and the wind singing in the pine branches.

One way for children to enjoy and learn about the wind is to make kites and fly them in the wide open spaces of a park or a grassy field. An easy kite to make with a very young child is a paper bag kite. Here are instructions:

[Click here to see diagram images]

Fold back a cuff on a paper bag. Paste on shapes cut from colored tissue paper. Glue tissue paper streamers at the bottom. Make two 1" circles from light cardboard and glue one on each side of the cuff. Punch a hole through the circles and the cuff. Tie each end of an 8-ft. piece of string through each hole. Now your child can fly the bag kite on a windy day. The wind will fill the bag and make it soar.

An older child can easily make a two-stick diamond-shaped kite. It's a great activity for a rainy spring day. You will need the following inexpensive items:

• two balsa-wood sticks about 3/8" x 1/8" x 36" (available at craft stores like Michael's in Poughkeepsie)
• all purpose white glue
• lightweight paper such as colored tissue paper or cellophane; you can also use newspaper
• a ball of cotton or nylon string
• small strips of cloth for the tail

Cut sticks to desired size. 36" is a good size for the spine and 28" for the crosspiece. Tie the two sticks together with string at joint. Glue joint for extra strength. Cut a notch in each end of the sticks. Thread string through notches to make a taut outer framework.

Cut a piece of paper the shape of the string framework, allowing a 2" margin to fold over the string. Decorate the paper by pasting colored shapes on it or painting a design. Apply glue to the back of the 2" margin. Fold margin over string frame all the way around the outer edge.

Tie a short string to each end of kite spine and bring the two strings together. Tie the kite line to the point at which the strings meet. You may have to adjust the length of these strings later to make the kite fly well.

Flat kites need tails to keep them steady. Short pieces of light cloth (about 2" x 6") tied to a piece of string at about 6" intervals make a good tail.

To fly the kite, you'll need a day with wind speeds between 8 and 12 miles per hour. In such winds small flags fly, leaves and twigs move, but branches don't sway. For more information on estimating wind speeds get a copy of the Beaufort wind speed scale. You'll find it in weather books such as the Golden Nature Guide: Weather (Simon & Schuster, New York), or on the Internet.

Head for a large, open field, vacant lot or park without any kite-eating trees or electric wires. Burger Hill Park on Rt. 9G in Rhinebeck is a good place, since it's almost always windy at the top. Poet's Walk on River Road, Red Hook, and other areas along the Hudson River bluffs such as Clermont State Park and the big hill behind Mills Mansion in Staatsburg are good spots. In eastern Dutchess, Tymor Town Park off Route 55 in Union Vale offers wide open spaces. You don't have to go far from home to fly your kite.

To launch your kite, unroll about 65 feet of string. Mom or Dad or other helper holds the kite up as high as possible, while a child guides the string. As the helper releases the kite, the kite flyer backs up until the kite starts to rise. You may need more or less string to get it off the ground. It may take some practice.

If the kite loops and flutters, try making the tail longer. If the kite doesn't rise, try shortening the tail. Once your kite is in the air, you will find different ways to guide it. Try moving the string right, left, up and down, to make it do what you want. Then you and the children can enjoy your colorful handmade kite that soars like a bird, as you learn the ways of the wind.

--©2002 Esther Kiviat