How to make a kite

_Elsa_

‘Learning how to make a kite is surprisingly easy, and the materials needed to make one are easy to find.  You probably already have everything you need already on hand at your house.  

• A large piece of plastic sheeting (A plastic tablecloth or a medium duty tarp)

• Heavy duty tape

• 2 to 4 long dowel rods – depending on which kite design your making

• String

• Large beads

• A marker

• Scissors

• A yardstick or some other straight edge

• Wooden dowel rods are traditionally used in kite making, and you can find them at any hardware store

When you picture the shape of a kite in your mind, you’re likely picturing the classic diamond shape.  This four-sided design is the most simple to make, and easy to fly.  They make a great beginner kite.  

Building Your Kite Frame - To make a diamond kite, you’ll want to start by making a frame. You can make your DIY kite any size you want, but a larger kite is going to fly better than a smaller kite.  

I wouldn’t recommend making one any smaller than 24 inches long. 

For the diamond kite, you’ll need two relatively long dowels. We used one that was 40 inches long and one that was 32 inches long.  Take your shorter dowel and find the middle. Mark that spot on the dowel.  Place the middle point of that shorter dowel about one quarter of the way down the longer dowel, forming a cross.  Use some of your string to secure the two parts together, wrapping it tightly around the two dowels. Make sure to keep them at right angles and to keep the cross piece centered in the middle to insure the right shape for your kite.  

Next you’ll want to run a piece of string from one cross piece, over the top dowel to the other cross piece. Then run the same piece of string down around the bottom dowel and back to the original cross piece, securing each point with tape. Make sure the string is taut when you attach it to each dowel. This will help the kite retain its shape and keep those right angles.   You’ve now created the frame for you kite.’ (Source)  

“This doesn’t seem to be too difficult,” Elsa thinks. “I’ll have to pass this information along to Tiffi.”

Let’s continue - The finishing touches

Start at the beginning – Let’s go fly a kite!