Every child should experience the pure joy of flying a kite into the air. And if the kite is made yourself, the whole thing is even more beautiful. It's really not that complicated, you can make your own kite. All you need are a few simple materials and a bit of know-how.
Make your own kites
Making a kite is also a great way to teach children about science. The concepts of lift and drag are easy to explain. We'll show you how to make your own kite: the classic diamond kite.
Kite building accessories:
The productionof a dragonIt's surprisingly easy to learn, and the materials you need are easy to find. You probably already have everything you need at home.
A large piece of plastic wrap (a plastic tablecloth or medium-weight tarp)
Durable adhesive tape
2 to 4 long dowels
cord
Big beads
A marker
Scissors
A meter stick or other straight edge
You can use a plastic tablecloth from the local supermarket for this craft. If you want your kite to last longer than just a day, we recommend using a stronger material. Other materials you could try include a plastic trash bag, newspaper, or even thick wrapping paper. Wooden dowels are traditionally used in kite building and are available at any hardware store.
For the line, you can use a utility line from the hardware store, but you can also use fishing line or any other lightweight line. Just make sure you have plenty of them so your kite can fly really high!
When you imagine the shape of a kite, you probably think of the classic diamond shape. This four-sided design is the easiest to build and easy to fly. It is ideal as a beginner kite.
How to build the frame
You can make the DIY kite of any size, but a larger kite will fly better than a smaller one. We wouldn't recommend building one smaller than 60cm.
For the diamond kite you need two relatively long dowels. You can use one with a length of 40 cm and one with a length of 80 cm. Take the shorter dowel and find the middle. Mark this spot on the dowel. Place the middle point of the shorter dowel about a quarter of the way down the longer dowel, forming a cross.
Use some of the string to connect the two pieces together by wrapping it tightly around the two dowels. Make sure the two pieces are at right angles to each other and that the cross piece is centered in the middle to give your kite the correct shape.
Next, you need to run a piece of string from one crosspiece over the top dowel to the other crosspiece. Then run the same piece of string around the bottom dowel and back to the original crosspiece, securing each point with tape. Make sure the string is taut as you attach it to each dowel. This helps the kite keep its shape and maintain right angles.
Building the kite sail
The next step in making a kite is making a sail that catches the wind and lets it fly.
First, lay your plastic completely flat. Then place the frame you just createdthe plastic. Draw with a straight edge, e.g. B. use a ruler and a marker to trace the diamond shape of the kite, which is slightly larger than the frame.
Cut the shape you just traced out of the plastic and you have cut out the sail. Place the kite frame on the freshly cut sail, fold the sides inward, and secure each side of the sail with the tape.
It's a good idea to make sure the tape wraps around the entire edge of the sail to give it a little more strength and prevent it from tearing.
Making a dragon tail
Next you need a tail for the dragon. The tail may seem unnecessary, but it serves a very important purpose on a diamond-shaped dragon. The tail keeps it more stable in the air and prevents it from spinning wildly in the wind.
Longer tails usually provide more stability, but adding a little weight with beads canone the dragonstabilize without having to make the tail so long. For the size of the dragon, you can cut a tail that is about three times as long as the dragon and about two inches wide.
Once you have the tail cut and measured, attach it to the bottom of the craft with tape or simply tie it to the frame.
Create bridles
Now that the tail is finished and the sail is attached to the frame, you need to prepare the scales. The scale is the way the line is attached to the kite to keep it stable while flying. To do this, cut a piece of string about twice as long as your horizontal dowel.
Tie each end of the string to the end of the horizontal dowel. When you are ready to fly, tie the fly line in the middle of this line. Now you have built a classic diamond kite!
