Make and fly a kite

Making a kite is quick and easy once you know how. When your kite is finished you might like to decorate it before flying high.

You will need:

  • 1 plastic or paper shopping bag
  • 2 sticks that are each about 30cm long
  • Cellotape
  • Ruler
  • Felt tip pen
  • Scissors
  • String or fishing line (the longer your string, the higher your kite will fly).

What to do:

  1. To make the kite, lay the bag flat on a table
  2. Place the two sticks in the shape of a t on top of the plastic bag
  3. Using the felt tip pen and ruler, draw a large diamond around the t shape
  4. Using the scissors carefully cut around the diamond shape. You just need to cut around one layer of the bag and keep the leftover plastic for later
  5. Tape the two sticks into place onto one of the pieces of plastic
  6. Thread the string through the middle join of the two pieces of wood. Tie it and tape it securely so it won’t fall off
  7. Make a tail for your kite by cutting strips out of the leftover plastic. Tape the tail to the bottom of the kite.

To fly your kite, take it to a big open space such as a park or the beach. Make sure there are no power lines close by that the kite could get tangled in. Throw the kite up and as the wind catches it, slowly let out the string. You may need to run along with your kite to get it started.

Tip: Your kite will fly best in light wind – if the wind is too strong it might break the kite.