Springtime is Kite Time
Do you remember running and flying kites when you were little? You don't see that very much these days. In fact, you don't see kites for sale very much, either.
Not to worry: you can make fun kites at home, using grocery bags from Super 1 Foods as the base! So besides having fun outside, you'll also be re-using a resource.
Plastic Bag Kites:
Turn plastic grocery bags inside out so they are all white. Decorate the bags with marking pens, cutouts or paint. After the bags are dry, tie handles together and attach a long kite string. Add construction paper "kite tails" if you like. Kids love to run and pull these behind them.
Paper Bag Kites:
* Large brown paper grocery bag
* Strong string
* Scissors
* Hole punch
* Masking tape
* School glue or gluestick
* Paint (tempera, acrylic -- whatever you have)
* Crayons, markers, pencil crayons
* Paper streamers or a plastic grocery bag that you can cut into strips
* A few found objects (bits of paper, glitter, buttons -- nothing too heavy)
Use the hole punch to make four holes in the top of the paper bag - one in each of the corners. Put a small piece of masking tape over each hole and poke through with a pencil. This will ensure that your holes don't tear through.
Next, cut two lengths of string about 30" each. Tie each end of the strings through a hole in the bag. The goal is to create two loops.
Next, cut another piece of string -- again around 30". Loop this new piece of string through the two loops you created and tie in a knot. This piece of string will become the handle of your kite.
Decorate the paper bag kite using paint, markers or whatever else you desire. You can paint designs on the kite or turn the kite into a fish by adding eyes, gills and fins. You can glue different items to the kite but be sure not to load the kite down with heavy items -- or it will have a hard time staying up in the air.
Use paper streamers or strips of plastic bag as kite tails and glue them to the bottom of the paper bag. Once the glue and paint is dry, the kite can fly. Hold on tightly to the string handle and run so that the wind catches the kite. When the bag fills with air it will float and flutter behind you.
Published 02/15/08
