The Virtual Kite Zoo

• In a science class, kite building can demonstrate basic aerodynamic principles such as the aerofoil and the dihedral, and factors affecting stability of flight.
• In art classes, kites can be decorated with paints or crayons, or various other techniques such as marbling.
• In craft or sewing classes, kite-making can be used as an introduction to machine sewing and appliqué, and can be used to draw boys into a field traditionally dominated by girls.
• In childrens' groups, kite-making can be included as a useful creative activity with the reward, at the end, of a fun-thing to take home. It can be geared to almost any age and ability with greater or lesser amounts of preparation and supervision.

Paper Kites

• Uncle Jonathan's 20 Kids - 20 Kites - 20 Minutes is a design especially aimed at classrooms and childrens' groups. The main requirements for each kite are a sheet of A4 paper and an 8" barbeque shishkabab stick. It is suitable for pre-school upwards, depending on the amount of assistance given.
• John Staplehurst's Basic Sled Kite also uses barbeque sticks, with an A3 sheet of paper. Children from about age 7 should have little trouble, and it could be used for younger children with a bit more assistance, for example, with tying the bridle and flying line.
• Another Paper Kite plan is given by Merlito Crespo. This doesn't even need the barbeque sticks, though he does suggest a toothpick for making the holes to attach the bridle (but a sharp pencil would do!)
• The Sun Kite, the Peace Dove and the Sugar Glider Kite are both very simple, using drinking straws for spars, but will both need greater care in cutting out than the previous kites.

Plastic Bag and Foil Gift-wrap Kites

• Kel Krosschell's 2 cent Mini-Sled is made out of a plastic bag and 2 drinking straws. Make sure you get the non-bendy type of straw. (It seems they instantly went out of fashion as soon as I started looking for them, but you'll find them out there somewhere!) Kel suggests heat-tacking the straws to the polythene, but an easier and safer method with children is to use several small slivers of double sided adhesive tape. That's the only part that might challenge the dexterity of 7 - 11 year olds.
• Again from Kel Krosschell, the One Square Inch Microkite takes some dexterity and so would prove tricky for children under 11, but can be built in only a few minutes. Basically a miniature Eddy kite (what's an Eddy??) it nicely demonstrates the principal of the dihedral.
• A traditional box kite can be made from these plans, with a very limited budget. A large kitchen garbage bag and around 18ft of dowelling are the main requirements. Age range is around 9 - 12.
• If you took the construction method and materials from the above box kite, you could adapt Carolyn Weir's plans for a dancing cube - a real fun kite to fly!
• Ford Middle School's Tetrahedral Kite is an easily made version of Bell's tetrahedral kite (Bell's what??). Normally considered a fairly formidable proposition to build, this version uses drinking straws for spars and contains many photos to make all the steps absolutely clear. Although aimed at 7th grade students, it could be used with older or younger children, adjusting the adult supervision accordingly.
• A Fighter kite should be within the grasp of an 11 year old. Flying a fighter is quite different from flying normal single line kites - great fun for a beginner but with enormous scope for the development of skill. (More on fighters.)
• The circoflex is the ultimate no-sew kite, which would make a good technology project for a 15 year old. Athough it will take a certain amount of patience and care to build, the results are stunning. Anthony Thyssen has plans and lots of info and photos.

Picnic Plate Kites

• If you really want a spectacle, think about making a Centipede kite out of 30 or so disposable foam picnic plates! You can get children to decorate them with felt-tips or paint before stringing them all together!
• Using foam meat-trays, you can make a rotor kite, which can likewise be decorated.

Ripstop Nylon Kites

• Buck Childer's Ram-Air Pocket Sled is very easily made but long since disappeared from the Internet. Fortunately I managed to save a copy to my plans archive. I've made several as Christmas presents, each appliquéd with the recipient's initial. No woodwork is required since it has no spars.
• A rok is easily made (what's a rok?), consisting of a hexagonal sail and three (dowel or fibreglass) spars. Purely as a sewing project, it would hardly be taxing, but it has a large flat surface that can be used for appiqué in as sophisticated a pattern as you like. Charlie Charlton's 1.2m Rok plan is very comprehensive.
• Charlie's Jewel Kite plan is equally comprehensive. This consists of a patchwork of 22 panels sewn together to represent a gemstone, and looks great in the sky.

Other Resources

• Dave Ellis' Kites, kids and education page is well worth exploring.
• Glenn Davison's Kites in the Classroom contains a wealth of material, whether you want to do a school project or a youth group activity, including 14 simple kite plans.
• And if you really want a professional justification for introducing kites into your curriculum to show to your head teacher, go and see Peter Batchelor's Kites in the Classroom.

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