Today's challenge is to build a kite that looks different from ones you've seen before. Then you'll change it and try to make it fly even better. Up, up, and away!
WHAT TO DO
- Get what you need.
- 1 sheet of 8 1/2" x 11" copier paper
- 3 feet of paper streamer
- Scissors
- 4 straws
- Tape
- String
- Ruler
- Build your kite.
- Fold the paper in half so its dimensions are 8 1/2 inches by 5 1/2 inches.
- Find the upper corner opposite the fold. Make a dot 2 1/2 inches in from this corner. Draw a line from this dot to the bottom corner. Cut along the line you drew, creating two "cat's ears."
- Unfold the paper. Tape the cat's ears to the lower edge of the kite.
- Tape the crosspieces from corner to corner. You may need to tape or fit two straws together to make the crosspieces long enough.
- Tape each end of the streamer onto the cat's ears to make the tail.
- Tie the string at the point where the two crosspieces meet.
- Fly your kite. Think of ways to make your kite fly better. Revise your design by changing one thing about your kite. Test to see if the revised design flies better.
- Design your own kite. Now that you know more about making a kite fly, create your own design. You can either modify a design you've already built or build one that uses ideas from other kite designs. Use all that you have learned to make a great kite!
Hints for flying your kite:
- Your body can block the air that the kite needs to fly properly. Keep the kite away from your body by holding it with your arm straight out to the side.
- Hold the string lightly where it attaches to the kite. Let it out gradually when the kite tugs as it begins to fly.
- Try walking at different speeds. Just be sure the runway is clear.
CHEW ON THIS!
Whether they're building a kite or designing a rocket, people use a similar process to figure out a problem:- Identify a problem. How can I make my kite fly better?
- Brainstorm solutions. One idea is to use a longer tail.
- Test an idea. The kite flew okay when it had a tail twice as long as its body.
- Revise the design. Let's try an even longer tail.
- Share what you learned. My kite flew best when its tail was four times as long as its body.
DIG DEEPER!
Investigate different ways of making things fly. The sky's the limit!- Use different materials to make a kite. Try wrapping paper, tissue paper, or newspaper comics instead of copier paper. Use straws, sticks, or spaghetti for the crosspiece. Or use tinsel, string, ribbons, plastic bags, or rubber bands as tails.
- Find a book or Web site that shows you other kite designs. Designs called "sleds" and "flying nuns" fly really well and are easy to make.
- If you like making things that can fly, get these challenges from the ZOOM Web site:
- Glider* [PDF: 60K] shows you how to make a paper airplane that does tricks.
- Hoop Glider* [PDF: 82K] shows you how to make a plane without wings.
- Hovercraft* [PDF: 64K] shows you how to build an aircraft that travels on a cushion of air.
* Adobe Reader required
Download a printable version of this activity:
- Download Crazy About Kites PDF* (420K)
* Adobe Reader required for PDFs
