Is anyone else thinking about making a kite for spring? ( Crafts/ Hobbies )

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I know most of us are more concerned about our crops and livestock and making it through the winter, but I wanted to share something "whimsical". With just over a month till "kite flying" season, my son and I are planning to try building our own this year. We have a couple ideas using newspaper, but are also considering trying to make our own kite paper from a procedure in one of our hobby books and custom paint it. I know its cheaper to buy one, but I always got a kick out of figuring out the aerodynamics. When I was a kid, my favorites were the box and "bird" kites over the traditional. Once, I even made one using some of my mothers sewing fabric for skin ( the kite lasted longer than my butt did that day :>). Lets hear from you.

-- Jay Blair in N. AL (jayblair678@yahoo.com), January 22, 2001

Answers

We've had good luck using grocery store plastic bags, Jay. More durable than paper, and lighter. If you're going to use paint on the flight surfaces, make sure it's balanced and / or symmetrical.

And BEWARE the kite eating trees! Poor ol' Charlie Brown :)

(:raig

-- Craig Miller (CMiller@ssd.com), January 22, 2001.


Oh Jay, I just felt a breeze on my face and sun in my eyes and the smell of dirt warming up!!! Yes, let's go fly a kite. My kids and I used to make them and fly them all the time. One time we put one way up there and tied it to a post in the field and it actually stayed up there for over a week. The kids (all grown with children of their own) still talk about it when we get together. Create those memories!!!!

-- diane (gardiacaprines@yahoo.com), January 22, 2001.

Wow! I don't know where you good folks are from except for Jay, but it's still plenty cold today although there's little wind and the sun is bright and warm. I needed to move some feed to the barn and despite a very thin layer of mud in spots, the ground was solid enough that I could drive our truck, loaded, across the yard with no trouble. I'm so proud that we have only had a little snow this month and can see the earth. Nothing like the smell of fresh turned ground in the spring but that's still a long way off for central MO.

Have a good day and thanks for reminding me what's at the end of this long cold sometimes gray tunnel.

-- marilyn (rainbow@ktis.net), January 22, 2001.


Who said anything about Spring, Marilyn... :)

1 kite

1 toboggan or sled

2 kids of ANY age (one driver, one flyer)

1 steep snow covered hill

(:raig

-- Craig Miller (CMiller@ssd.com), January 22, 2001.


Snow kiting.... I like it.

-- Jay Blair in N. AL (jayblair678@yahoo.com), January 22, 2001.


I've made lots of kites over the years; mostly two and three sticker's when I was little, and boxkites with my own kids.

Have you folks ever seen a stickless kite? We have (no, HAD) two of them. One of them is about two by three feet, and has so much lift that it can lift an entire sleeping bag, on a breezy day.

The advantage, to me, is that they are easy to carry around. In fact, I took my smaller one to Costa Rica last month. Without the string, it fits in a shirt pocket! I gave it to my host in CR, so I'll be looking for another one soon. Happy kiting!

JOJ

-- jumpoffjoe (jumpoff@echoweb.net), January 22, 2001.


I havn't made a kite that flew yet, LOL! My challenge is to find one at the Salvation Army or DAV that still works, since all the ones at the store feature violent motifs, or characters I've never even seen.

How, exactly, does one make a kite that flies???

(I'll trade you my knowledge of how to make a 6 foot hot air balloon out of tissue paper and old metal hangers for info on a kite-I can even tell you how to make it go into the air!)

Any bets on when the first crocus will show??

-- Marty (Mrs.Puck@Excite.com), January 22, 2001.


I have spent quit a bit of time standing in the sun holding a piece of string. Kite flying is a big subject if you get into it! Just remember you do not want a windy day for kite flying. Very light breezes are what you want.

-- John Hill (john@cnd.co.nz), January 22, 2001.

My sister is a kite flying/making champion. Try www.kitelife.com

-- Ann (avdb11@canada.com), February 02, 2001.

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