20 Kids * 20 Kites * 20 Minutes

The complete time tested instructions to get 20 kids making their own kites and flying them in 20 minutes.

Material list:

  • 20 sheets of brightly colored 8 1/2" x 11" typing paper.
  • 20 8" bamboo bar-b-que shishkabab sticks.
  • 1 roll of florescent surveyor's flagging plastic tape. Available at any hardware store. A plastic bag cut in a 1" wide spiral all around will also make a great tail.
  • 1 roll 1/2"wide masking tape or any type of plastic tape..
  • 1 roll of string. (At least 200', 6 to 10 feet for each child.)
  • 20 pieces of 1"x 3" cardboard on which to wind the string.
  • Scissors.
  • Hole punch. (optional)

Directions:

  1. Fold a sheet of 8 1/2" x 11" paper in half to 8 1/2" x 5 1/2".
  2. Fold again along the diagonal line A in Fig.2.
  3. Fold back one side forming kite shape in Fig.3 and place tape firmly along fold line AB.(No stick is needed here because the fold stiffins the paper and acts like a spine.)
  4. Place bar-b-que stick from point C to D and tape it down firmly.
  5. Cut off 6 to 10 feet of plastic ribbon and tape it to the bottom of the kite at B.
  6. Flip kite over onto its back and fold the front flap back and forth until it stands straight up.(Otherwise it acts like a rudder and the kite spins around in circles.)
  7. Punch a hole in the flap at E, about 1/3 down from the top point A.
  8. Tie one end of the string to the hole and wind the other end onto the cardboard string winder.

Here are some variations on this sled design.

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