Kites in the Classroom

’ American Kitefliers Association KITES IN THE CLASSROOM REVISED EDITION by Wayne Hosking Copyright 0 1992 Wayne E. Hosking 5300 Stony Creek Midland, MI 48640 Editorial assistance from Jon Burkhardt and David Gomberg. Graphics by Wayne Hosking, Alvin Belflower, Jon Burkhardt, and Peter Loop. Production by Peter Loop and Rick Talbott. published by American Kitefliers Association 352 Hungerford Drive Rockville, MD 20850-4117 IN MEMORY OF DOMINA JALBERT (1904-1991) CONTENTS:CONTENTS: PREFACE. ........................................1 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION. .3 HISTORY - KITE TRADITIONS - WHAT IS A KITE - HOW A KITE FLIES - FLIGHT CONTROL - KITE MATERIALS CHAPTER 2PARTS OF A KITE. .13 TAILS -- BRIDLE - TOW POINT - FLYING LINE -- KNOTS - LINE WINDERS CHAPTER 3KITES TO MAKE AND FLY..........................................19 1 BUMBLE BEE............................................................................................................... 19 2 TADPOLE ...................................................................................................................... 20 3CUB.......................................................................................................................21 4DINGBAT ........................................................................................................................ 22 5LADY BUG.................................................................................................................... 23 6PICNIC PLATE KITE................................................................................................... 24 7SLED................................................................................................................................ 25 8 GROCERY SACK KITE............................................................................................... 26 9JAPANESE CHILDREN’SKITE.................................................................................. 27 10NEWSPAPER DIAMOND........................................................................................... 28 11FIGHTER....................................................................................................................... 29 12S .E.ASIAN CHILDREN’SKITE................................................................................. 30 13HEXAGON.................................................................................................................... 31 14BOX KITE...................................................................................................................... 32 15STUNTER...................................................................................................................... 33 CHAPTER 4 FLYING A KITE. .34 WHEN TO FLY A KITE - WHERE TO FLY A KITE - HOW TO FLY A KITE - PROBLEM PREVENTION - PROBLEM SOLVING - SAFETY CODE CHAPTER 5 KITE WORKSHOPS.......................................... 38 HOW TO RUN A WORKSHOP - WORK AREA - GROUP SIZE - WHAT TO MAKE - KITE CONTEST APPENDICES. .41 RESOURCES. 41 BIBLIOGRAPHY. 42 GLOSSARY. 43 MEASUREMENT CONVERSION. 44 OTHER AKA PUBLICATIONS . 45 PREFACE: Children of my. generation often made playthings from recycled materials. For example, kites were made from the brown paper and string that was used to wrap most store purchases. The brown paper was heavy but much stronger than the alternative, newspaper. We glued the paper sail to a framing of split bamboo with home-made flour paste. For a tail I used my mother’s old stockings and strips of rag. Like most children I did not bother to read books on kite-making because everyone knew a kite was a “kite.” “It had to be this long and this wide with the sticks crossing this far down.” Not surprising most of those early creations were not very successful. They tended to be so heavy that they required a “monsoon” to fly.Still, my fondest memories were of building the kites, and if they flew, it was extra special. When I rekindled my interest in kiting in the early seventies I went straight to a local library for a book on the subject. It was very frustrating to find books that were misleading, and almost useless. Instead of giving up, I used the basic kite shapes and developed my own designs. After many’hours of trial and error I learned how to make kites that really flew! It was then I discovered that trash bags make excellent (and cheap) kite sails. Today, we are fortunate that over the last two decades there has been renewed interest in kiting. The results have included greater understanding of aerodynamics, more practical designs, and inexpensive but easy to work kite materials. Even so, I find it very disturbing that many people still buy into the myth that they just can not fly a kite. More often the fault lies in the kite’s design, materials, or a misguided interpretation of the written instructions. One of my earliest observations in the classroom was that kites are not just “kids’ toys” but a very valuable learning tool. In fact, most students are too busy having fun with their kites to realize that they are learning. I also found that kiting can be a fun or frustrating experience depending on the initial approach. In other words, it is very important is that the process be kept simple. To help eliminate potential problems, I advise teachers to make and fly several kites before conducting a class. This is very important if there are designs that they have not yet experienced. Remember, you are never to old to learn to make and fly a kite. Most of all, I have found many rewards in teaching kite-making. Apart from seeing the excitement of a child successfully making and flying a kite for the first time, I have been able to travel overseas and share my knowledge with other cultures. Rites are “magic” in the way they can catch the imagination of children and adults alike. My hope is that you will share some of this “magic” and that more people will learn to fly high in their minds as well as the sky. W.E.H. CLASSROOM PROJECTS Design and build - HISTORY - Origin of the kite and - History of flight and own kite world migration kites in science Draw a kite - Decorating a kite - Build a flying - printing sculpture. How a kite flies Create a class DRAWING to scale - painting e.g. box kite book on kiies. - collage e.g. poems, stories and drawings I -ARTC - Posters Materials - MUSIC - Music for kite flying Materials and Build a simple kite - RECREATION - Stunt flying - Kite making decorations - Kite festivals - SOCIAL STUDIES - Knes of other countries - Write about kite- - - Kite KITE KITES IN THE - LANGUAGE ARTS Poetry MAKING CLASSROOM i stories related experiences - Write instructions how to Correspond with overseas clubs build a kite. e.g. to fly Decorate a class- on solar winds. room with kites or . drawings - Weighttoarea -Aspect -Force --- MATH - How high is a kite flying ratio ratio How, When and -Kiie Flying - Safety Where to fly code . a kite I - Wind and - Flight - How other aircraft - SCIENCE aerodynamics fly weather Wind Chart results - Programming - COMPUTER SCIENCE - Kite materials - Design kite - INDUSTRIAL SCIENCE Problem solving fittings and construction Class project or - Read kite -Build kite from - READING scientific experiment stories written instructions - OTHER SUBJECTS Kite contest l Hosklng, W., FLIGHTS OF IMAGINATION, 1987, NSTA l Fun and Science Kite Series, Gayla Industries. CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION HISTORY: In the history of flight, the first lighter-than-air balloon (1783) and first powered aircraft (1903) are very recent when compared with the age of kites. Though the exact origin of the kite is not known, it is known that they were flown in China and the Malay Archipelago between two to three thousand years ago. The earliest written accounts of kite flying were the exploits of the Chinese general Han Hsin, Han Dynasty (206 B.C.-220 A.D.). On one military campaign, the general was said to have had a kite flown above a besieged town to calculate the distance his army would have to tunnel. Knowing the exact measurement, his troops surprised their enemy and were victorious. The popularity of kite flying spread from China along trade routes to Korea, India and Japan, They arrived in Korea in the period of the Three Kingdoms (4-645 AD). During the Silla dynasty (595-673 A.D.), General Gim Yu-sin was ordered to subdue a revolt. However, his troops refused to fight after a large shooting star appeared to have fallen from the sky. It was believed that this was a bad omen. To regain control, the next night the general had a kite carry a fire ball into the sky where it disintegrated. His troops, seeing the shooting star returning to the sky, rallied and routed the rebels. Kites were brought to Japan around the 7th century, by Buddhist monks. They were used as talismans to avert evil spirits and as invocations for a rich harvest. In the Edo Period (1603-1868), kite flying became very popular when for the first time Japanese people below the samurai class could fly kites. The Edo (now Tokyo) government tried, unsuccessfully, to discourage this pastime because “too many people became unmindful of their work.” In 1712, a thief named Kakinoki Kinsuke is said to have used a large kite to carry himself to the top of Nagoya Castle. There, under the cover of darkness, Kinsuke stole the scales from a pair of golden dolphin. The luckless Kinsuke boasted of exploits and was captured and boiled in oil. The earliest evidence of Indian kite flying comes from miniature paintings from the Mogul Period (1483-1530). A favorite theme was of a young lover skillfully

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