Who says you have to splurge on a Disney getaway or a Six Flags splash-fest in order to make your kid happy this summer? In the few years that I have been a parent I’ve learned that children care more about the amount of quality time you spend with them rather than the amount of money you spend on them.
Of course, my daughter is only six, so that theory is subject to change once she hits tweendom.
Still, there’s nothing quite like bonding with your child in the great outdoors on a bright summer day. Just you, your kid, and a kite. Yes, a kite.
The last time my daughter and I flew a kite together she was just a toddler and the experience was not nearly as exhilarating as it was exhausting. For starters, it was way too windy, so the experience was more like kite wrangling than kite flying.
Fast forward a few years to today when we took to the kitchen to make our own wind-powered plastic masterpiece. When we were done we headed over to a local park with a huge sledding hill. Watching my daughter speed down the hill with the kite in tow was a sight I will never forget. Actually, it was the smile on her face when she turned around and saw her kite dancing in the sky that will forever be etched in my memory.
Whereas kites are a dime a dozen at discount retailers this time of year, you can enhance your parent-child bonding by making your own at home from every day items. If you are looking for a cheap and easy way to have fun with your child this summer, then I highly suggest making a kite with the following instructions and then heading outside for some high-flying fun.
HOMEMADE KITE
Materials:
A few plastic shopping bags or a thin plastic garbage bag
Light string
Scotch tape
Two bamboo skewers (the ones used for BBQ kabobs; 12-inches long)
Cardboard for a reel
Ruler
Scissors
Pen
Directions:
Cut the plastic bag in half lengthwise. Set one half aside for the body of the kite. Cut the remaining plastic into strips around 3-inches wide to create the ribbon for the kite. You will need about 10 feet of ribbon in all. Use the tape to connect the pieces of plastic end-to-end. Set the ribbon aside.
Cut the pointed tips off of the skewers.
Use a pen to mark the center point on each skewer.
On only one of the skewers, mark the halfway point between one end and the center of the skewer. This will leave you with one skewer with a center mark and another skewer with a center mark and a quarter mark.
Lay one sheet of plastic flat on a smooth surface.
Place the skewer with two marks in the middle of the plastic lengthwise.
Place the skewer with only a middle marking across the other skewer widthwise. The skewers should create a cross or a lowercase “t” shape on top of the plastic.
Using a pen, mark a dot on the plastic to denote the locations of the ends of each skewer. You should have four dots on the plastic when you are done.
Remove the skewers from the plastic. Use the ruler to draw straight lines connecting each dot. You should end up with a diamond shape.
Cut the diamond out of the sheet of plastic. Return the skewers back to the diamond in their original positions. The ends of the skewers should line up with the points of the diamond.
Starting with the top point, use a small piece of tape to attach the end of the skewer to the plastic.
Attach the ribbon by tying it to the skewer at the bottom end of the kite.
Attach the string to the kite by poking a small hole in the plastic at the point where the skewers cross. Thread the string through the hole and tie the skewers together.
Measure out 40-50 feet of string. Wrap the string around the cardboard or wood to create your reel.
Time to fly your kite!
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