High Flying Challenge
April is National Kite Month! Celebrate by designing, testing,
and flying a unique kite of your own.
Collect
• An assortment of materials such as plastic bags, construction paper,
paper bags, cardboard, fabric scraps, dowels, pencils, and straws
• String
• Scissors
• Tape
• A fan (optional)
• Cardboard tube (optional)
• Anemometer (optional)
The Challenge
Design and create a kite that can fly high on a windy day.
Find the right materials
To make the body of your kite, you’ll need to find a material that is lightweight, but is also strong enough that it won’t
tear in high wind. If you have a fan handy, test out different materials by holding them in front of the fan. How does the
material behave when you hold it loosely? How does the material behave when you stretch it tight to catch all the wind
from the fan. Choose the material that you think works best. Remember, you can always reinforce materials like
construction paper or old plastic grocery bags that tend to tear easily.
You’ll also need to find items to create the structure of your kite. These items help support and reinforce the material and
give your kite more stability. Look for things that are sturdy and lightweight, such as bamboo skewers, plastic straws,
pencils, wooden dowels, or sticks from outside.
Create a pattern
Now that you’ve chosen your materials, it’s time to choose a shape. Think about shapes that will catch the most air,
reduce the amount of drag, or just a shape you really like. Sketch out your pattern before making any cuts to make sure
you’re happy with the design. Having trouble coming up with a pattern? Here are three basic examples of kites:
Diamond
Sled
Box
601 Light Street Baltimore, MD 21230 • www.marylandsciencecenter.org
Go fly your kite
Make sure your kite has plenty of line so it can fly high. To keep things from getting too tangled you can create your
own holder by wrapping the string around a cardboard tube. Once all the line is wrapped, attach the free end of the
string to one of your support structures and you’re ready to fly. Take your kite outside on a windy day and watch what
happens. Does your kite stay up in the air? Does your kite nose-dive? Does it catch enough wind? Keep practicing and if
your first idea doesn’t work, don’t get discouraged. Redesign, retest, and keep making improvements until you design a
kite that soars.
Take it further!
Expert kite flyers always pay attention to the wind because some kites might fly differently depending on how fast the
wind is blowing. An anemometer is a device that helps us measure the speed of the wind. Anemometers can be an
important tool in your kite flying adventures. Click here and follow the directions to make your DIY Anemometer. The
directions are located in the Science At Home section of our website under the “Earth and Planetary Science” category.
601 Light Street Baltimore, MD 21230 • www.marylandsciencecenter.org