Kite making is an art millennia old that takes years to master, but even kids can learn the basics of making and flying kites. This guide

to kite making basics offers you a beginner sled kite project suitable for kids and others just getting started learning how to make kites.

Design Your Own Kite

The Parts of a Kite

First, let’s learn the parts of a kite.

The frame of the kite is the rigid structure that holds it together, like the skeleton holds the human body together. It can be made of wood, fiberglass, graphite, or epoxy tubes. It is built from two parts:

• A spine, made from one or more vertical sticks
• A spar, made from supporting sticks that cross the spine

Places on the frame where sticks connect are called joints.

Most kites have a frame, though there is a category of kites called soft kites which does not have a rigid frame.

The cover is the material that covers the frame, like skin covers a skeleton. Kite covers are usually made of material that is heavier than air, such as paper, plastic, or a fabric like cotton or silk. However some kites called kytoons are filled with lighter-than-air material such as hot air, hydrogen, helium, or methane.

A fastening holds the cover to the frame.

A flying line string attaches to the covered frame so that the kite can be held.

A handle makes holding the string easier. The handle includes a reel so that kite string can be wound and unwound to control the height of the kite.

In addition to these basic features, kites usually have other features used to stabilize and control the kite in the wind.

A bridle is a string or strings that attach to the frame to provide a focal point for pulling the kite. Many kites have bridles, but not all do.

A tail is a set of paper or plastic strips or ribbons that help balance the kite. Some kites have tails and some don’t.

Connecting the Parts Together

The general procedure for connecting the parts of a kite together has three major steps:

1. Assemble the frame by tying the spine and spar sticks together.
2. Fasten the kite’s cover to the frame.
3. Attach the line and handle, along with any bridle or tail.

Each of these steps breaks down into smaller steps. The exact steps depend on the type of kite you’re building.

Types of Kites

There are many types of kites. The most common ones fall into three main groups:

1. Flat kites
2. Box kites
3. Soft kites

There are also ‘power kites’ that are usually used with a board or vehicle and are a lot of fun.

Flat kites are the simplest kinds of kites, composed of a single cover supported by a frame and attached to a bridle. The most common type of flat kite is the Eddy kite, developed in the 1890′s by kite pioneer William Eddy, who used Asian kite ideas to improve his basic design. The Eddy kite has a diamond-shaped cover supported by a single spine and a bowed spar, with a bridle attached to the spine.

Box kites use multiple spines to give a kite frame a shape such as a square or triangle. A common box kite is the Conyne kite, invented in 1902 by Silas Conyne.

Soft kites have no rigid frame, and resemble flags.

A Beginner Kite Making Project

Some kites are very complicated to make, but others are easy. Here is a simple kite making project suitable for beginners.

The sled kite has a simple frame structure that makes it one of the easiest kites to make. Some models can be built in 15 minutes. To make a sled kite:

1. Take a piece of sheet plastic or a strong plastic bag about 32 inches wide and 17 1/2 inches high. You’re going to fold it into a shape that looks like a rectangular envelope with two flaps, one sticking out from either side. To do this, first fold it in half horizontally so that the folded plastic is 16 inches wide. Draw a vertical line 8 inches in to divide this in half, which will define where the envelope flap begins. Make the point of the flap 6 1/4 inches down from the top and 11 1/4 inches up from the bottom. Keeping the plastic folded, cut out the shape with a craft knife or scissors. When you unfold the plastic you will have the rectangle with the double flaps.
2. Decorate the plastic as you wish.
3. Cut two 1/4 inch wooden dowels to 18 inches in length. Use tape to attach these to the decorated side of the kite so that one runs from top to bottom along the base of each flap.
4. Reinforce the points of the flaps with multiple layers of tape. Poke holes in the reinforced flap points.
5. Form a bridle by tying six feet of strong thread to each flap point hole and tying a loop at the mid-point where the two threads meet.
6. Attach a 22-pound-strain flying line to your bridle.

An interesting kite-making video from ScienceOnline:

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