Thrifty Scissors: Kite Patterns Activities and Links

Showing posts with label Kite Patterns Activities and Links. Show all posts

Thursday, December 19, 2019

How The Little Kite Learned to Fly

How The Little Kite Learned to Fly

by Katherine Pyle

"I never can do it," the little kite said,

As he looked at the others high over his head;

"I know I should fall if I tried to fly."

"Try," said the big kite; "only try,

Or I fear you never will learn at all."

But the little kite said, "I'm afraid I'll fall."

The big kite nodded: "Ah, well, good-by;

I'm off "; and he rose toward the tranquil sky.

Then the little kite's paper stirred at the sight,

And trembling he shook himself free for flight.

First whirling and frightened, then braver grown,

Up, up, he rose through the air alone,

Till the big kite looking down could see

The little one rising steadily.

Then how the little kite thrilled with pride,

As he sailed with the big kite side by side.

While far below, he could see the ground,

And the boys like small spots moving round.

They rested high in the quiet air,

And only the birds and clouds were there.

"Oh, how happy I am," the little kite cried;

"And all because I was brave, and tried."

Monday, August 14, 2017

How to make a paper pinwheel

Illustrations of pinwheels

No mechanical toy is more interesting to make, nor more interesting to watch in operation, than a miniature windmill. It is a very simple toy to construct, and the material for making one can usually be found at hand, which are two reasons why nearly every boy and girl at one time or another builds one.

The Paper Pin wheel shown in Fig. i is one of the best whirlers ever devised. A slight forward thrust of the stick handle upon which it is mounted starts it in motion, and when you run with the stick extended in front of you it whirls at a merry speed.

A piece of paper 8 or 10 inches square is needed for the pinwheel. Fold this piece of paper diagonally from corner to corner, both ways. Then open the paper, and with a pair of scissors cut along the diagonal creases, from the corners to within J inch of the center (Fig. 2). Next, fold corners A, B, C, and D over to the center, as shown in Fig. 3, run a pin through the corners and through the center of the sheet Fig. 2. - Diagram for Paper f paper, drive the point of this pin into the end of the stick handle, and the pinwheel will be completed.

pinwheel pattern

Decorate with pinwheels

Tuesday, June 3, 2014

Craft your very own butterfly kite!

My teacher's sample kite. This would look even nicer
with a black background I think.

Children love to craft kites in May and I love to design templates for them use for these playful activities. Below I have included two of my own butterfly designs. Here is also an additional link to a similar project that you can watch on a video and here is also a similar butterfly kite project from mothergoose.com

Supply List:

Printed copies of my butterfly patterns provided below
wooden skewers (clip off the tips)
long straws
scissors
white school glue
masking tape
a variety of bright magic markers
crepe paper streamers (any color)
stapler

Step-by-step Instructions:

Download, and print the butterfly patterns included below. You may need to enlarge these a bit more in a Word Doc by pulling a corner of the jpg. to the edge of the document's screen.
Color the butterfly kite prints with bright magic markers.
Fold the butterfly's body in half at the dotted line.
Fold out apart from the first fold each butterfly wing.
Inserted inside the first fold a long straw. Apply a generous amount of white glue to this crease.
Insert your kite string through the drawn circle (hole) behind the straw by pricking through the paper with the tip of your scissors. This straw will give your kite strength. Tie a knot with the string and include the amount of length that will allow a small child to fly the kite perhaps no more than five yards above his or her head.
The backside of your kite should include a wooden skewer pasted horizontally to the top edge of the kite. I glued mine down and then taped over it in order to reinforce my kite's strength. This is the detail that will actually insure your kite's ability to fly. Be sure to clip off the pointed tips of the skewer before gluing it down to the backside of the kite. You don't want any young students poking each other with the tips during the assignment.
Staple on some colorful crepe paper "tails" in whatever color pleases your students.

Far left, As you can see, the butterfly's body is folded in half at the dotted line and then the wings are folded out apart from the first fold. Inserted inside the first fold is a long straw. It is held in place with white glue. Next, Although I have colored the butterfly's body, I have left the hole white so that you may see that the kite string should be tied off here, behind the straw. Insert the string through this hole and behind the straw. The straw will give your kite strength. Center, The backside of your kite should include a wooden skewer pasted horizontally to the top edge of the kite. I glued mine down and then taped over it in order to reinforce my kite's strength. This is the detail that will actually insure your kite's ability to fly. Far right, Staple on some colorful crepe paper "tails" in whatever color pleases your students.

Two butterfly kite patterns for young students to assemble and color.

Click directly onto the image in order to download the largest possible file size.

My young students enjoyed coloring their butterfly kites with bright colored markers.

I assembled the kites ahead of time for these little ones so that the only work they would
need to do would be to color in their butterflies and staple on the crepe paper tails.

Find More Spring Butterfly Crafts Here

Friday, February 21, 2014

Over 100 Spring Kite Ideas for Classroom Teachers

Kite Crafting/Craft for Students:

Kite Designs and Kites In Flight On Video:

High as A Kite, Kite Flying Bulletin Boards:

Kite Themed Displays, Activities Etc:

Kite History:

Kite Organizations:

More Kite Themed Lesson Plans:

Magazines and Newsletters for Kite Enthusiasts:

The Science and Math of Kites:

How to Properly Fly a Kite:

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