Friday, August 31, 2012

GMG's Friday Find: Go Fly a Kite!

Looking for a fun family activity for Labor Day Weekend and beyond? Why not build and fly a kite?

There are many varieties of kites that can be made in all kinds of shapes and sizes. In fact, the science of kite making and flying is quite diverse with styles like the Sled Kite, the Diamond Kite, the Rokkaku Kite and more. The history of kite making dates back over 2,300 years with origins believed to be in China. Originally, kites were made for uses other than play. Scientifically, kites were made to emulate the flight of birds. Kites were made to carry fishing lines over an area of water fisherman could not reach. For military use kites were used to visually signal, scatter messages and measure distances. As a religious practice, kites were used to offer up wishes to the gods of weather and crop fertility at the time of spring or fall harvest. And culturally kites are still used to demonstrate artistically the symbols of a region or nation in the sky.


For those who prefer a simple design check out this how-to-video for a kite that your kids will have fun making. And if you are more industrious, there are many videos available for making all kinds of kites you and your family will enjoy flying. So have fun, and go fly a kite!



 ~Peggy
Garden Media Group

1 comment:

OliyanaBeth said...

I love to fly kites whenever I have completed my pediatrics dissertation topics! It's such a relaxing and joyful activity for the whole family. Flying kites is a great way to spend time outdoors and create beautiful memories. I'm definitely going to give kite making a try this Labor Day weekend. Thanks for the suggestion!