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What’s so special about flying a kite that it was turned into one of the catchiest songs ever made?
Let’s go fly a kite, up to the highest height
Let’s go fly a kite and send it soaring…
In THE ISLAND OF THE SKOG, it’s an important tool for a group of mice, hungry for a celebration, but needing to set off on an adventure to get away from annoying cats. The mice are smart and ingenious (big word for extra-smart), and decide to sail to an island paradise. They have to learn to compromise and come up with some creative ideas to take care of each other.
Before your trip to see THE ISLAND OF THE SKOG, it would be great for you and your young one to see how the mice had to do things. Make your own kite with these simple instructions. You can always decorate with stickers or markers. The goal of the activity is no necessarily to create a kite that will fly, although it’s possible. It’s a work of art that will be as individual as your child. And, just like the mice had to learn to compromise, it takes a lot of teamwork to make a kite.
…Up through the atmosphere, up where the air is clear
Oh, let’s go, fly a kite!…
You can find these instructions right here https://buggyandbuddy.com/make-kite/. Buggy and Buddy seems like the perfect duo to help you make your kite!
There are also tons of YouTube videos that use different materials that you can find around your house, like garbage bags, but I like this one using newspaper.
Materials for Making a Kite
- A full sheet of newspaper
- Two 1/4 inch round wooden dowels (one 24 inches, one 20 inches)
- Scissors
- Pencil
- String
- Masking tape or packing tape
- Ruler or yardstick
- Yarn and/or ribbons
- Little handsaw
Directions for Making a Kite
1. Start by cutting your wooden dowels to the correct lengths- 24 inches and 20 inches. (The kids helped me measure the dowels with a yardstick, and I cut them myself with the saw.)
2. Use your handsaw to make notches in both ends of your two wooden dowels. (For safety reasons, I did this myself.)
3. Lay the 24 inch dowel vertical and measure 6 inches from the top. Mark it with a pencil. Place the smaller dowel across this mark to form a ‘t’ shape. Use your string to wrap the dowels together where they meet. Pay attention to the notches at the end of each dowel. You’ll want them all parallel to the floor your sticks are on so that you can later wrap string around the frame. Wrap string all the way around the kite, making sure it goes right into the notches.
4. Now that your frame is done, it’s time to add the newspaper. Place a large sheet of newspaper on the floor. Place your frame on top of it. Cut about one inch outside the frame to make your newspaper the same shape.
5. Place a large sheet of newspaper on the floor. Place your frame on top of it. Cut about one inch outside the frame to make your newspaper the same shape.
6. Cut a piece of string 24 inches long. Poke holes into the top and bottom points of the kite. Tie one end of the string into the top hole and one end into the bottom hole. (Use some tape to keep it secure.) This is the brindle of your kite. Tie your flying string to this brindle string to fly your kite. (We started by tying the string about 1/3 of the way down the brindle and adjusted it as we flew our kite.)
7. Add some ribbon to create a tail for your kite, and now you’re ready to go flying!
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DCT Staff Thoughts
This is where I often talk about my kids, and we have flown kites together a few times with our kids, but when I think of kites, I remember going to the park with my boyfriend before he was my husband. We were in college and lived in the windy West Texas town of Abilene, and college kids often need to find inexpensive ways to go on dates. We were great at getting it up in the air, after a few tries. It did take teamwork and we took turns holding the string. Why is holding the string the most fun part? It feels like you’re in control of the kite, but NO, the wind is in control, which is why even though we were successful in getting the kite in the air, we were NOT successful in keeping them out of trees.
That’s why a newspaper kite is a perfect, inexpensive way to give it a try!
Of course we want you to enjoy your time at the theater, but these activities are for you to enjoy while you are at home, and hopefully bring a little DCT fun into your quality time together. We have found that the more prepared our audiences can be before they get to the theater, the more engaged they will be as an audience.
Sherry Ward
DCT Communications
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