The resources listed below will suffice for very large kites. Smaller kites can be made, in which case less materials would be needed. In this design, pieces are taped together. Traditional sewing of seams would also work, though it is more time consuming. Craft knives and the hand saw should be used with caution; adults should supervise or manage these tools.

Supplies:

Balsa wood dowels (4 per group) or split bamboo
Rice paper, butcher paper, mylar, plastic sheeting, nylon, or tyvek (3 yards per group)
Packing tape and/or nylon tape (1 roll per two groups)
String (1 roll per two groups) or kite string on handles (2 per group)
Shock cord for wingtip connection (1-2 yds per group) - optional
Buttons (several per group) and/or swivels (4 per group) for attaching string to strings, kites, and scales for easy movement later
Scissors and craft knives
Vinyl tubing for attaching dowels together - optional
Yard sticks, rulers, protractors, and compasses
Small and large lockable paperclips (for hanging kites during development and clipping parts together before permanent binding)
Nocks for ends of dowels (6 per group) - optional
Paint brushes, palettes, and paints for decorating kites (consider kite material when choosing)
Computers for Web Quest and potentially working with digital blueprints and photographs
Room fans
Small hand saw, extra blade(s), & vices (to be used by adult only)
Digital camera - optional
Floppy disks - optional, if storing Web Quest data, digital photos, or digital blueprint.
Virtual Skies tutorial for understanding components of flight
Spring scales measuring in Newtons (several)
Wind meters (at least one)
Graph paper for blueprints
Ribbon or nylon tail material

People:

Community members, parents, and/or members of local kite clubs and craft organizations to assist in design, testing, and construction.

Supplies can be purchased from the resources listed below. When you click on these links, you may be exiting the NASA web site. These sites are not under NASA control, and NASA is not responsible for the information or links you may find there. NASA is providing these links only as a convenience. The presence of these links on any NASA web site is not intended to imply NASA endorsement of that site, but to provide a convenient link to relevant sites which are managed by other organizations, companies, or individuals.

Into the Wind is a popular kite supply store in Boulder, Colorado. They sell most of the supplies listed above, as well as ready-made kites, books, and videos. Their home page can be found at http://www.intothewind.com. Arbor Scientific is a retailer specializing in tools for education. The following link takes you directly to their Spring Scale listing: http://www.arborsci.com/Products_Pages/Measurement/MeasurementBuy2.asp#Scales. The Weather Place has a large range of measurement devices for determining wind speed. The Dwyer Wind Meter, one of the least expensive, non-electrical meters is found at: http://shop.store.yahoo.com/weatherplace/dwyerwinmete1.html

1. Make frame by cutting and binding together dowels (or other rods or split bamboo) with string or tubing. The frame should be sturdy and well balanced. You can attach a short bridle now, or after the kite fabric is added.
2. Cut the fabric to be slightly larger than the frame. Decorate the kite fabric. Be sure it is dry before attaching it to the frame.
3. Attach the kite fabric to the frame. Extra fabric can overlap the frame and be adhered to the frame with tape or glue. Glue works well for rice paper or butcher paper. Special glue may work well for plastic or nylon. Nylon tape works well with nylon. Packing tape works well with all materials.
4. Attach the tail(s) to your kite.
5. Attach the bridle (if not already attached) and test the kite again for balance. If the bridle punctures the kite fabric and a tear starts, you can reinforce the fabric with adhesive hole-punch reinforcers or tape. If your kite is unbalanced, is better to reduce weight on the heavier side than add a counter balance on the lighter side.
6. Lengthen the bridal for flying. It is a good idea to use swivels so it is easy to attach and disconnect the bridle to the string as needed. A swivel also comes in handy for flight testing (connect to a spring scale).

You Decide Intro
You Decide Scenario