National Kite Month

A Kite Learning Project
Adapted from Hutchins Elementary

WELCOME TO HUTCHINS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS.

Students at Hutchins like to make and fly kites. We are learning about the history of kites, how kites fly, why people fly kites, and how to fly kites safely. We hope you like our site.

KITE PICTURES
Have you ever been to a Kite Festival? Let's go to the biggest festival in America and see pictures from the Washington State International Kite Festival

HISTORY
Do you know how long people have been flying kites, or where kites were first flown? Let's find out by reading more about Kite History.

Maybe you've heard about the Wright Brothers and Alexander Graham Bell, but what about Homan Walsh and Paul Garber? Let's find out more about them.

Everyone knows about Ben and his kite. Why was Ben flying a kite in stormy weather? If you want to know more, click here.

KITES IN OTHER COUNTRIES

JAPAN: Japanese people have flown kites for many hundreds of years. Some towns actually have contest with giant kites. Do you know how to tell the winner? Let's read about Japanese kite history and visit a web page about Japanese kites

BALI: Next, we'll go to the Bali Kite Festival.

KITE NAMES
Have you ever wondered what kites are called in different countries? In Japan the word for kite is "Tako". Here is a list of kite names with a fun activity we can do.

ACTIVITIES

Get a friend and make a list of all the things you think of that can fly. Compare your list with other students, or show your list to your teacher. See who gets the most.

You can also use your friends to work on this project. Make a Venn diagram and compare a kite to an airplane. The Venn diagram is two circles that overlap and make a third circle in the middle. On one side of a circle you list what an airplane has or does. On the other side of the other circle you list what a kite has or does. In the middle circle you list what they both do. Your teacher might like to see your Venn diagram when you are finished.

Write down all the names of animals and plants you can think of that fly. Now how many mammals do you know that can fly? Write a paragraph and tell what this animal looks like, where he lives, and what he likes to eat. Be sure to also tell the name of the animal.

KITE PLANS
Before we start building kites, we need to think about the aerodynamics of kite flying. When you are ready to attach the kite string, it needs to be tied to the kite at just the right place so all the aerodynamic forces will be equal. Gravity forces the kite down. If the kite is at the correct angle, the wind forces the kite up. If the kite is attached too high, there will not be enough lift and the gravity will pull the kite down. If the kite is attached too low, there will be too much drag on the line and the kite will not be able to fly. When the string is attached to the kite at the right point, the kite will have an upward slant to it. The air pushing up against the slant of the kite causes the kite to rise into the air. Sometimes a kite tail is added to make the kite more stable. If there are some words here you don't understand, look them up in a dictionary, or ask for help.

KITE SAFETY
Let's see how much we know about keeping ourselves from getting hurt while we are having fun.

Do you fly kites near electric power lines or transmission towers?
Do you use wire or metallic string on your kite?
Do you try to rescue your kite if it catches in an electric power line or on a high pole?
Do you make your kite out of anything metal?
Do you fly your kite near public streets or highways?
Do you fly your kite in wet or stormy weather?
We hope you have the right kite answers. Click on a really safe site to learn more. LES-Kite Safety Fun Book

HERE ARE SOME OF OUR KITES

MORE SITES TO SEE
Click on these sites to find more kite pictures, plans, and information. Have fun!

We would like to hear from our website visitors, so click here to email us. Hutchins

Many thanks to Frank http://www.tmn.com/kiteweb/index.html for all of his valuable help.

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