April is Kite Month, largely because the weather conditions
in the Northern Hemisphere are good for flying them. But you can learn about
kites any time of the year. And when someone says, “Go fly a kite,” take them
up on it – as a compliment.
CONNECT:
- Look at different types of kites at the Virtual Kite Zoo: http://www.blueskylark.org/zoo/
- Trace 3000 years of kite history at http://www.my-best-kite.com/history-of-chinese-kites.html
- Meteorological kites served important roles in the Industrial Revolution. Check them out at http://www.kitehistory.com/Miscellaneous/meteorological_kites.htm
- How does a kite fly? Check out its aerodynamics at http://blog.nasm.si.edu/aviation/how-kites-fly/
- Benjamin Franklin discovered electrical phenomenon using a kite Truth or myth? Read one version at http://www.codecheck.com/cc/BenAndTheKite.html. Now read about Myth Busters’s experiment at http://www.discovery.com/tv-shows/mythbusters/mythbusters-database/ben-franklin-electricity.htm
CREATE:
- Make your own kite following the directions at: http://www.skratch-pad.com/kites/make.html. Another video set of directions for making a kite can be seen at http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Fast-Kite-with-One-Sheet-of-Paper
- Kite festivals are held around the world. Maybe there’s one near you that you could visit – and you can always see pictures virtually. A list of kite festivals is found at http://matadornetwork.com/trips/photo-gallery-23-huge-kite-festivals-around-the-world/
- Experiment with different kite shapes, and see which flies best: http://pbskids.org/dragonflytv/show/kites.html
- Discover kite math at http://www.transum.org/software/Fun_Maths/kite/
CARE:
- Have a story about kites? You can add it to the World’s Kit Collection at http://www.drachen.org/
- Find out safety issues about kite flying at http://www.awindofchange.com/lessons/lesson1-1.html
- Help plan a kite festival: http://www.nationalkitemonth.org/events/
- Kites aren’t just for fun. Find out some nifty uses at https://sites.google.com/site/stanfordkfs/the-kite/uses-of-kites
CAREERS:
Up in the air about careers? You might fly high with these
careers:
http://www.khake.com/page41.html