Never Too Young for Kids Kites!

by Micki
(Pocatello, ID, USA)

Love your newsletter, and love the focus on kids kites - that's really what it's all about, isn't it? I had a mom bring her 3 week old to a library workshop, so her 4-year old could make a kite. I helped her make one for each child.

We've been preparing kite kits for a simple workshop in which dads and kids will make a 3-kite diamond train. It has been a joint effort: A local store donated some shopping bags which are great for kids kites. A kite vendor in the next city gave me large rolls of line for cost.

The library saved every reel from the receipt machine at their check out desk, which we wound with smaller lengths of line. The libraries will provide the venues and advertising, and in one case even refreshments and prizes!

Our volunteers, The Sky's The Limit! team, will donate our preparation and instruction, and voila - free community workshops for kids kites. See schedule on www.idahokitefestival.com

If I can make some helpful comments, as I too always tinker and modify every kite design sometimes for a child's lesson, sometimes just for simplicity or ease:
- when cutting out the sail, fold it in half first and cut both sides at once.
- notch the cardboard winder and teach the child to lock the line when not flying
- knots like the tail knot here and one in an earlier rokkaku lesson do catch the wind and unbalance the kite. I find your more balanced methods - tape, velcro, glue - easier to fly in our gusty Idaho weather.