Flying Kites for Father's Day
Papa, daddy, baba, whatever you call him, he’s worth having fun with if he’s around.
The Dads in this household both my dad and my husband are hardly around, but when they’re here they’re really present and try to make up for the time that they’re not. We realise that we are lucky to be able to enjoy them, but don’t take them for granted.
This year, father’s day in the UK falls on the 18th of June, and we’re taking them on a day trip to Brighton. It was my sister’s idea, and we’re hoping for good weather with some wind!
I remember my dad making my first kite with me when I was about 4 or 5. We got some paper, string and some straws, cut it out and glued it together.
As a structural engineer, I’m sure he’d figured out the right weight and proportions because even though I don’t remember it being a particularly windy day in Kuwait, on the seaside, it flew! In my tie dye t-shirt, I was the happiest kid alive that day.
Yesterday he corrected me though. “That wasn’t the first time we made a kite together. You were 3 years old when we tried it the first time. You happily made the kite, but then insisted on trying to fly it yourself with no help from anyone, and then you wailed when it wouldn’t fly. I’m still scarred by that experience!”
I thought that I would get the kids to make a kite out of some old DoddleBags, string, tape and straws, and try to recreate some of the magic.
Naturally dad will try to improve the design, but we love a challenge!
1. Sketch your kite design
2. Get Some DoddleStickers, straws, a pair of scissors and some old DoddleBags
3. Feed the straws into the Doddlescrew
4. Stick bags together with DoddleStickers
5. Follow the pattern on the sketch
6. Make sure the inner star is well secured
7. Stand up the inner star
8. Start to attach the next layer by alternating matched screws and sticking bags
9. Continue in the round
10. Complete second layer
11. Create V shape from the bags and connect to the free screws at the points
12. Create a Y shape and connect to the valley points
13. Complete the outer layer
14. Wrap some pipe cleaner round the screw and feed a straw through it
15. Screw the anti choke caps onto the screw
16. Tie colourful ribbon round the screw caps, string the kite with 4 strings tied around every three caps.
NOW - Take it to the park on a windy day and try to fly it.
Dad took one look at it and declared that it wouldn’t fly. It's way too heavy, and there’s not enough wind. Needless to say that I thought we should try for the fun of it!
We went up Primrose Hill with my 4 year old and a couple of her friends.
I wondered whether they would be wailing too after the experience. We were encouraged when a small gust of wind made its way past us, and the kite was bouncing on the wind, but when we got to the top of the hill, we held it up whilst the girls ran (in front of the crowds).
We got lots of comments from “great looking kite” to “run faster kids” but nobody was rude enough to laugh when it didn’t fly!!
IT DIDN’T FLY- but- the little ones didn’t wail!
They had so much fun trying, that in the end, that was worth it by itself.
Even grandad was proud that a bunch of used DoddleBags could give so much pleasure in their afterlife.
Maybe we’ll try again on a really gusty day. I’m not giving up!!
