Older students might use the charts to determine what percentage of a competitor's total points are regional and national points. Students can use the charts to find which competitor has the most regional points, the most national points, and the most total points. Go to American Kite Magazine Circuit Standings (1999) and print out the charts. If possible, provide students with a safe time and place to fly their creations. Provide each group of students with a copy of the directions and help them complete their kites. Arrange students into small groups, print the directions for building a kite found at one of the other Kite Project Sites listed at the end of this article. First, check out the construction and knot tying tips at The Virtual Kite Zoo. Younger students might each create one kite and attach it to a map on a classroom bulletin board.Īrts and Crafts. Older students might decorate their kites with a representation of the country's flag. Ask them to label the kite with that country's word for kite and attach it to the correct location on the map. Invite students to create and decorate a miniature construction paper kite for each country listed. Provide each student with a map of the world and the list of foreign-language words for "kite" found at the "Kite" Translation Table. The following activities will help ensure that the introduction is both fun and educational. Spring is also the perfect time to introduce your students to the fascinating world of kites. And each spring, the Smithsonian Institution holds a Kite Festival on the Mall near the Washington Monument, draws thousands of visitors to our nation's capital. Still other kite enthusiasts are involved in kite aerial photography. Those competitions are governed by strict rules and monitored by organizations, such as The American Kitefliers Association. Adults around the world participate, individually and in teams, in kite-making and kite-flying competitions and in kite-powered buggy races. Sailors aboard the aircraft carrier USS Block used kites built by Lieutenant Paul Garber to practice shooting at moving targets and to pass important papers from ships to flying aircraft.Įven today, kites are not the exclusive province of children or enthusiastic amateur fliers. Kite technology also led to the invention of the airplane, the parachute, and the helicopter. In 1901, Gugliemo Marconi used a kite to help transmit the first trans-Atlantic wireless telegraph message. In 1749, Scottish scientist Alexander Wilson used several kites, attached in a row, to measure and compare air temperature at different altitudes.īenjamin Franklin used kites to pull boats, carriages, and sleds in experiments with traction and to experiment with electrical energy in the atmosphere. Leonardo da Vinci's method was later used, by 10-year-old Homan Walsh, in the construction of one of the world's first suspension bridges at Niagara Falls, New York. In the 15th century, Leonardo da Vinci discovered how to use a kite to span a river. Throughout the years, as the popularity of kites spread from Asia to Europe and beyond, they became more widely known as children's toys and came to be used primarily as a leisure activity.Įventually, scientists discovered that kites were also useful for conducting scientific experiments, particularly those involving weather and aerodynamics. They were widely considered to be useful for ensuring a good harvest or scaring away evil spirits. In fact, the earliest significance of kites was primarily religious. Kites may have been brought from China to Japan and other Asian countries, historians say, as part of early religious festivals or ceremonies. Historians believe that the first kites were built in China about 3,000 years ago, using materials, such as bamboo and silk. Collect their responses and then create a chart showing the results.) Invite them to write down the answer as soon as they know it and tell which fact helped them figure it out. (You might ask students the question one fact at a time. Helped make Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Graham Bell, Wilbur and Orville Wright, Leonardo da Vinci, Gugliemo Marconi, and Homan Walsh famous? Has led directly to major scientific discoveries? Is a traditional New Year's gift for Japanese children? Has been used to pull boats, carriages, sleds, and ice skaters? Was outlawed during the 18th century because it distracted shopkeepers from their duties? Originated in China at least 3,000 years ago? Is often featured in poetry, legends, and folk tales? Is used by teams of adults in competitions around the world? Amid all the fun, the kids might not even realize how much they're learning! Spring has sprung! Soar out of the winter doldrums with a lesson plan both you and your students are sure to enjoy.
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