Today, I have a guest post. This sounds like a wonderful way to upcycle and create a fun project for you and the kids!
There’s something thrilling about watching a kite dance with the wind. It’s even more exciting if the kite doing the dancing is a kite that you made yourself! Kids especially love to make their own kites and then have the exquisite joy of testing them. Here, we are going to give tips on how to make kites from items you find in rubbish removal or rescue from rubbish removal!
Presorting the Rubbish Removal
It’s helpful if you presort the rubbish that you plan to have available during your kite making session(s). If you are using only items from your own rubbish removal bins and recycle bins, you will likely have a good idea of what’s in there. However, if you collect rubbish from other sources, such as your neighbors’ bins, or perhaps the bins at the park, you may want to presort the rubbish removal before the kids actually rummage through it. You don’t want them getting their bare hands on sharp glass, needles, medical waste, and other dangerous materials.
Save Kite Materials As You Go
You and the kids can also stow away potential kite materials as you gather and sort your rubbish removal at home. The kids can also be on the lookout for any good materials being binned at school and you can be watching your rubbish removal bins at work. Nature walks and beach walks may be another good source for potential kite materials. In fact, wherever there’s rubbish removal, there’s sure to be good kite making materials!
You and the Kids May Need Gloves
If you are concerned about contamination in the rubbish removal you have collected, you may want to insist the kids wear protective gloves during your kite making projects.
What Types of Rubbish Removal Items Make Good Kite Materials
Okay, now it’s time to get down to the nitty gritty. What materials do you want to collect?
First, you’ll definitely need materials for the sail portion of the kite. This should be thin lightweight material that can be easily picked up by the wind. Newspaper, paper, thin fabric, and thin linens are all good candidates. However, you can also get creative here. For example, you may spot a thin plastic hub cab or an old toy that could become wind born! You never know where a good kite sail may come from so keep an open mind!
Second, you’ll need to collect some materials like dowels to make the framing and structure of the kite, if you haven’t already reclaimed these from old kites (see below). Here, you’re looking for lightweight rods made of wood, plastic, or maybe metal (be more careful with metal) that can be used to help make the frame and hold the shape of the kite.
Third, you’ll want items for the kite tail, decorations, and messages (see below). Here, you can let your imagination run wild but here are some suggestions:
– Leftover Ribbon
– Leftover String
– Fabric scraps
– Old Hair Decorations
– Old Pet Toys
– Leftover Paint
– Leftover Arts and Crafts Supplies Like Glitter
– Colorful Pieces of Paper or Plastic
– Leftover Glue
– Leftover Tape
– Discarded Decorations (Party, Christmas, Valentines, Easter, and so on)
– Miscellaneous Lightweight Bric Brac
– Recycled Stuff
– Items From a Beach Cleanup
– Compostable Items From Nature Like Small Pieces of Wood, Seed Pods Like Gumballs, Rock, Etc
How To Make Easy Kite Templates
While you can certainly search the internet for thousands of kite patterns, you can more easily make kite templates that you know for sure will work by deconstructing old kites. To do this, gather up all the old kites you can find. These can come from your own personal collection, charity shops, and abandoned kites you find in public areas. You can also put the word out among your friends and family, plus your co-workers, your neighbors, and Facebook that you are looking for old kites for a family project. Let them know they don’t have to be kites that still fly, i.e. they can be broken.
Once you have gathered up the old kites, you and the kids can take a good look at their design to determine how and why they fly. If the kites are still usable to at least some degree, you can test fly them to get a better idea of which ones fly the best. Then, you and the kids can carefully deconstruct the old kites.
While you are deconstructing the kites, you can also reclaim some parts of the old kites such as dowels and dowel joints. It can be a good idea to take a picture of the kite before you deconstruct it, especially for more complicated kites, so you’ll know how everything goes back together.
Save the main sail of the kite as a pattern that can be traced. You can also save the tail pieces so they too can be traced. If the kite is more complex, save all the pieces that make it sail so you can trace them all. Save the dowels and dowel joints too, if they are still there (you may still have to scrounge to replace missing ones).
Assemble Your Kites
While many sites will give you step by step instructions, that takes part of the fun away. It’s also good for kids to learn how to deconstruct things and then put them back together. You can encourage kids to make improvements on what they see in the old kite designs. You can also encourage them to show their creativity and decorate their kites in their own personal style.
You’ll want to have a few extra supplies on hand:
– Glue
– Tape (experiment with different kinds, tape can be used instead of glue)
– Scissors
– Basic Tools
Give the Kids a Chance To Amplify Their Voice
Sometimes, kids don’t feel they are heard. However, if their message is put on a kite, and then flown high in the air for all to see, it can be quite empowering for a kid to see their message so amplified. So, you may want to encourage kids to put a message on their kite.
The message could be a positive affirmation such as “I Am Strong!” or “I Make Good Things Happen!” It could be a thank you message such as “Thank You Mrs. Hansen” or “Thank You For Flowers.” Their message could also be a statement about something they really care about such as, “Please Don’t Litter!” or “Please Recycle!” It could also be a message of love or goodwill such as this message to their dog, “I Love You Barky!” or a message to mum, “I Love You Mum!” or simple “Peace To All!”
Send Clearabee Your Videos Please
If you take pictures or videos of your kites made from rubbish removal flying high in the sky, and post them to your social media or blog, please send a link to these on Clearabee’s Facebook page. Clearabee may like you back!
The post Making Kites From Rubbish Removal- How to Make Upcycled Kites appeared first on Saved By Grace.