Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
Ocean View kids are given the lowdown on kite-making
IF YOU have a black plastic bag, sticks, ribbon and string at home then you're one step away from creating your own kite.
This is exactly what close to 150 children from Ocean View experienced last week when they joined community activist Paul Franke and Blue Ribbon.
Franke is keen to run the event annually and has since carried out the kite-making programme for the second time.
The children were treated to sandwiches, a gift bag and T-shirt and received medals for their participation.
They were taught the craft of making kites by using household items.
“Our children need to learn how to work with their hands,” said Franke.
“It is something that we learnt how to do when we were children.
“They need to learn how to be creative and to use their imagination.”
The children were entertained by Ocean View Cadets who were previously featured in the Weekend Argus.
Franke said children were encouraged to fly their kites: “We had two young men who showed them how to create the kites.
“The next challenge was to make it fly. They each received a medal for their participation. We would like this to be an annual event.”
He said the following items were needed to create a kite at home:
• You will need a plastic bag, string, two sticks, a pair of scissors and ribbon.
• Take the two sticks, one short and one long, and they can be the
wood skewers used for kebabs. Cross the sticks over one another.
• Where the two sticks meet one another, use your string to tie them tightly together and don’t forget to make a knot.
• Next, cut your plastic to fit the frame and each corner or point using the string and make a knot to secure it. Make sure it is tight.
• The kite must resemble a triangle.
• Tie a long piece of string on the bottom stick which will be your longer one and a piece of ribbon on the top of that stick.
• The best way to fly the kite is to have a friend hold it while you back up slowly into the wind. Have your friend let go the kite and let the string out, or you can just hold it and run wildly into the wind. Have fun!