Start with an idea, add a little planning, and don't forget the food! These are all the makings of a fun outside activity for families in your neighborhood. A Kite Festival is easy to plan with the tips given below.
Find a Good Location
Kite flying needs to take place in an open field where there is plenty of wind. As such, a park, a farm, or a beach would be a great place to host your Kite Festival. It is also important that there are no telephone wires or electrical wires that the kites could get tangled with.
Kite History and Making Your Own Kite
Kites are thought to be originated from the Chinese. They used bamboo for the frames and silk for the sails. Not much has changed with our modern kites today. The basic ingredients are lightweight materials that help propel and keep the kite in the air, along with a good windy day. You can make your own Diamond kite, which is easy to construct and durable enough to provide a ton of fun.
Kite Building Activity
To add more excitement to the Kite Festival, have families come and make their own kites before the flying begins. If each family is responsible for a few of the materials, it will make the process much more fun. To have the satisfaction of building kites together, but to get it done in a shorter period of time, have families make their frames before they come, so all that is left is decorating the sails (the really exciting part).
Food Festival
Every occasion is more fun when there is food involved. Grilling outdoors is a good option. Finger foods, such as finger-sized chicken salad sandwiches or chicken nuggets is also another way to go. Serve snacks that are also quick and easy, such as popcorn, cookies, or brownies. Fruits like grapes and apple slices will provide needed energy for kite flying! Foods that take a lot of preparation can make you lose focus on the kite flying, so keep it simple.
Award Ceremony
Top off the day with an Award Ceremony. Families can cast votes for the best decorated kite, the best flying kite, the most original designed kite, etc. Each family votes and the winning families receive the awards. It would be nice to incorporate an award for every family in attendance. You can either printout ready-made awards on your computer and just fill in the information that day, or bring along trophies for different categories and hand them out. A trophy can be something as simple as a painted foam block (craft store) with a stick in the middle and a small Diamond kite glued to the stick. Add a title for the trophy on the foam block with a permanent marker.
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