Kite Making for Learning

Infinite Arts offers Kite Making workshops in school targeted to supporting maths, science and engineering in KS1, 2 and 3. Kites can support learning and communication between different ages and different cultures. Much of the learning can take place out of doors and it can happen before the learners have realised they are learning.

Many aspects of the curriculum can be covered through kites:

Maths: symmetry, scale, ratio, measurement

Science: gravity, forces

Recycling: using unwanted materials

Engineering: planning, designing, adapting, testing, critical thinking, problem solving

Cross generational learning cross cultural learning.

The total time for a kite making workshop will depend on a number of variables including the age and abilities of the children, and the type of kite being made. For example – making a diamond kite with a class of year 4 pupils would last about 2 hours including an introduction and demonstration, time spent making the kite, decorating the kite sail, discussing kite safety and flying the kite. More complicated workshops can be offered to stretch pupils through a team challenge such as making a Circoflex kite or a Bell Tetrahedron Kite. All the workshops involve, measuring, multiplying, estimating, checking, testing and amending and involve pupils in actually fabricating a kite which will fly.

Depending on the focus and age group - the following may be some of the outcomes

• To encourage young people to work outdoors 
• To think creatively and to work together
• To support teachers in recognising and nurturing creativity
• To enrich personal and creative development
• To work without known or predicted outcomes
• To work to plan with predicted outcomes and to seek to vary the outcomes
• To develop skills and techniques for construction
• For each person to design and make something uplifting that can fly

The STEM Directory is provided as a service to support you in finding enrichment opportunities. The activities are offered by external providers and are not endorsed by STEM Learning. We are not responsible for their content or delivery.