When you were younger, did you ever grab a bag and created a make shift version of a kite? I remember my brothers and I would grab a plastic bag, tie a string to the one handle of the bag and the other end of the string to a stick (hey, we just had to get creative at times). Even though it didn’t fly high, we thought it was a lot of fun.
This craft is a little similar, however, a paper bag is being used and plus the kids can draw designs and color it the way they like to make it their own. Now, go fly a kite!
Paper Bag Kite
What You Need:
- Large brown paper grocery bag
- Strong string
- Scissors
- Hole punch
- A number of paper ring reinforcement (the kind you use on paper in binders — from any office supply. You could also substitute masking tape).
- School glue or paste
- Paint (tempera, acrylic — whatever you have)
- Crayons, markers, colored pencils
- Paper streamers or crepe paper that you can cut into strips
- A few found objects (bits of paper, glitter, buttons — nothing too heavy)
What You Do:
- Begin by taking the hole punch and making four (4) holes in the top of the paper bag – one in each of the corners. Add paper ring reinforcements to the holes, or put a small piece of masking tape over the hole and poke through with a pencil. This will ensure that your holes don’t tear through.
- Next, cut two (2) lengths of string about 30″ each.
- Tie each end of the strings through a hole in the bag. The goal is to create two loops.
- Next, cut another piece of string — again around 30″. Loop this new piece of string through the two loops you created and tie in a knot. This piece of string will become the handle of your kite.
- You are now ready to decorate the paper bag kite using paint, markers or whatever else you desire. You can paint designs on the kite or turn the kite into a fish by adding eyes, gills and fins. You can glue different items to the kite but be sure not to load the kite down with heavy items — or it will have a hard time staying up in the air.
- Use paper streamers as kite tails and glue them to the bottom of the paper bag. You can make your own streamers by cutting crepe paper into strips. Another nifty streamer idea is to take plastic bags and cut them into strips.
- Once the glue and paint is dry, the kite can fly. Hold on tightly to the string handle and run so that the wind catches the kite. When the bag fills with air it will float and flutter behind you.
- As a variation, you can add a longer handle string to the kite so it will fly higher in the air.
Would this be a craft your child would enjoy?
Photo Credit: Thinkstock
