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Chinese KiteAuthor: Mary Ellen Gill, Cascade, WA Grade Level/Subject: Third grade and the subject area focused on was art. Overview: Chinese kites were made as the final project to a book students had been working on. Purpose: The purpose of this activity was for the students to learn how to make their own Chinese kite. Students had been working on a Chinese book, comparing the differences in the cultures and customs of the United States and China. Many of the projects in the book were art projects. The Chinese kite tied everything together. Objectives: The objective for this lesson was for each student to make their own kite and fly it. Resources/Materials:
Activities: Chinese kites can be most any design that can fly. I chose fish for my students because they can be so colorful. Each student was given an outline of a fish to cut out.The size was 12" by 36". You could make templates for the students if you wish, and have the students trace their fish and then cut it out. After the fish are cut out, they were painted. Students may paint their fish any color they wish. We had polka dots, stripes, multi-colored, solid colored, etc. Be sure to explain that each student is to paint one side of each fish. Make sure that the students paint the correct side of the fish. Have them paint one side of one fish and then match up the other side so they know which side to paint. Otherwise the fish will not match up. After the fish are painted they are glued together. Make sure the paint is dry before you begin to glue. Glue is placed along the inside edges of the fish. The mouth is left open and the tail can be left open if the student wishes. The next step is to place crepe paper on the tail. I put three pieces on each tail.
They were about 18" long, and the color matched the colors of my fish. After the glue has dried four pieces of kite string are tied to the mouth equal distances apart. Then the four pieces are tied as one about 12" from the mouth. The kite string that is a fixed to an empty paper towel holder, or kite string holder is then tied to those four pieces of string. After that is done, the student is ready to fly the kite. This kite is really a fun activity but the students need to know that it acts more like a wind sock than a kite. Encourage your students to be creative in how they glue this together. The object is to make sure there is a wind passage from the mouth to the tail. Tying It All Together: All of the students helped each other. All were finished at about the same time. When everyone was finished we all went outside and flew the kites. The newspaper in our hometown came and took pictures. It was a great ending to a terrific project. Every student had a book and a kite to take home and they were all very proud of what they had done. Useful Internet Resources:American Kite Flyer's Association Chinese Kite History Fly Me to the Moon - world record altitudes using kites Into the Wind Kites Kite Flyer's Site Kites for Kids Only Kites on the Web Simple Flying Machines Theme Page - Kites, Model Hot-Air Balloons, Paper Airplanes Welcome to Patrick's Kite Site General Internet Art Resources:Art History Theme Page Art and Music ArtSeek - Internet Art Resources The Art Teacher Connection Arts Lesson Plans Chinese Papercuts Crayola Educational Standards and Curriculum Frameworks for Art http://www.putwest.boces.org/StSu/Art.html GATES - Global Access to Educational Sources: Art & Music The Greatest Painters on the Web Japan - Resources for a Visual Arts Theme KidsWeb - Art & Museums The Library-in-the-Sky - Art Lesson Plans Museums Index at World Wide Arts Resources Pencils! Pencils! Pencils! Study Web - Art Teaching Resources The Top Humanities Websites: Art History Yahoo Home: Arts: Education |
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