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How do kites work? |
Everyday Marvels
People can’t fly, but some of our inventions can. Kites are one of them, and they’re very fun toys to play with on the beach or in a wide-open field! A kite might seem pretty simple. There are no wires or microchips, but they actually have a very special design that keeps them soaring, high off the ground.
Kites are light! And that’s very important. If they were heavy, they’d just fall to the ground. We could still pull them with a string, but it wouldn’t be very fun! Kites are also very sturdy. They’re often made of light plastic or fabric stretched across a frame. It’s very important that a kite holds it’s shape, or else it wouldn’t be able to stop wind from blowing through it.
The tail is very important too! The wind in the sky blows the tail, which actually causes the kite to be pointed toward the wind. When the wind meets the body of the kite, it has nowhere to go but downward, and this causes the kite to have the opposite reaction. It gets pushed up!
The last part of the kite is the string, which you hold onto. This anchors the kite in the air so it doesn’t blow away. Also, the string helps for getting the kite into the air. If there’s not a lot of wind, pulling the kite with the string against the still air has the same affect as the wind. The air gets pushed down, and the kite gets pushed up, up, and away!
There are many different shapes and forms of kite, but most work in this way.
Like a Diamond in the Sky
Do you have a kite at home? If you do, try flying it. Make sure you have a grown-up watching you though. Look at how each of the pieces of the kite (the fabric, the frame, the tail, and the string) work together to make it fly.
If you don’t have a kite, you can try to make one. You’ll need some light fabric, paper, or plastic, some light sticks or straws to make the frame, a string to hold onto, and a string to make the tail. You can add some bows to the tail to give it weight. Remember the tail has the important job of pointing the kite toward the wind.
Speaking of wind, having a windy day will definitely help getting the kite off the ground!
How does your kite fly?
