What do you do on Carnival Sunday when you’re not interested in jumping with the bands and ‘chipping down di road’ as you hear the musical stylings of top soca artistes? Well, you could make a kite and try to fly it with your family or do it solo.

Even though the Ocho Rios Kite Festival has passed, you can still get out and have fun flying kites. The weather is perfect for it! There is nothing quite like flying a kite outdoors on a sunny and breezy day. It’s even better when you make it yourself and it’s a simple project that you can complete quickly.

A diamond-shaped kite is easy to fly and will fly even in low wind speeds. You can even make this type of kite by using a paper bag or newspaper. The larger the paper you use, the better your kite will fly. Additionally, the heavier the materials that you use, the more wind will be required to get the kite up in the air.

What you’ll need

• Newspaper
• Scissors
• Tape
• Knife
• Kite string
• Long sticks, bamboo plant rods or 1/4-inch wooden dowels
• Marker

Put it all together

Here is a simple step-by-step process of how build the frame, fashion the sail, and put it all together. After which, you can enjoy watching your very own kite soar across the sky.

Step 1: Using a marker, draw the shape of a kite on a double-page spread of newspaper. Cut it out using scissors.

Step 2: Lay two sticks across the diamond-shaped newspaper in the shape of a cross. Tape the two sticks together in the center of the cross or use string to tie the two sticks together in the center tightly. Cut the sticks to fit the ends of each corner of the diamond. For extra stability, make a notch in the end of each stick and run a string around the perimeter of the kite.

Step 3: Make a small cut at each of the four corners of the newspaper. Fold the edge of the newspaper over the string and tape all around the outside border of the newspaper to keep the outside edge from tearing in the wind. Tape the wooden cross sticks tightly and securely to the newspaper.

Step 4: Tie a long string onto the middle of the frame and make paper or cloth strips for the kite tail.

Have fun flying your kite!

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