Looking For A 'No-Tech' Family Activity This Summer? Here's How To Make A Flying Kite

"Matayog ang lipad ng saronggola ni Pepe..." If you remember that old song, you probably had fun childhood memories of kite flying with your parents, siblings, and friends especially during summer.

Now that you're parent, you might be wondering how to make a flying kite so you can replicate those memories with your own children. Some members in our online community, Smart Parenting Village, already enjoy that experience.

One mom shared in her post some snaps of her husband teaching their young daughter fly their homemade kite while visiting their dearly departed in a memorial park. She also added a video clip of the little girl holding the kite's string and making it fly by herself.

One dad also shared a video of him and his 3-year-old daughter flying a kite. "Parang ako ang nag-enjoy," he wrote in the caption. "Been 10 years or more the last time i made this. Miss my childhood."

Flying kites sure makes for a great family bonding activity, and and it offers other benefits for kids, too. It improves their hand-eye coordination and motor skills. It is also a good chance for them to learn about science, nature, and even the weather.

While there are a lot of ready-made kites you can buy, you can also make kite flying an even more memorable event by making the kites yourselves. This is a great chance to encourage your child’s creativity!

How to make a flying kite

For your first project, you need not spend much for materials. You can upcycle old newspapers, magazines, or even calendars, just opt for the lighter or thinner ones. You can simply fold the opposite ends of one sheet of paper and then make a hole at each end. You'll let the string pass through each  of the holes before tying both ends of the strings. You can give this to your child for "practice flying" just around your house or yard.

When you and your child are both ready to go for some serious  kite flying in a bigger open space, you can start building the real thing. Here's a sample how-to from PBS Kids section of the Public Broadcasting Service in the United States.

For materials, you'll need the following:

• 2 straight sticks about 2-3 feet long, one slightly shorter than the other
• Piece of string, yarn or ribbon
• Craft knife or small knife to cut into wood
• Newspaper or large pieces of paper
• Markers
• Scissors
• Glue or tape
• Additional art supplies for decoration (optional)

Then, follow these instructions:

1. Carefully carve a small notch into both ends of each wooden stick for your child. The notches must be cut in the same direction.

2. Lay the slightly shorter wooden stick across the other stick to form a “t.” Help your child use the string to tie the sticks at the center. Make sure the notches are lined up.

3. Help your child pull the string into the notches around the ends of the sticks.

4. Unfold the newspaper and help your child cut a pattern to match the shape of the kite frame. Make it an inch or two larger than the frame all the way around so you can fold the edges over the string.

5. Together, spread the newspaper over the stick frame, fold the edges over the string and glue them in place.

6. Once the glue is dry, tie a long string to the kite where the sticks cross.

7. Finally, decorate the outside of your kite with your art supplies. You can use a giant piece of paper to create any shape to glue to the outside.

Read here for more "no-tech" activities and here for Pinoy games.