How to make an Olive The Owl kite
Rustle up some tissue paper, string and wire for this homemade kite that small children can help make – and then fly all by themselves
Small children love to learn how to fly a simple kite – and the thrill is even more special when it's a kite they're made (or helped to make) themselves.
We love this lovely owl-themed kite. It's easy to make, a cinch to fly and small fingers get to stick on LOADS of coloured triangles during the construction process.
Here's how to make your Olive the Owl kite...
What you'll need:
- Pliers*
- Thin wire, about 0.5mm thick
- Sticky tape
- Scissors
- Tissue paper in light green, blue, pink, and dark green
- Clear-drying glue
- Piece of string, 6cm long
- Rectangle card
*Adult supervision required.
Step 1
Using pliers, bend a piece of wire into an owl shape and carefully tape the edges together. Then, using 2 more bits of wire, create a crossbar, making sure to bend each end back on itself to form hooks. Attach the crossbar to the owl-shaped frame and secure in place with some tape.
Step 2
Cut a piece of light green tissue paper 1cm larger than your wire frame. Make cuts 1cm apart all around the edges to form small flaps.
Step 3
Place the wire frame onto the tissue paper, then fold each flap over and glue in place. Some flaps might overlap, but that’s fine.
Step 4
Cut out your owl’s eyes, beak, wings, tail and feathers from pink, blue and dark green tissue paper. Then, using our main picture (or the final picture, below) as a guide, glue your pieces into place on the front of the kite.
Step 5
Knot your string to the rectangle card to make a handle and then wind it around. Tie the loose end of the string to the centre of the crossbar, and– voilà – your owl kite is now ready to fly the skies!
- Extracted with thanks from Donna Wilson’s Creative Creatures: Make-and-Do Crafty Creatures for Kids (no longer in print).