This photo was taken on the top of the Downs, above Birling Gap. The Hawthorn tree has been shaped by the strong winds and show which way the prevailing wind is – westerly. Today we are thinking about the wind and earth There is still quite a strong wind around today so it is the perfect day to make and fly a kite.
Out and about – fly a kite.
Find a large open space, the beach or park are great for this. You definitely need a space large enough where you can run with your kite and not risk tangling up with someone else. Flying your kite with someone is helpful as they can hold the kite for you while it catches the wind and throw it up into the air when you are ready to run. Fresh air and exercise today!
In the garden – natural paint.
Using the mud from your mud pit yesterday or just digging a small amount today, mix some mud into a thick paste with water. Use a plastic yoghurt pot or similar and a stick for stirring. Once you have your mud paint thick enough, you can use thick and thin sticks, feathers and paintbrushes to create a mud painting. This could be onto paper, an old cardboard box or yourself! Natural paints make great body paints. If you find any chalk, this can be crushed with a pebble and mixed with water for a white paint. Clay and charcoal can also be used so you can experiment with a range of colours.
Inside at home – making a kite.
Tape together 2 thin sticks, collected from a walk, into a cross shape to make the kite frame (BBQ skewers could also be used).
Cut a piece of plastic bag or bin liner so that it is larger than the kite frame.
Screw up the plastic around the end of each stick and tape to hold in place. You should now have your kite frame covered in plastic.
Cut a long length of thin string or wool for the flying line and tie one end to the centre cross of the kite frame and the other end onto a short stick. Wind round the excess string onto the short stick, this is your handle.
Finally, cut a shorter piece of string (about 80cm) and tie it to the bottom of the kite frame. This is the tail. It needs to be slightly weighted so cut small strips of the plastic bag and tie 3 bows onto the tail, spacing them out evenly.
Take your kite out for a flight when you are next able to get out on a windy day. Enjoy!