DIY Wrapping Paper Kite

Create a wrapping paper kite with cheap supplies. Should take 45-60 minutes to complete. Fun for all ages!

Step 1: Supplies

Supplies: scissors, 1 roll of standard wrapping paper, ruler, 4 1.5 meter bamboo sticks (bendable), twine roll, scotch tape, pen or pencil.

Step 2: Cutting the Kite

Cut a piece of wrapping paper into a square piece. The dimensions can be custom set, but a recommended side length is 13 - 18 inches. The instruction set was based off a kite with a 16 inch side length.

Step 3: Fold the Kite

Fold the paper from one corner to the opposite, to form an isosceles triangle. If the wrapping paper is only one sided, fold the paper so that the design side is on top. Cut off any excess so the sides are even.

Step 4: Incision Cuts

With the kite still folded in half, on the hypotenuse of the triangle, make three sets of two cuts about a quarter of an inch into the paper.

Step 5: Inserting Bamboo Stick

Unfold the paper and lay it with the design side up. Take a bamboo stick and insert it through the divots created from the cuts. Once the stick is completely through, cut off any excess so the stick is the length of the kite. Flip the kite over to make sure that the bamboo stick was put in correctly.

Step 6: Making the Bow

Take the twine and cut off a section multiple feet long. Take one of the flexible bamboo sticks, and bend it into a bow shape that will fit inside the dimensions of the paper. Tie the twine to the ends of the bamboo stick so it maintains the bow shape. The bamboo stick should still be flexible and will not splinter if done right. Lay the bow on the design side of the kite.

Step 7: Taping the Bow Down

When laying the bow on the design side of the kite, the line the twine creates should be sitting slightly above the halfway point. None of the bow should be extended out past the paper. Once the bow is set properly as described, tape it down along the stick part of the bow. Do not tape the string down

Step 8: More Twine

Take twine and tie off the top and bottom end of the rod going through the middle of the kite. Tape down the ends of the rod. This should not prevent the twine from being able to be lifted up. This will be what the spool will be attached to at the end.

Step 9: Cutting the Tails

Take a 1 meter length of rolled wrapping paper, and measure off four centimeter lengths. Cut each of thes to create 5 strands of about 1 meter each.

Step 10: Creating the Middle Tail

Tape one of these sections to the bottom end of the kite on the designed side. Tape an additional two of these sections to the end of the original length to create a line of 3 meters.

Step 11: Attaching the 3 Tails

Tape one section to both side ends of the kite. These side lengths will only end up being 1 meter. The kite should look as such, a longer tail of 3 meters in the middle, and two 1 meter tails on the sides of the kite.

Step 12: Attach the Twine Roll

Tie the twine roll to the line of twine going up the kite.