It’s taken me 34 years on planet earth to experience the thrill of flying a kite. I know I know, what on earth was I doing as a child! Sadly, it seems I lived an unfulfilled, kiteless childhood…
Homemade heaven
Earlier in the year my kitelessness ended when the family and I attended a local kite festival. Apart from it being an awesome spectacle with giant octopus, sharks and cherubs adorning the skies – a spectacle so good it kept my kids away from the illuminating swords and ice cream sellers for a record breaking half an hour! – we got to make our own kites. With just a couple of pounds and the assistance of some friendly folk on the stand, the children had their very own kites and it was time to give them a go…
Disappointingly, the kites were great and the kids loved them. Yes, I did say ‘disappointingly’ and the reason being that the kids required no help from me, they were happy with just themselves and their new toys and I didn’t get a look in! Even my three year old told me to “Get off Daddy. Go away!” – charming. But seriously, what joy from a piece of plastic, a couple of sticks, tape and string. And never fear, leave the kids long enough and it’s inevitable that they’ll get tangled-up, giving you the perfect excuse to assist and show them how it’s done!
From warfare to space exploration
If my crude desk research doesn’t let me down, kites have been around some 2,000 years and have been used for everything from warfare, fishing, space exploration and of course the ever popular recreational use. So from humble Chinese origins – some believe a farmer who tied his hat to himself with a piece of string to stop it blowing away ‘invented’ the first kite – kites have endured and remain a brilliant way to get outdoors, get active and have fun.
Let’s go fly a kite
The pull (pardon the pun!) of kites is strong; so much so that although the kids got their ice cream in the end, we did arrive home without adding to our lounge’s stockpile of illuminating swords! If I could sing like Mary Poppins I would; sadly I can’t but I urge you with no less gusto to go out and fly a kite. Kids love it, adults love it and what better way to spend a warm, breezy summer day outdoors?
If you don’t have one, the RSPB Shop sells a very cool flying red kite kite(!) which will go down well with young and old alike. Happy flying!
Dear Mr Birmingham,
I don’t know if you are aware, but this blog post was used in a WJEC English Language paper on the 6th of June 2017. It’s been a fantastic source of many inside jokes and memes for year 10 and 11 pupils. Thank you for supplying us with your work, otherwise known as Text D.
A year 10 pupil