Years ago, quite by accident, I discovered kiting. I love flying kites, and the kite form that I was most fascinated by was the Fighter Kite. Through a combination of research, good luck, and meeting others who found Fighter Kites as fascinating as I did was enough to make building and flying fighter kites a joy and passion for nearly 20 years. I’ve become something of a local authority on these kites. I was recently contacted by my local kite club to see if I would volunteer to help a local museum with their program celebrating Uttarayan, the Indian festival celebrating the turn of the sun Northward. Uttarayan is celebrated in a number of ways, but among them is the flying of Fighter Kites. I eagerly agreed.

The Kid Museum is a wonder – it is about experience, and teaching children about science and technical things through experience, all while having fun. Among the ways that the Kid Museum chose to celebrate Uttarayan for the children were dancers performing traditional dances from the Indian province of Gujarat, a gentleman teaching about the Hindi language and helping the children write their names in Hindi, and of course, fighter kite building and fighter kite lore, which I handled with the aid of the Museum’s dedicated and tireless staff.

I had a chance to show kites I’d built, and some examples I’d collected over the years, and I talked to adults and children about the way fighter kites fly, and I demonstrated how cutting line works, and of course, I helped the museum in their kite building classes. I had such a good time doing this, and if the Kid Museum wants me to come back and help again, I’d eagerly accept.

The Kid Museum is a wonderful place, and deserves a look for anyone who knows and loves a child between 5 and 12 years of age.  http://kid-museum.org

At my table, showing kites, cutting line, and talking about Fighter Kite culture.

Helping with the kite building classes.