Tetrahedral Kite

Today, we can enjoy the luxury of flying from one location to another jumbo jet airliners. We have state of the art military jets that can travel faster than sound. But, the first form of aviation was the kite. In this tutorial, you will learn how to make your very own tetrahedral kite. A kite very similar to the one Alexander Graham Bell invented in 1903.

You will need the following materials:

• Gift Tissue Paper
• String
• 60 Straws
• Glue
• Ruler
• Scissors
• Pencil

Thread the string through three equal sized straws together. Make sure that you move the straws to one end of the yarn ensuring that you have a piece of yarn that measures 2-3 inches on one end. Then, tie the yarn together forming a triangle with the straws. Make at least 2 to 3 knots so that the kite doesn't fall apart while in the air. When you are done the piece of string facing away from the spool should measure about 2 inches.

After the triangle is made and tied use two more straws to measure out the remaining string to complete the pyramid. Line up two straws parallel to the string still attached to the spool and leave about two inches after the straws and cut the string from the spool. Create a diamond shape with the straws by using the remaining string to tie the last two straws to the triangle you created earlier. Remember to tie as many knots as necessary so that the straws don't come apart (usually at least 2 knots).

Thread a piece of string through another straw and leave about two inches on each side of the straw before cutting it. Tie the string from one side of the straw to one vertex of the diamond then tie the other side of the straw to the opposite vertex. Make sure all ties are secured properly with at least 2 knots as previously mentioned. When both pieces of string are attached, you should have a straw pyramid in front of you.

Cutting the tissue paper is easier if you start by creating a stencil first. Use a straw to help you create the base of the stencil. With the straw lined up on the bottom of the paper make two separate marks about 1/10th the length of the straw in from each of the openings of the straw. Go in an additional 1/10th of the length of the straw from each of the previous marks. Begin by using the two inside marks as the base of a rectangle and a height that is about a 1/4th of an inch longer than that. Measure the distance from one straw to the next on a made pyramid 1/10th of the way in on any corner. Using the ruler make an approximately 45 degree angle from the first mark in the opposite direction from the second mark and then draw a line with the ruler that is about 1/2 an inch longer than the measurement you took from the corner of the pyramid. Use the ruler to draw a line from the end of this last line to the top of the rectangle. Repeat these last two steps for the opposite side. Cut along the lines you have created and you now have your stencil.

Using the stencil you just created, fold the tissue in half around the stencil so that it covers the entire stencil evenly. Then take the stencil out and place on top of the tissue paper so that the base of the stencil is lined up in the middle of the folded edge of the tissue paper. Use the stencil to cut out the shape from the tissue paper being careful not to move the stencil as you are cutting.

Using the tissue paper cutouts, place one sheet flat on a table. Align one edge of the pyramid to the folded center of the tissue paper. Apply glue to one tab of tissue paper at a time and fold over the straw.Always ensure that the side you are gluing is flat on the table.

The base of your kite should have a total of 6 pyramids connected together from each corner. Three should be in front, two in the middle, and one in the back.

The midsection of the kite should have three pyramids. The bottom of each pyramid in the midsection should be tied to the top of the base pyramids.

Tie the last pyramid to the top of the midsection of the kite. The ten pyramids should now form one larger pyramid.

Using scissors, cut off any excess yarn.

Tie a string to the top of your larger pyramid and get ready to see your kite in action.