Kites are wonderful!  Another great outdoor activity to suggest to the kids that parents can help out with.  They're easy to make, and they get the kids playing outside and developing an appreciation for the outdoors.  Building the Kite might require adult help and supervision (even if you're kids can do it alone, they really want you there to share in the experience) and let's face it parents, when you help build the kite, you're gonna want to fly it too.

The best way to instill outdoor, environmental appreciation in your kids is to spend some time outdoors with them.  Teach them what you know and open up discussions about what you don't know then go find out together.

Building a simple kite is pretty easy.  One can be built using items you might have around the house like paper, plastic garbage bags, straws and glue.  Before you glue anything, cut your paper (or garbage bag) and your wood to size and lay it out to make sure everything will fit.  Use 1/8" dowling to make the frame.  Fit the ends of the frame into pieces of straw secured to the kite's skin.  Reinforce the frame's cross point by tying both pieces of wood together.  Now find a good spindle stick and wrap your kite's string around it.  You'll want to use a good 30-40'.  Tie the other end of the string to the frame's cross point and off you go!

Kites can also be much more complex and intricate.  If you're looking for more of a challenge check out www.kitebuilder.com