Discovery Design Time: Kites in the Air

Discover the art and science of flight! In this hands-on kite-making activity, explore the fascinating history of kites while combining engineering, science, and art to build your very own.

Using dowel rods, frosted liners, oil pastels, string, and tape, you’ll design and construct your own kite, decorating it with unique patterns and colors before sending your creation soaring. Along the way, we’ll uncover the remarkable origins of kites as communication tools used by the Chinese military, where different designs and patterns carried messages across vast distances. From those early beginnings, kites traveled the world and evolved into the colorful, intricate creations we know today — used for everything from leisure to cultural ceremonies.

As you build and fly your kite, investigate the forces that make flight possible, exploring how lift, drag, weight, and tension all work together to keep a kite in the air. This hands-on STEAM activity for kids blends art, history, and engineering — sparking curiosity about the science of flight and the stories carried on the wind.

This program is included with general admission.