It was too windy for our planned activity so we decided to make and fly kites instead. We had not prepared ahead of time so we 1) did not necessarily have suitable materials at hand and 2) didn’t really understand how kites worked. We also made some interesting discoveries about gusty winds and wind flow patterns on the hill above the school track.
Spur of the moment, no prep. Without much discussion we ran around and gathered up materials to make kites with. We realized as we started trying to build them that none of us really knew how kites work. 
We wanted to get started so we didn’t have (or rather, didn’t take) the time to look it up. Everyone just piled in and “threw work at it” (probably should have discussed properties a kite should have and what designs would give them those properties). We each had our own ideas about the best design, and set out to see if we were right.
Designs
Most people started with a standard kite shape; two people made flying wedges, and a few tried novel designs like parachutes or scoops.
All of them were made out of whatever materials came to hand; newsprint, straws, plastic sheeting, packing & masking tape, string, fishing line, a few old tent poles, bamboo skewers, binder clips, etc.
Individual results
Follow up / observations
- In field repairs were harder (due to wind & limited (had to fetch) supplies) – fixing inside fix was easier but took longer due to the round trip too/from the field.
- We should research kites and try again.
- Several of the kites behaved very oddly–they dove and spun in some parts of the field but flew better in other places. After a while we realized that none of the kites flew at the north (upwind) end of the field. ZSeveral people said that it was if the air was blowing down into the ground there. This obviously couldn't be the case, so what was up?
- Testing air flow with soap bubbles
- Measuring air speed with the anemometer
- Conclusion: Turbulence sucks for kite flying
- We should scout for a better location in case we want to do this again
- We should get better materials (longer bamboo for struts, etc.)
- We should try flying known good kites to see if the problem is our kite flying stills (or anti-skills), our kite designs, or our construction skills.