Now, using a saw or razorblade, cut a notch in each end of both sticks. (Adults should supervise this step.) Make the notches about 1/8" deep, and just wide enough so a piece of kite string will slip in.

When you're done cutting the notches, take one end of your kite string and tie it tightly around the end of the top stick, just below the bottom of the notch. Run the string through that notch, then through the other three notches. At each notch, wrap the string around the stick once or twice. When you get back to the top notch, wrap the string tightly around the stick again and tie it securely. Cut off the excess string.

Now, cut another piece of string about 24 inches long. Tie one end of this string tightly around one end of the short stick. In the other end of the string, tie a loop. Slightly flex the short stick and slip the loop into the notch at the other end. The string should hold the short stick in a gentle arc. There should be about two inches of space between the string and the cross-section of the sticks. If you don't have that much space, you will need to shorten the string a little bit. Leave this string attached for now. You'll normally want to unfasten this string when you're not flying your kite, but attaching the paper (explained below) without this string fastened will probably result in tearing your kite before it ever gets off the ground!

Now it's time to put the covering on your kite. This can be almost any lightweight paper. We used tissue paper on our kites; Grandpa tells me that when he was a boy, he made kites with anything from brown paper bags to tissue paper. The lighter the paper, the better your kite will fly. However, lighter paper tears more easily in strong winds or if the kite happens to crash.

Whatever kind of paper you decide to use, lay out a large piece on a hard floor or work surface. The piece of paper should be large enough so that it exceeds the dimensions of your kite skeleton by about an inch on each side. You may need to glue pieces of paper together to get a piece big enough. Cut the paper into a diamond shape, being sure to maintain an inch extra all around the edges. When you're finished, cut off the corners of the paper so that there will be about half or three-quarters of an inch of bare wood at each end of each stick.

One side at a time, run a neat bead of glue along the far edge of the paper. Fold that side up, over the string, and glue it down to the paper on the other side. Do this for each of the four sides of the paper diamond. Let your glue dry before going on.

Once your glue is dry, take another piece of string about 48 inches long, stand your kite on one end with the arc facing away from you, and tie the string securely to each end of the long stick of your kite skeleton. This is your kite's "keel," and it helps provide extra stability for your kite. When you're ready to fly your kite, you'll tie your string to the keel.

Now you'll need to fasten on your kite's tail. The tail is basically an anchor to keep the kite right-side-up in the air. The tail needs to be just heavy enough to do its job. The best-looking tail can be made from a narrow strip of bright cloth, three or four feet long, with short strips of cloth tied across it in intervals. You'll probably need to experiment a bit to get the right length and weight.