Welcome to Homeschool Story Time: Week 17.
Jack and Fred are on summer vacation.
One day, they decide to make a really big kite.
They soon find out that getting it to fly poses some challenges.
Will they succeed in making a large kite that will fly?
Read on to find out.
Why Wouldn’t the Kite Fly?
Author unknown
Jack and Fred sat on the steps, trying to think of something to do. They had spent their morning in digging wells and ditches in the sand; for it was vacation-time, and they were living down by the sea.
Just before dinner they had been in bathing. Since dinner they had been over in the fields, picking up long feathery grasses to put in mamma’s vases. And now, what should they do next?
At last, Jack thought it would be fine fun to make a large kite, much larger than any they had ever seen. Fred said he would help; and off they ran to get sticks, tacks, paper, paste, and string, so as to have every thing ready.
When they could think of nothing else that was needed, they set to work. Jack cut and tacked the sticks together, just as the smaller ones were in his little old kite; while Fred cut the papers, and made the tail.
Having joined the four ends of the sticks with string, they covered the whole with newspaper, pasted nicely, and left the kite in the sun to dry. Then Jack thought of one thing that had been forgotten: they had not tied on the string. So they had to cut a hole in their paper, and put the string through. Then, of course, the holes had to be patched up again, and this took a good while.
The wind was blowing quite briskly, and the boys thought they could not wait any longer, although the kite was not quite dry. Fred said he would pitch the kite, if Jack would let out the string. You can imagine how Fred looked, as he ran out before the wind, with this big kite that was much taller than himself. Jack said it seemed as though the kite had legs of its own, and was walking off.
Fred pitched the kite. It went up bravely. Jack ran with it, letting out the string, little by little, when, all of a sudden, there came a heavy gust of wind. The string broke, and the kite fluttered down, flat on the ground.
But these boys had been taught to always “try again.” So they went to look for a stronger string.
Jack thought of the clothes-line. Off he went, and soon came back with a good long rope. This they tied on, and now they thought the kite would surely fly. Jack pitched it this time, and what do you think happened? The string was too heavy. The kite went up, but soon came down; and, what was worse, the paper was so thin, that the wind tore it all to pieces.
“Never mind!” said Jack, “we’ll try again tomorrow. You see, Fred, if we have a large kite, we must have a strong cover for it and a stout string.”
Then the two boys went to work, and covered the kite-frame with cloth. They got a string that was very strong but not too heavy; and the next day they had a grand time flying their kite.
* * *
Bookmark or pin this post so you can find it again.
Many blessings,
