Resource details: 51 x A4-size pages. 2900 words. Includes many images and video links.

Summary and Overview – Lesson & Resources:

This resource is useful in teaching about Maori Kites and kite making. It prompts the learner to explore kites from around the world in a global context. Integrated curriculum components and subjects are included (e.g. Maths, Science, English, Social Sciences, Design and Visual Communication, and more). Sustainability and Global Citizenship are included as an additional layer to the lesson on Kites.  

Possibilities for Primary and Secondary schools (could also be included in some tertiary courses)

  There are many exciting possibilities for kites and kite-making.   LISTEN TO STORIES ABOUT KITES: Stories from around the world. INTEGRATED CURRICULUM: Maths – areas – shape/form – calculations and more. Science: Aerodynamics & ‘flying things.’ Social Sciences: Explore the different types of kites from a global perspective. Investigate the timeline of kite development over the ages. Literacy: Creative Writing – tell a Kite Story with pictures (include some freehand sketches and artwork). GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP: Explore the different types of kites in different cultures around the world. Consider the choice of materials. Use locally sourced materials—specific country or region. SUSTAINABILITY: Creating kites from organic materials or recycled materials. PRACTICAL COMPONENT/STUDENT ACTIVITY: Making of kites.

GREAT LESSON IDEA TO INCLUDE THE NEW DIGITAL CURRICULUM (NEW ZEALAND – 2025)

  Situation: You have heaps of scrap paper that you want to recycle. You have a passion for technology (electronics and computer programming) and love including sound and LED lights in your projects.  

Design brief: Make handmade paper from scrap paper (recycled) for a kite of your choice. Choose organic materials for the kite frame (e.g. bamboo – can bend). Include a 3-volt coin-type battery to power a simple electrical circuit for your kite. If you are skilled with basic tools and know how to use a soldering iron, create a simple circuit for the kite. The LED lights could light up in the sky when it is overcast and late afternoon, as it gets darker. For fun, you could include a buzzer (sound). You have to include a simple switch. If you are a nerd, why not include a basic microprocessor in the kite design? Go to the micro:bit BBC website and see how the ‘puzzle-type interface’ works—a simple drag and drop interface – learning how to code. See Picaxe and Arduino Uno programming. Easy!  

Possibilities: Design and make paper to cover your kite (handmade paper). Include artwork in the finished handmade paper (e.g. Maori theme – koro/tattoo). Think about where LED lights could look great on your kite. Maybe create a Matariki theme, or something else? You could tell a story with your artwork! Do you know aeroplanes and boats have specific colour lights to mark the tail and the left and right sides of the ship or plane? This LED lighting idea could be included if you want to fly your kite in low-light conditions (dusk or dawn).  

Copyright © 2018 (edited in 2025) by William Van Zyl

Māori Kites and Kite Making. Free resources with lesson ideas.

All rights reserved. This eBook/article or any portion

thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner

without the publisher’s permission, except for using brief quotations in a book review.

Published by Five House Publishing (New Zealand)

First Publishing, 2018 (edited in 2025)

More eBooks and articles are available at https://fivehousepublishing.com/

More about the author at http://williamvanzyl.com/