Kites, learning take flight at Fisk Elementary

Fisk Elementary students took to the sky Tuesday afternoon and tested kites made in class as well as decorative ones brought from home.

After hearing the elementary students were having Kite Day at school, Landon Ham, a fifth and sixth grade teacher at Fisk, had an idea.

“I wanted to jump on the wagon,” he said.

Ham saw the opportunity for his students to participate in a fun project while also weaving Kite Day into the curriculum.

Fifth grade students shared they learned depending where they placed the string for their kite, the more control they would have.

Jenna Caldwell said the trial and error of finding the perfect spot to attach the string was her favorite part of the lesson.

Building and even flying kites can be used as a vehicle for lessons in history, physics, earth science, aerodynamics, mathematics and even creative uses of graphics and colors.

Ham said his student teacher also used Kite Day as a lesson in his own by teaching the students the history of kites and how they have been around for centuries.

Through his research, Ham was able to find two different kite options for his student teacher to lead the students in constructing.

“Making the different types of kites was exciting,” fifth grade student Gemini Miller said. “I liked picking the decoration for my kite. I made a dragon with a tail because they fly.”

Students were able to choose from a circular kite made from a foam plate, or a more traditional kite shape constructed from newspaper and sticks.

“The students picked which option they wanted to build and gathered the supplies needed,” Ham said.

Students filled the Fisk skyline with colorful kits of all shapes and sizes Tuesday afternoon during Kite Day. DAR/Denise Kinder

Cameron Hanks, a fifth grade student, said building the kite was challenging and ultimately chose the circular design from the foam plate.

“The students now know if they are at home bored, they can make a kite from things found around their home,” Ham said.

Dylan Abrams also added building the kite took extra concentration, but in the end, it was worth it and fun.

“I liked making the kites because it was a self project and we got to go at our own pace,” Brooklyn Wilkerson said.

Once constructed, the students were then able to add their own personal touch to their kites with the design.

“We got to be really creative,” fifth grader Aiden Coram said.

After bouts with the weather, Tuesday proved to be a good day to fly a kite.

Students packed the baseball fields to test their creations made in class. Once their self-built kites took to the sky, students of all ages were then able to take kites brought from home even higher.

Students spent the afternoon running with kites in tow and working together to see which one could fly the highest.

By the end of the afternoon, students knew to pull their strings tight and the Fisk skyline was full of colorful kites.