The Kite Project

May & July, 2005
Raeside Junior School, Birmingham

Year 5 students from Raeside Junior School spent the summer term exploring Frankley,mapping the landscape and their place within it.

Kites were built and flown in different locations todemonstrate where the school is in relationship to thesurrounding landscape.

Pupils made smaller kites in pairs and bigger kites in groups.They painted designs on their kites. They also learnt aboutsuitable weather conditions and the principles of flight.

The school playground provided space for the pupils towind their kite strings and practise their flying techniques.

The first flying day took place in the school playing field.For many, the launch was a huge challenge; but withsome perseverance and a lot of running the pupils wereable to watch their kites sail up into the air, and experiencethe work necessary to keep a kite aloft.

On the second flying day pupils were split into two groups.Half went to the school field and the other half to the peakof Quarry Hill.

Those in the school field could see the kites being flownon the hill, whilst those on the hill were able to see theschool field and Birmingham City centre in the oppositedirection. Pupils mapped their environment, includingtheir position, the school’s and Frankley’s position withinthe wider landscape.

The pupils at Quarry Hill drew what they could see, andthose at the school field drew invented landscapes thatlay beyond what they could see.

At the end of the day pupils set up their work in theschool hall. The drawings were arranged in a circle tocreate a 360° panorama of Frankley and beyond, withthe school and pupils at the centre of their environment.