CAN FLYING KITES teach you about science and creativity? It can, says Glenn Heasley, Managing Director of Go Fly Your Kite, based in Co Down.
“It’s a great family activity which brings out children’s artistic skills and develops imagination and social interaction,” he says.
It’s through constructing their own kites that children can see how aspects of physics and natural forces work with elements of design.
“We’ve seen the impact first-hand that working with kites can have on young people,” Heasley says, “transforming a noisy, lively roomful of children while they create their kites and the total joy when they get their kites into the air for the first time.”
The workshops are coming to Science Week Ireland and Galway Science and Technology Festival where they will encourage young people to learn about Science Technology Engineering and Maths (STEM).
“Our aim is to make science fun…to excite them (young people) about science; to express themselves and get creative.”
The idea for the workshops came from Glenn’s son, Oliver, who wanted to learn to build his own kite after losing many to the harsh Co Down weather conditions.
They went through 15 different types of kites before choosing the best model for young people to learn construction and design. Now he and his colleague, George Ellis, travel around Ireland and the UK teaching young people how to make and fly kites.
Go Fly Your Kite will work with more than 20,000 children over events like Science Week Ireland, The Big Bang Fair in Birmingham and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
“While the history of kites dates back more than a thousand years,” George says, “it’s only recently that there has been study and research into their therapeutic benefits.
Here are the list of venues that Go Fly A Kite will hold workshops during Science Week and Galway Science and Technology Festival:
Monday 13th November
Malahide Library 10:00 -14:00
Canal Way Educate Together, Dublin – 09:00 – 15:00
Tuesday 14th November
Louth Library – Drogheda . 10:00 hrs – 15:00
Port Arlington Library 09:30 – 14:00
Wednesday 15th November
Louth Library – Drogheda 09:30 hrs – 14:00
Port Laoise Library 09:30 – 14:00
Thursday 16th November
Athy Library – Kildare 09:30 – 15:00
(Midlands Science)
Mount Lucas Wind Farm, Ballycon, County Offlay 09:45 – 15:00
Friday 17th November
MIdlands Science: St Josephs NS – Tullamore 09:30 – 14:00
SFI: Arklow Library , Main Street, Wicklow 10:00 – 14:30
Saturday 18th November
SFI Family Science Day
Dublin Conference Centre 10:00 – 16:00
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