Activity: Go Fly A Kite!

Kites are a kid classic that most will take at least a passing interest in at some point. They are easily built from scratch and you can buy an almost endless array of colors, styles and shapes of kites.

We carry a compact para-foil style kite on many outings, especially when we'll be close to the beach. The particular one we carry is a good flyer and doesn't have any "sticks" so it's very compact. Bea is still a little small to fly it but does like watching.

We took a trip to Ocean Beach recently with the nephews in tow and brought a small kite for each of them as well. Three kites in the air was a lot of fun.

A kite shop can be fascinating for adults as well as children. There is an excellent one right in the heart of Chinatown right in San Francisco( Chinatown Kite Shop) or you might try Games People Play on the main shopping strip in Sausalito. Both are easy to find and have a great selection of kites.

For the more DIY inclined crowd there are some great books on kites as well as plentiful resources on the web. Some of my favorite childhood memories are of making and flying kites with my uncle. I have a number of older books in the style of The Dangerous Book For Boys as well as The Magnificent Book Of Kites. The later is packed with history, design and instructions on everything from kite safety to computer design for kite making. Probably the only source you'd need to build most any kite you could imagine. (At the time of writing used paperbacks were going cheap on Amazon.)

Crissy Field is a great place to fly kites in San Francisco and nearby Sports Basement often has some very nice ones. We haven't tried yet but there have been a couple of discussions about flying kites from Nob Hill rooftops as well.

Small folks are often just as happy with a $2 kite from Safeway as a more expensive one you'll lament losing or damaging. I'm as likely to fly the cheap ones as well and they are often some of the best flyers.

Favorite kite spots in San Francisco:

Chrissy Field and Ocean Beach

Favorite kit shop not in San Francisco:

KaleidoKites in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. The Eureka Springs annual kite festival is fantastic if you happen to be in the neighborhood. Maybe even worth planning a trip for next year. It will be the 20th annual kite festival.