For first-time kite makers, the diamond is a classic design and the simplest to build

1 Find a thick plastic bag at least 50cm wide and 1 metre tall. Lay it out, open end at the bottom. Starting just below the bag’s top-left corner, mark three dots for the top, bottom, and right- hand corners of your kite.
2 Connect the dots using a ruler and pen. Cut along these two lines on the bag; set aside off- cuts. Open bag out to reveal your sail’s outline.
3 Place a length of 5mm diameter hardwood dowel down the sail’s centre line, lining it up with the top sail corner. Saw off at bottom and fix to the bag with installation tape. Do the same for the other dowel, horizontally.
4 Pierce a hole where the dowels cross. Thread with flying line (ideally nylon) through this hole and secure around the cross of the dowels.
5 Using plastic off-cuts, make the tail, roughly 5cm wide and five times as long as the kite. Tie one end around the base of the vertical spar.

Adapted from The Wild Book: Outdoor Activities to Unleash Your Inner Child by David Scarfe (Trapeze)