Kids and Kites on Ice!

Ice skating is a perennial favorite among winter activities that is growing in popularity as an adaptive recreation opportunity in Massachusetts state-owned rinks. Many rinks now house a couple of ice sleds for people with mobility impairments to use during public skating. The Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) also offers adaptive ice skating programs, in which the entire ice is reserved for use by people with disabilities and their families and friends. Over the years this has become a popular "come-as-you-are" program, with skaters using wheelchairs, walkers, ice sleds and regular ice skates to enjoy time on the ice. Over and over we find that being on ice inspires play!

We offer a variety of game elements at DCR Universal Access skating programs when we have full use of the rink. Balls of all sizes and pucks can be knocked into nets. Foam blocks are built into crash towers and re-stacked again. Orange cones are placed in slalom patterns. Often there are impromptu hockey games. It is amazing to see how skating skills improve when a game is involved! The skater's attention goes outward, beyond the sense of awkwardness and inability, to focus on a ball or puck, enabling them to improve sometimes without realizing it.

A recent inspiration for our adaptive skating programs is the addition of kites, which add a whole new sense of color and movement. We've been experimenting with kites on ice as a program element and it is a lot of fun for skaters of all ages!

This activity is best with plenty of open space on the ice. Outdoors it won't work if trees are close by, otherwise the sky's the limit! At our indoor programs it works best when attendance is on the low side, and of course, the ceiling requires careful flying technique.

Our typical kite flight involves someone skating backwards with a kite, which generates enough breeze to give lift to lightweight kites. A good skater can avoid mishap while keeping the kite at an appropriate height by setting a string length with one hand holding the line winder and using the other hand to pull in or release a small amount of line as needed. Power wheelchair users can lift kites easily if they have reasonable traction, but may not be able to view the kite in the air themselves. Such flights serve as a colorful element for others to enjoy, both on and off the ice.

We found out last week that kids on skates can handle small kites pretty easily. They seem to appreciate the novelty of trying two different activities together. I noticed kids improving their agility and speed, learning to look backward and forward and monitor their movement in space.

Kids in sleds being pushed can expand their sense of space by watching kites, following them, and having a kite flown with them. I have found it quite easy to control the height and flight pattern of longer kites as well as simple ones, to avoid skaters and give selected participants a closer encounter.

So far we've had no kite flying collisions, entanglements, cut string or kites caught on the ceiling. Kite flights last just a few minutes usually. The visual display of a kite in flight seems to inspire the level of attention necessary for sighted people to avoid them. Precautions should be taken if anyone on the ice has a visual impairment.

If you are looking for some uplifting color in late winter and have access to ice, try flying kites!

Games and Kites!

Outdoor games and kite flying go well together for an adaptive activities program in an urban park setting. Kites have universal appeal, adding a colorful festive element that motivates people to look up and enjoy the sky. A variety of games can offer people options based on interest and ability. Today for our REC Connect program in Worcester all that was needed was a parachute and a selection of soft balls and rubber chickens to offer a fun experience for a small group of people that came out to play. Shouts and laughter from our small group playing parachute games caught the attention of several people walking laps around the track in Lake Park.

With the lightest intermittent wind we were able to get a few kites to lift up off of a big playing field. A little bit of running gave a couple of kiteflyers some exercise and a more sustained flying experience. Small diamond kites are lightweight and allow for easy launching with a light steady breeze, even from a seated position. With increased wind, more types of kites can be flown, with team support if needed. Without wind, more types of games can be played. With both kites and games in motion, more people can be served. Our next adaptive games program will be at Holyoke Heritage State Park in downtown Holyoke on Saturday, May 19 from 1-3pm. For further information and to pre-register, contact Heidi Marie-Peterson at 413-577-3840 or heidi.marie-peterson@state.ma.us. We hope to see you there, and if not, the most important thing is to just get out there (even on a gray day!) and enjoy yourself!

Kite Festivals - A Celebration of Color and Fun!

A slide of the sky viewed through arches made of kites.

My spirits are still soaring after attending yesterday's Capriccio Festival of Kites in Ogunquit, Maine. It was a perfect day for the beach with sunny skies, a touch of clouds, and a gentle cooling breeze. As Meb and I drove down the lane from the center of town to the beach, big "WOWs" escaped our throats as we gazed at enormous kites and quantities of richly colored designs riding the wind.

We had come with a big bag of kites to fly ourselves, but also to help with the event, in exchange for free parking ($20 otherwise!) and a free t-shirt  We donned our t-shirts and became instant judges for the kite decorating contest. Tables were set out in the parking lot (very accessible!) where kids were busy coloring sled style kites with markers. I was pleased to find one young participant in a power wheelchair at the task!



With a fistful of award certificates we strolled down the very crowded beach at high tide amidst a carnival-like atmosphere with hundreds of kites sailing in the air. It was a panoramic scene full of wild creations instilling awe at every step. From the tiniest dancing ladybug kite to the massive powerfoil holding a steady immobile presence above the crowd we delighted in the visual feast of buoyant colors. Our job was to seek out children, admire their kites, and hand out certificates that allowed them to get a free kite or festival t-shirt. What fun we had - even before we got to fly our kites!

Along the way we noticed a few other people with obvious disabilities in the mix and found Nolan, the young participant in the power wheelchair we'd met at the coloring table, now using one of the town's beach wheelchairs with kite in hand. (There is ramp to the beach!) This was Nolan's third year at the event and I know we'll be back too! Next year I hope to see more people with disabilities!



Festival scene at Ogunquit Beach barely hints at the variety
and quantity of kites on site from this angle. The biggest kite
in this picture is enormous.

Upcoming Kite Events in New England: Even a drive-by is worth it if you are uncertain about access! Many kite festivals seem to be free spirited public events, without full details in advance - just show up and enjoy! At kite fly is simply a group on kitefliers who have announced a date and place to show up and fly together. In either case, if you have any, bring your own kites to fly!

October 1, November 5, December 3: KONE Monthly Kite Fly on Nahant Beach, Lynn, MA. Contact Gary Quinton at 781-595-7687 or gquinton@verizon.net for more information. KONE is Kites Over New England, an organization devoted to kite flying of which anyone can be a member. I found out about the Capriccio Festival of Kites and these other events through their monthly calendar.

October 8 and 9: East Meets West Kite and Cultural Festival sponsored by the Chinese Multimedia Society, from 10am - 4pm each day at the Pope John Paul II Park in Dorchester, MA. Pope John Paul II Park has accessible parking and paved pathways with pavilions but no accessible restrooms.



Our favorite kid's kite design on right. We saw several 9-11
commemorative kites, but this one stole our hearts.

October 9: One Sky One World - a worldwide kiteflying event for peace and understanding, with events taking place all over the world. Click on link for more info about this amazing endeavor.

November 12: Holiday Kite Fly on Hampton Beach, NH. Contact Ralph Reed at 978-937-8290 or rreed3@comcast.net for more information. (I can't find a thing about accessibility at Hampton Beach on-line!)

November 13: Veterans Day Fly at Hammonasset State Park, CT. Contact Richard Bromley at 203-288-1582 or arembe@comcast.net for more information. Hammonasset State Park features accessible parking, bathrooms, boardwalk, camping, picnic tables, and beach wheelchairs!

Celebrate the Season by Flying a Kite!

Anyone out there flying kites this spring? We are considering kite flying as a new activity for our REC Connect grant and are seeking information about accessible kite flying. If you have a disability and fly kites, we'd love to hear from you! If you are simply interested in kite flying, we'd love to know!

Kite flying is a colorful, inspiring activity that spans many cultures and dates far back into history. It can be enjoyed alone or with others, typically on an open field or beach where wind conditions are most likely to be ideal. Kite flying open us to the sky and celebrates spirit. The festive presence of kites is a cultural tradition in many places from Afghanistan to New Zealand.

Flying a kite can be as simple and affordable as buying one for $1 and launching it in a city park. Many specialty kites are available and stunt flying with kites on two or four lines has become increasingly popular.

Local clubs and regional organizations such as Kites Over New England (based in Billerica, MA) offer social events, lessons, demonstrations and events.  The American Kitefliers Association has established April as National Kite Flying Month and provides nationwide information. Kite flying aficionados (known as "kiters") may create fanciful homemade creations of substantial size that take as long as a year to build. Kite design has come a long way since I last flew one in my teens as I learned recently from this breathtaking Italian music video.

People with disabilities are engaging with this intriguing pursuit, yet information is scattered as to how and where to go about it. Searching the internet turns up people with disabilities of all kinds who fly kites, including people who are blind, have developmental disabilities, or use wheelchairs. I also found a fully inclusive kite flying events in Australia and India, plus a few examples of kite flying events as fundraisers for disability organizations, most notably one in Africa which promotes mental health and attracts an attendance of 20,000 people. For the more adventurous souls, kite flying can be used to power experiences on other equipment, including carts, surfboards, skateboards and more. Check out the Mobius Disability Kite School in England.


Kite flying in India at a festival.

If you are inspired to start flying kites, the best strategy seems to be to link up with a kiter, presumably through an organization like the ones above, or simply trying it on your own. Kite flying by people with disabilities and others can even take place indoors, without wind, with either miniature kites or a full size BioKite. A young man with epilepsy who is a great spokesperson for the benefits of kite flying flies one on America's Got Talent.

If you'd like to comment on kite flying, please do so here or contact Heidi at 413-577-3840 or heidi.marie-peterson.state.ma.us. We'd love to hear from you! You can also visit us on our facebook page!

Thanks to Wilderness Inquiry for the beach photo and Kites Over New England for 2nd two images.