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GO FLY A KITE!

Do your kids get overwhelmed when they’re assigned a task at home or at school? Are they quick to start projects but slow to finish them? There’s an easy solution. Tell them to go fly a kite!

Usually, the phrase “Go fly a kite!” is a not-so-gracious dismissal. But instead of “Get lost!” how about changing the meaning to encourage your kids toward success? With a little help from a boy named Homan Walsh, your kids can learn how to achieve what may seem like an impossible goal by breaking it down into smaller steps.

In 1848, a suspension bridge was scheduled to be built beside Niagara Falls, connecting the United States with Canada. The challenge the engineers faced was daunting. How were they to get the bridge’s first cables across the 800-foot river gorge? Helicopters didn’t exist in 1848, and the water was too swift and dangerous to pull lines across by boat.

The engineers’ solution was clever. They invited Homan Walsh, a teenager, to fly a kite from the Canadian side until the prevailing winds carried it to the American side. Once that was accomplished, the thin kite string was used to pull a slightly thicker rope across the river. Then that rope pulled an even stronger one across. Repeating this method, they were soon able to pull the first steel cable from shore to shore, and the bridge’s construction was underway.

Kids can easily become overwhelmed when they’re facing a large project. But if they “go fly a kite,” they’ll learn how to break assignments into manageable pieces and, with God’s help, accomplish more than they ever dreamed.

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