Jasmine had been bugging me for a while to help her make a kite. At one time in the past (last summer?) I helped one of her friends make a kite out of a trash bag and some light wood scraps in the garage. Did it actually work? No, but apparently it was a memorable experience for the friend. And Jasmine never forgot it either.

This afternoon I was pruning some bushes around the house, and Jasmine brought up making a kite again. It’s a Saturday afternoon, and I’m trying to take it easy—sure, why not. I searched the garage for something long, skinny, light, and stiff to use.

As I searched, Jasmine ran into the house and came back with a long piece of yarn tied to the edge of a large trash bag. Slightly puzzled, I watched her take off down the sidewalk with the trash bag trailing behind her. To my surprise at her ingenuity, the bag began to catch air, fill up, and float along behind her.

Here I am trying to brainstorm about how to make an actual kite with garage scraps, but my 6-year-old daughter is running around having a grand ole time with a trash bag on a string. Hence we simply called it a “trash bag kite.” Using her idea, I grabbed another bag, more yarn, and scissors. “Trash bag kite 2.0” I called it, and Jasmine loved it. She ran all over the park with this floating trash bag on a string.

Sometimes it’s just the simple things in life that bring fun and memorable times with those you love.