Duct Tape Boat

My 7-year-old granddaughter, Emily, is very crafty.

No, no, no! I don't mean she's crafty in the sense of being devious.

She is crafty in the sense of being creative and artistic and talented at all kinds of arts and crafts activities.

For the past few weeks her passion has been for "looming" - the latest craze among girls of her age. Her other grandmother bought her a Twistz Bandz Rainbow Loom, with which she makes bracelets and all sorts of other creations out of rubber bands. According to her mother...

She looms first thing in the morning, when she gets off the school bus and before dinner. She looms on the weekends and before she goes to bed. She has found some amazing YouTube tutorials to learn new designs. After one quick tutorial, she’s a pro and up and running with new varieties. At seven years old, she quickly picked it up and is now even able to create her own designs. She’s damn good.

Of course she is damn good. All my grandchildren are damn good.

Anyway, I hear that Emily has now moved on to the new craze among crafty girls of her age... duct tape.

Yes, duct tape.

Apparently little girls have discovered duct tape and are making all kinds of crafty things with it.

Duct tape doesn't come only in gray, any more. It comes in all kinds of colors and patterns, and little girls are making flowers and bags and purses and bracelets and beads and hair bows and belts and god knows what else... out of duct tape!

Hmmm.

When Emily's father was her age I bought him his first sailboat, a wooden Optimist.

I wonder if Emily knows that she could make herself a real sailboat out of duct tape?

It's true.

The Mythbusters did it.

And here are some detailed instructions on how to make a Duct Tape Boat.



Emily's birthday is coming up later this month.

So now the only question is whether it is appropriate to give a girl for her 8th birthday, 20 rolls of duct tape, 200 zip-ties and some hog paneling.

I know she likes sailing.

Why not?