Thursday, September 25, 2008

Inventive kidlet....

When kidlet was young...3 or 4, he was obsessed with the movie, "Wind." It's a movie about sailing and he watched it over and over and over. I guess that was a preview of things to come. He enjoys sailing at the river, either on a little sunfish, or the windboard and he talked his grandfather into bringing the old sunfish from the river back to our house. We have a 4 acre pond, not great for sailing, but better than nothing.

Well, yesterday he combined his love for sailing and his creative, inventive ability. We live along the Carolina coast and there is a "storm" (experts disagree on exactly what kind of storm it is) sitting off the coast causing it to be very windy here.

He started thinking out loud (a trait he's inherited from his father) and the next thing I know he's taken his wagon, built a frame over and under it, attached 2 brackets and has me out there holding it so he can attach his sail (an old sheet).



I wasn't quite sure how it was going to work so I made him put on his helmet and cut him loose.





It worked!!!!!



His father was so proud and impressed when he got home from work and saw kidlet "sailing" back and forth across our farm.

Now they're trying to figure out how to make a boom, so he can control the sail and keep the wind in his sail, even when he turns. I don't think I was that smart when I was 13. Hell, I'm not sure I'm that smart now!

So how about you? Do your kids, nephews, brothers (or sisters) do this type of thing?

3 comments:

Cara Carnes said...

Oh that is so cool!!! You should be so proud. I wish I was that smart.

Lu said...

What a smart kidlet you have!!!! Reminds me of the iceboats we have up home. Basically a small sailboat on skis, and you go skimming across a frozen lake. OMG king of scary!!!
We're getting you're storm up here tomorrow - thanks for that btw.
Hugs.
Lu

Angelique Newman said...

That so awesome! Your son sure has a great imagination. He should maket it, I bet it would fly off the shelves.