The Mother of Invention

Thomas Edison said, "To invent you need a good imagination and a pile of junk." Apparently Emma and Edison are kindred spirits. She recently made a curious little contraption for Jonah. It's made from things you might find laying around your house. Paint brushes, a lid from a jar and tape. Tape is essential to Em's existence. She uses it for any and every thing. It got so bad that I had to forbid her from using tape for a time. I think the condition is communicable because recently Jonah started asking me for tape. I refused to give him any the first few times he asked so he came up with a new strategy. He now quantifies exactly how much tape he needs (3 pieces, 6 pieces, etc.), he presents it as a need not a desire, and he's always willing to negotiate. It seems to be working for him so far because I always give him tape.

If you had to guess, what would you say this is used for?

I bet you want a hint don't you? Well too bad. Hints are for people who don't know the answer and don't want to guess and be wrong.

Oh gawsh... stop whining. Fine, I'll give you a hint. It's used to reach something.

Ok, click here to see a picture of Jonah using it.
Isn't that cool? He always has to ask for help to turn on lights so Emma had the ingenious idea to make him a special tool so he can be more independent. It's a classic case of necessity being the mother of invention. He loves it AND it actually works! It's not very sturdy, but it's just a prototype. I think these gadgets are going to be huge, huge I tell ya.