My daughter discovered duct tape in the 4^th grade. Her classmates introduced her to these wonderfully, colored tapes, which at first, she wasn’t too sure what to do with.  She came home from school one day and declared that we had to go to Michael’s or Target to get these colorful tapes to “make things out of”.  Now, let me start by saying that we are a pretty crafty family, and I love to frequent Michael’s and JoAnn’s for all of my scrapbooking needs.  However, I had not yet heard of these tapes, (aside from the usual black duct tape) and had no idea what she was talking about, so I put the request on the back burner.  After all, there was always a new fad in town…Webkinz, Littlest Pets, Silly Bandz, Perler beads, etc…

A few weeks later, while shopping at Target, she sees the tapes.  Back then, they were only available in solid bright colors like hot pink, aqua blue, lime green and so forth.  Of course, she wanted all of them, but at $5.99 a pop, I decided to only go with one and see how long the fad would last.  She started experimenting with the tape by making small, simple things like bookmarks, until she realized the girls  in her school were learning how to make some pretty elaborate wallets (and of course, in multiple colors).  I waited a bit to see how intense this new fad would become before I decided to purchase a few more colors.  Pretty soon my daughter was teaching herself how to make wallets, phone cases, pencil pouches, hair bows, bracelets, well, just about anything she could teach herself from internet tutorials!  And of course, she started customizing the items as well.  As with all fads, duct tape started coming out with all sorts of patterns, even holiday ones.

Fast forward a few years, and my daughter started selling her items at the school craft sale (all proceeds went to charity), where she was getting requests on a daily basis!  Needless to say, the fascination has died down a bit, as now she’s in 7^th grade.  However, every once in a while, when she’s in her crafting mood, she will take out her tapes and think of new ways to craft with them.  Last year, she covered her school laptop bag with the tapes, and she still finds ways of decorating with them.  Well, at least I’m glad this fad lasted more than a few months…

Some of my daughter’s creations!

You can find many duct tape ideas on the internet and on the duct tape brand website. Here are some additional links to some other fun duct tape crafts your kids might enjoy…

Christmas Decorations
Photo Courtesy of Joann Fabrics

Flower Pens Photo Courtesy of Seven Sisters

Luggage Tags Photo Courtesy of Qreative Quail

Waterproof Beach Bag
Photo Courtesy of Spoonful.com