Tom and Huck were pretty resourceful, but they didn't have to build their raft out of cardboard and duct tape. Cardboard boat racing is one of the highlights of UMR's aerospace camp for kids, which also features robot design (see image below), NASA simulations and homemade rocket launches.

At first glance, cardboard boat racing might seem out of place at an aerospace camp. But the idea is to get the boys and girls interested in design and engineering; and they also have to learn how to work on a problem in teams. Here’s what each team had to work with: a couple of big cardboard boxes, a few trash bags and a roll of duct tape.

Most of the boats sank, which was great fun. But a few teams managed to paddle their cardboard contraptions across the swimming pool and back. In addition to possibly majoring in aerospace engineering some day, methinks some of these kids might have a future on the concrete canoe team.

P.S. KOLR-10 in Springfield visited aerospace camp yesterday. Their story should run during newscasts this coming Monday.