Safe Play Sword for Kids

When I was a kid (I say that jokingly, as I'm only 16) I was always holding a 'sword'. Whether it was a stick, a pencil, or, if I got lucky, a real plastic sword. As awesome as this was, there was one problem; My 'swords' always seemed to hurt people. In retrospect, that makes sense, not many people enjoy being hit with a stick. My young cousin's birthday was approaching and, as usual, I had no idea what to get him. Then it hit me, (I mean I was literally hit with a stick) Why don't I make him a sword? Brilliant! He has a little sister, so the sword had to be safe, he is hyper (what kid isn't?) so it had to be durable, and finally, it had to look like a real sword. I gathered up possible supplies and began to mentally put them together. Then, because a mental sword doesn't do much, I began to create a masterpiece, sort of.

For the sword I decided to use some aluminized insulation foam I had laying around. I put some bamboo skewers and a paint stir stick in the sword as a 'backbone'. The other things are; a ruler/yardstick, a marker, a knife (sharp), and masking tape (duct tape works too).

First I drew the shape of the sword twice, one for each half, on the foam. Then I carefully cut them out. I rounded the edges to give it some aesthetic value.

Actually, put its back into it :) Tape the skewers and the paint stir stick to the inside of one half. Make sure to tape it securely.

Simply stick the two sides together, sandwiching the skewers and paint stick. I wrapped the whole thing in masking tape, to give it some toughness, and to give the paint something to stick to.

No, we aren't done yet. I decided to wrap the handle in cord, because it looks cool. I spread some E6000 on the handle and wound the cord around it. Then I reinforced the coil with some more glue at critical points. This is the point where I forgot to take pictures, so I don't actually have an image of the finished product.

In order to paint it, I first covered the handle with masking tape, to protect the cord. Then I just got a can of silver spray paint and let loose. The paint sticks very well to the masking tape and provides a shiny silver coat.

OK maybe not... But it is a fun, and safe, toy for younger kids. With some modifications, I think it could be a lot of fun for older kids too :). My little cousin loved it and used it a lot. I felt sorry for his little target..I mean sister, so I made her one too. Now they love to wail on each other (and double team their dad)
I'd love to see what creative weapons you all come up with, post a picture in the comment section.