I'M GETTING ready to build a flyrod for a little girl to learn on-any ideas about action,length etc on the blank? any tips about grip size,etc? I was leaning toward a 7' 4wt or so-IM6 medium action-but was wondering if maybe something softer,say a lamiglas glass blank?

I think the 7' 4 would be a good one for her. I myself always liked a more moderate fast action. Feel it is easyer to though a line with a little more stiffer blank. The Batson line of blanks is nice.

Rusty , your in the ballpark with your choice , though a 7&1/2 may be a bit better . Shorter rods tend to be a bit harder to load , and lean more twards a bit slower than mod/fast , a little more flex will be more forgiving with any timing issues and let the student "feel" the line load the rod . This is my oppinion from teaching a few Scouts to cast . A lot depends on the young ladys age and strength , lighter lines also don't give the "feel" when loading , which is a great teaching tool . Start with short , no slack roll casts of 15 or 20 ft . Also let the back cast (when you get to that point) land behind her and then cast it from a resting position to give the "feel" of the line loading the rod . Teaching young kids is somtimes frustrating , but very rewarding when they start to get the hang of it . Have a great time , John

Got Fish ?

Try a search on the net on things like kids fly fishing and you will probably get a lot of sites that will give you ideas of tools and teaching aids that you can use to let her get the feel of throughing a line over head.
A stick with a long piece of cotton twine may help.

I built a IM6 7'6" 5wt H&H IM6 rod for my daughter who is 4'7" tall and it works really well for her. She can control the shorter rod better than an 8'6" or 9' rod but I wouldn't go shorter than 7'6"