Growing Up I Wish I Had A Geek Dad

GEEK DAD - because learning shouldn’t have to end when summer vacation starts. GEEK DAD is the ultimate guide to making those lazy summer days packed with fun and, dare I say, educational value. Keep the kids’ intellectual curiosity alive with projects like light-up duct tape wallets and electronic origami. Build future coders with your very own binary calendar, or future engineers with a home hydroponic food garden. Instill some environmental awareness and help the kids “go green” by building a compost bin. The possibilities for summer fun are endless with some imagination and a dose of geek.

Having trouble dragging the kids off the couch? GEEK DAD shows you how to take the video game excitement outside - by making backyard versions of favorites like Madden and Sonic the Hedgehog (extra geek points for costumes). Create your own mini-water park and be the envy of your neighbors with an awesome homemade Slip ‘n Slide. Time to break out your imagination and duct tape, you’re going on a “staycation”.

Warm summer nights can be spent playing with electronic lightening bugs of your own creation, or perched out on the lawn watching a movie on a self-built home movie theater! Staying at home will never be lame again.

What I Can Tell You: I am proud to say that my kids have a Geek Dad. We look to him for all the cool ideas.

Geek Dad is chock full of DIY projects that are not just geared to dads. Moms can have a great time with this too! 

Each section gives you easy to follow directions that even the Non-Geek (me)  mom can follow.  Ken Denmead has taken each project and broken it down by the materials needed, the cost of the project, the level of difficulty and the amount of time necessary to complete.

Personally I really liked the section on making comic strips using toys and the cyborg jack-o-lanterns. Look for mine this Halloween.

Today's generation of dads grew up more tech-savvy than ever. Rather than joining the Little League team, many grew up playing computer games, Dungeons and Dragons, and watching Star Wars. Now with kids of their own, these digital-age dads are looking for fresh ways to share their love of science and technology, and help their kids develop a passion for learning and discovery.

Enter supergeek, and father of two, Ken Denmead. An engineer and editor of the incredibly popular GeekDad blog on wired.com, Ken has created the ultimate, idea-packed guide guaranteed to help dads and kids alike enjoy the magic of playtime together and tap into the infinite possibility of their imagination. With illustrations throughout, this book offers projects for all ages to suit any timeframe or budget. With Denmead's expert guidance, you and your child can:

•Fly a night-time kite ablaze with lights or launch a video camera with balloons

•Construct the "Best Slip n' Slide Ever," a guaranteed thrill ride

•Build a working lamp with LEGO bricks and CDs

•Create a customized comic strip or your own board game

•Make geeky crafts like cyborg jack-o'-lanterns or Ethernet cuff links

Brimming with endlessly fun and futuristic tidbits on everything from gaming to gadgets, GeekDad helps every tech-savvy father unleash his inner kid-and bond with the next generation of brainiacs.

I am going to leave this book out and hope that my husband takes a gander at it. Really great book.

Check out the Geek Dad Blog for the book here.

You can also check out Geek Dad on Facebook.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of Geek Dad courtesy of Penguin Group.