Customer Reviews

Geek Dad: Awesomely Geeky Projects and Activities for Dads and Kids to Share

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Perfect for families looking for creative and amazing projects, Geek Dad had me bookmarking favorites to try right away. Many involve science in a fun, lightweight way. I can't imagine a child who wouldn't be excited by the prospect of some of these activities: the ultimate outdoor obstacle course, the light-up nighttime kite, the finger-painting with windup toys. The directions make each step simple and understandable.

Each project has a table that describes the concept, lists the tools and materials needed, and gives ratings for cost, difficulty, duration and reusability. Costs are from $0 up to over $100. Difficulty levels begin with primary-school kids up to high school age. Duration is from 0 to 15 minutes up to 3 hours or longer. Reusability ranges from one-time-only use to "good forever."

Throughout the book are drawings, maps, diagrams and tables. Everything's in black and white.

Here's the chapter list:

Introduction: About Being a Geek and a Dad
Make Your Own Geeky Games and Crafts
1. Make Your Own Cartoons
2. The Coolest Homemade Coloring Books
3. Create the Ultimate Board Game
4. Electronic Origami
5. Cyborg Jack-o'-Lanterns and Other Holiday Decorations
6. Windup Toy Finger Painting
7. Create a Superhero ABC Book
8. Model Building with Cake
9. Pirate Cartography
10. Parenting and Role-Playing Games
11. A Never-Ending Demolition Derby
Geeky Activities for the Great Outdoors
12. See the World from the Sky
13. Best Slip `n Slide Ever
14. Fireflies for Every Season
15. Video Games That Come to Life
16. Fly a Kite at Night
17. Build an Outdoor Movie Theater
18. The "Magic" Swing
Awesome Accessories
19. Smart Cuff Links
20. Light-up Duct Tape Wallet
21. Crocheted Dice Bag of Holding
Geeky Kids Go Green
22. The Science of Composting
23. Home Hydroponics
Build / Learn / Geek
24. Build a Binary Calendar
25. Portable Electronic Flash Cards
26. Wi-Fi Signal Booster
27. Cool LEGO Lighting from Repurposed Parts
Geeky Potpourri
Ice Cubes Fit for a Geek
Exploding Drink Practical Joke
Afterword: Pneumatic Wiffle Ball Cannon -- Failure as a Project
Appendix A: Resources and References by Chapter
Appendix B: RPG Character Sheet
Appendix C: Projects Listed by Rank

Hey I'm a geek and a Dad so right off the bat this book is full of win for me. The real test though is the kids. If the kids don't dig the projects then it's a geek book. In the words of my 10 year old daughter after flipping through the book "We are totally doing some of these projects". What more can a Geek Dad ask from a book of projects?

Geek Dad has a wide range of projects, from those requiring simple items you already have around the house, to a few that might inspire you to designate a piggy bank ahead of time. There are plenty of crafty ideas sprinkled in with electronics and robotics- even a crochet project!

The instructions are easy to understand and adaptable for different skill levels, including non-geeks. Both my 10 year old and my 6 year old found projects they want to try ASAP.

These projects offer kids a chance at hands-on experiments, something they frequently miss in today's test-focused school day.

This is based on a popular Wired.com blog, and while it's easy to see why that - and the idea of pooling great, technologically assisted ideas for children - might have seemed an appealing starting point for a book, the result is - once one gets past the nice cover design and so on - decidedly under-powered.

On the one hand, there just aren't that many "projects and activities" and, of those there, some are great - attaching lightweight LEDs to a kite for night flying and using remote-control cars covered in Lego for reuseable demolition derby races - but many others - for example, a Dungeons and Dragons-based system for household chores, a swing that's, well, a swing but that has two interleaved phonebooks to show the wonders of friction, a light made from a stack of CDs and cuff-links made from ethernet connectors - are, if not just dull, "geeky" rather than "awesome". The suggestions also don't lend themselves particularly to further development. One wonders if the text got shredded by a host of product liability lawyers or, alternatively, if the target audience is a bit - or perhaps a couple of decades - too old.

Definitely worth looking for a more substantial, if possibly less well-formatted, experiments/etc for children guide.

This is an attempt to join the DIY movement targeted at those of us that are fathers. The book gives ideas of what can be done, some tips, ideas, and that's about it. No fully fleshed out projects, no build lists, no instructables. It makes for a great source of inspiration, but falls short for giving a 'how-to' on some real projects. Not a bad book/reference, but not worth the $15.

Great ideas for ways to spend quality, geeky time with your kids, packaged up in a entertaining read. The projects will get the kids to tinker right along with you, and maybe even learn something while they're having fun!

I was very excited for this book. I was expecting to find many projects I could do with my 6 and 10 year olds. I found 5 that I might do. There were several reasons I ruled out projects: too much like arts and crafts which isn't what I bought the book for; we already did something along those lines; didn't seem interested to young kids; too elaborate to ever get around to it. I got science experiment books at the library and am much happier with those.

These are just our preferences. Obviously, other reviewers like the ideas.

I might have given it only 2 stars, but I have to give the book credit for pointing me towards Arduino boards and ThingM products.

Even thought most of the activities require a lot of money (build your own outdoors movie theater? I mean, seriously), this is an OUTSTANDING book. I now have a lot of ideas on my own to spend time with my daughter, all of them based on this book!

Buy it, even if you're not a father! I can bet a lot of people will perform the activities on it without even being a parent, you just need to be GEEK!

I've read a few chapters so far and I recommend this book whole-heartedly. I'll disclose I contributed to one of the chapters and received a gracious complimentary copy for that. It's an enjoyable read, infused with dry wit and winking geek culture in-jokes. The book is a great gift for Mother's Day, Father's Day, and pretty much any occasion with a kid involved. The projects it contains will be perfect for upcoming summer days, ways to forge family memories more lasting than video game high scores. My 10-year-old son, thumbing through it, exclaimed, "This is so cool. I love this book!" He already picked out the first project he wants to try, "Make Your Own Cartoons." That's the best endorsement you could want.

Received the book yesterday and after the first read the book is great. There are great projects that I will be doing with my son as he grows up. What else is there to say? I highly recommend this book to any parent who enjoys geeky hobbies, and wants to share them with their geeklet.