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If you didn’t know, Father’s Day is June 19th this year. My dad is my hero. I wasn’t an easy child and an even worse teenager. But, somehow, I survived, and so did my dad. I don’t think I would have survived growing up without him. We had a rough relationship for a while, but both of us have grown up a bunch. In fact, within two weeks of having my first child, I called my dad and apologized for being a child. Yes, I also apologized for being a teenager, though that apology came later.
My dad is a retired Marine. When he was active in the Corps, Dad was often away. When Dad was home, though, we did stuff together. I learned how to shoot, fight, clean, camp, and other things from my dad. We watch sci-fi shows like Star Trek and Beauty and the Beast together. He is where my love of sci-fi and fantasy comes from. I learned a lot of nifty skills from him.
My dad is brilliant, but he is not someone I would ever associate the word geek with. My husband, however, I would. My husband is the polar opposite of my dad. However, both men have done the absolute best they could in their role as a dad. I didn’t turn out too bad. Nuttier than a fruitcake, but not too bad. My kids are turning out pretty good too. It is in large part to my husband.
I bring up the work geek because I found a fantastic book. It is called The Geek Dad’s Guide To Weekend Fun by Ken Denmead. It’s got some pretty sweet ideas, complete with step-by-step instructions. It has a section for building stuff, a gaming section, a cooking section, and things to craft. The cooking section is my favorite. It has recipes like making homemade root beer and dry ice ice cream. The guys are making Igor Bars sometime next week. It’s a four-layer cookie, Rice Krispie treat thingy. It sounds delicious.
Each project has a breakdown at the beginning of the instructions. It explains the concept, the cost, difficulty, how long it takes, reusability, and the tools and materials needed. Now the materials section in the cooking section doesn’t always spell out all the ingredients. To be fair, the ingredients list is kind of long for the Igor Bars. There are tips to make projects geekier, enhance the fun, or even customize them. The science is explained in some, and in others, pieces are defined.
Besides the cooking, there is a zipline project, making your own fantasy terrain for games such as Dungeons and Dragons and Alien Drums like the Blue Man Group. My kids used to love the Blue Man Group. The projects vary in skill level and how much time it takes so you can plan out when to do it in advance. I love ideas that get kids and parents to spend time together. It is always a bonus when it is educational without being in-your-face educational.
If this sounds like something the dad in your life would enjoy doing with the kids, consider picking it up for him. You can find it on Amazon for $17.23 for paperback or on Kindle for $14.99. Are you intrigued? Let me know in the comments below. Happy Father’s Day to my Dad, my husband, and all the other Dads. Until next time, have fun storming the castle!
