Dad Blogs - Useful Parenting Tips for Dads » Activities with kids

Five smart ways to save your kids’ artwork

Paul Banas — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 00:48:49 +0000

Another option is wall appliqués like Kitsch artwork frames ($36) which make it easy to "frame" art on the wall and change it out depending on your feeling. A few other options like this are available, but make sure the openings are large enough to handle big sizes or you'll be stuck trying to find only small drawings that will fit (usually rare for the pre-school set). ... Or, take photos of the art and use services like Apples iPhoto or Inkubook.com to make pro-looking art books featuring your child's masterpieces.

Holiday gifts for star gazing dads

Paul Banas — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 00:58:10 +0000

Nothing beats lying on the grass on a warm August evening staring up in the sky and conveying the majesty and mystery of the heavens to a small child. ... Celestron Skyscout - $199 (50% cheaper than in 2007) - The Skyscout uses GPS to ID and 8000 starts and planets and then will even tell you about via audio or text. ... Orion Star Target Planisphere " target="_blank">Orion Star Target Planishere - $11.00 - This stargazing the old fashioned way, with a map of the heavens you hold up in the night sky.

San Francisco model trains in the Conservatory of Flowers.

Paul Banas — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 21:15:59 +0000

From Mission Dolores to the Golden Gate Bridge, Coit Tower to Chinatown’s dragon gate, replicas of San Francisco’s most famous places are set amongst miniature gardens and parks to create a magical setting for this special holiday attraction. ... WHAT: The Golden Gate Express™ – a garden railway exhibition featuring model G-gauge trains, a landscape of dwarf plants and replicas of San Francisco’s landmark buildings WHEN: November 20, 2008 -- April 19, 2009. ... Tuesdays – Sundays WHERE: Conservatory of Flowers, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco TICKETS: $5 general; $3 youth 12-17, seniors and students with ID; $1.50 children 5-11; children 4 and under FREE INFORMATION: www.conservatoryofflowers.org < http://www.conservatoryofflowers.org > , 415-831-2090

Why you teach them to read

Paul Banas — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 14:15:58 +0000

We are starting a ten day summer vacation and, like millions ofnpther families, we’re spend the first day in the plane. My daughter, age eight, is happy though. She has four books and is just discovering Lemoney Snicket. She’s been asking for a Nintendp DS, but we are holding fast against that. I did give [...]

Ten trips for dads traveling with teenagers

Paul Banas — Thu, 22 May 2008 15:56:14 +0000

Traveling can be very stressful, and traveling with teens doubly so, for reasons that are completely different than for traveling with smaller children. Teens are developing their own interests and more than ever, you have to plan around how best to incorporate their needs, however exotic or seemingly selfish into the program. Here are ten ideas to help the trip go smoother this time.

Remember who your fellow travelers are. Just as you wouldn’t take your sports-ambivalent wife to a week of baseball training camp, try to figure out destinations the whole family can enjoy. That doesn’t mean it has to be Disneyland or the least common denominator. Think instead, of places that will have real highlights for all members of the family. New York City for example, can satisfy many many different types of people with museums, sports legends, nightlife, theatre, and even great parks. But pick a single-interest destination, like say, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the entire family better be into rocking out, or have other reasons for being in Cleveland.

Monuments, landmarks, and building in a manageable size

Paul Banas — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 00:26:58 +0000

My wife could never understand this mania, or "neurosis," as she puts it, until a few years ago when the San Francisco International Airport featured a full concourse exhibit of souvenir monuments from around the world.... I'm getting one set for my little boy to place between tracks of his train set (yes, the scale is a bit off), and one to go up on the shelf until I get a call from the museum asking to take my collection on tour.

Labyrinths for fun and inspiration

Paul Banas — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 16:57:01 +0000

I'd still recommend it on a coffee table to divert desultory visitors who need distractions during cocktails (or to occupy a teenage visitor who has to sit with adults).... Please chime in on what you know about this subject, but labyrinths date from Greek and Egyptian times and have been used in mythology, and later in the Christian church.

Another toy to buy “for the kids” – battling infrared helicopters

Paul Banas — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 21:02:08 +0000

The real live video game quality of flying infrared controlled helicopters can't be beat, and this added dimension made this toy a Time Magazine toy of the year for 2007. In my experience, these helicopters take a lot of work to get flying properly; work that probably involves losing a tail rotor or top rotor (or several), so buy extra or you'll six minutes of fun, interrupted by ten days of waiting for spare parts.

I can’t guarantee it still won’t bore you silly

Paul Banas — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 00:18:49 +0000

At first, I thought this was going to be a complicated "make your own Monopoly" set-up where you'd have to upload a bunch of photos and choose how they would be laid out on a board, before it created a custom-printed board for you. ...You supply the photos out of the shoebox, cut them to fit the boxes, and glue them on. It sounds like a big project, but promises to "unleash your creative genius" (if you have one lurking inside).

I never could do origami, but might find the time to make this cool paper toy with my daughter

Paul Banas — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 06:45:02 +0000

Just Piece Of Paper .