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New GreatDad Mobile app for Android and Blackberry getting great reviews.
I’m happy to report that our new app that helps dads find local activities via their phone is off to a great start. We’ll be launching the iPhone version as soon as Apple gives the green light.
Check out some of these positive comments:
This is a great app and is very useful, but didn’t recieve 5 stars because it seems to be focused on San Fransisco when I use it
Unbelievable, makes finding fun ideas so easy along with directions and everything u need 2 know. Sorry dads, i’m a mom using this 
This is a really good app. Now I have a place to find different activies do with my kids. For sure a Man Secret!!!
I never knew half of this stuff was around! Mums world take aid from this also. But its best kept a guy secret!
I feel guilty i havent done 95% of the stuff this app says i could be doing with my kid right now!
i live in philly and i didnlt know half of the places here i could take my kids. love it love it love it! 5 stars
[From Ratings and comments about GreatDad - Powered by Aloqa for Android]
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Building a treehouse for your kids – How do I get to be a dad like this?
Anyone who has ever been to Disneyland and climbed the Swiss Family Robinson treehouse (now recast as Tarzan’s home), imagines how cool it would be to have a real treehouse sanctuary. For kids, you can probably increase that by a factor of 2 to 3. I don’t know why treehouses have that special allure. Is it just because it’s having a place of your own, being taller than your surroundings, getting away from home and chores. Whatever it is, I was envious of this guy’s kids, and in awe of how much work he put into creating this treehouse for them, at one point even planning on running water to add to the full code-friendly electric. He says he “doesn’t have any idea how much it all cost” and doesn’t want to know. His wife looks a little suspicious of how far he would have carried this if she hadn’t stepped in.
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Five stuff-free games to play in the car during long trips
It’s almost the end of the school year, and, despite the soaring cost of gas, you likely have some travel in store for you and the family during the coming months. Here are five ideas you can keep at the back of your mind when the “how much longer?” questions start coming fast and furious.
1. Twins and triplets – Use “twins” to have everyone name one thing that comes in twins. Think “mom and dad,” “soup and salad,” “stop and go.” When it’s your turn, you can shout out an answer. If the next person doesn’t have an answer in three seconds, the following person can fill in. Players keep score by how many they have come up with. It’s obviously easy at first, but gets harder after a few times around. “Triplets” is even more challenging.
2. Horse – The first player says a letter and the following players have to add letters until a word is formed. The player who adds a letter that forms any word loses. The trick is that players must have a word in mind that could be created as they add a letter. So spelling H-O-R and adding an S might lead to forming “Horse” for the next player unless they could form a word that starts with H-O-R-S but does not have an E next.
3. Which would you rather be? – Choose odd combinations of things to quiz people on their inner selves and true desires. “What would you rather be: a whale or a shark? A theatre usher or a candy counter attendant? A professional singer or a librarian? A dog or a cat? ” The list goes on and on, only limited by your imagination and curiosity. You might actually learn something about your kids or spouse!
4. License plates – This is an old chestnut, but can keep kids busy for a few minutes at least while they realize that license plates come on cars from all over the country. Some kids wait years before seeing one from Hawaii or Alaska.
5. Alphabet soup – I almost hit a truck looking for an R during a recent car trip so I’m cautious about this game. In this game, each player has to find letters of the alphabet in alphabetical order starting with A. Each player keeps track and tries to avoid cheating. Little kids love to hunt for letters while they ride, and this game can be safely played from the back seat.
That should be enough to keep them at bay for at least ten miles.
For other travel activities with kids, there are some good ideas in “Travel Wise with Children though many require extra props or preparation.
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Another Nerf football, but made for little hands to throw farther
Nerf Vortex Mega Howler from (Hasbro) We like this new invention from the Nerf people. It reminds us of the lawn darts of our youth, without the fear of spearing the cat. The principle is somewhat similar: a light football that is attached to the rear-end of an arrow, making for an aerodynamic missle. The spin is that it’s a football, so the arrow tip is blunted and the Nerf, or course, is soft; not soft enough to save mom’s crystal vase, but safe enough not to snag a passing cat.
What’s also cool here though is that the ball is small enough for a five year old to get his fingers around it. His throws, aided by the rear fins, give him or her confidence in his natural throwing ability. Dads will enjoy the ability to really throw this ball a long distance even if you were a wimpy passer in high school. It’s not quite as easy to catch this little ball, but it sure is simple to toss.
We demo’d the Vortex Ultra Light so I can’t vouch for how the whistle works on the Howler version, and if it makes too much noise to use in the house. In general, this is not an indoor item, however, so plan for beach or yard use.
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Monuments, landmarks, and building in a manageable size
Like most people, I have a dirty little secret: I collect tacky souvenirs from monuments and buildings when I travel.
Like collections of snow globes, one monument alone is a tasteless souvenir. But put together a FULL CITY of monuments and you make a statement. 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. There, in plenty of glory, were miniature reproductions of every major edifice in the world. Suddenly, my puny collection gained stature and value, rather then just being the goofy past-time of a middle-aged traveler. Some day, I could bequeath my collection to the Museum of Modern Art or even the Met!
As a former New Yorker, when I saw these, I knew I had to have them. The cars are cute too, but I’d skip them for a PanAm building, miniature Whitney, or a Columbus Circle. In fact, I’m getting two sets. 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 mus
eum asking to take my collection on tour. They will make a perfect addition to my collection of stone, plaster, bronze and wood miniatures from cities I’ve visited around the world.
To read more about the history of this crazy hobby, check out this book: Souvenir Buildings Miniature Monuments: From the Collection of Ace Architects, which is a good book for dads and kids. My four-year-old son loves looking at the monuments. The book is divided mostly into major city-scapes, composed of mostly bronze and iron replicas of local landmarks and buildings. This is a fun book for both dads, kids, and budding architects.
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