Got Traditions? A Family Rituals Workshop Manual: A companion guide to The Book of New Family Traditions

Order "Got Traditions? A Family Rituals Workshop Manual by Meg Cox" Here

Book Description
A companion guidebook for those who wish to teach workshops based on The Book of New Family Traditions by Meg Cox. A perfect tool for community and church groups that want to help parents strengthen their families by creating personal, powerful traditions for holidays and everyday.

About the Author
Meg Cox is a nationally known author and traditions expert who lectures and writes about how families can celebrate in fresh, new and personal ways. A former writer for the Wall Street Journal, her work has appeared in dozens of magazines, including Parents, Family Fun and Good Housekeeping.

88 Great Daddy-Daughter Dates: Fun, Easy & Creative Ways to Build Memories Together

Order "88 Great Daddy-Daughter Dates by Rob Teigen, Joanna Teigen" Here

Book Description
The perfect gift for Father's Day or any time, 88 Great Daddy-Daughter Dates is sure to help Dad connect with his daughter in new and fun ways.

With today's busy schedules, it can be difficult for fathers to create meaningful memories with their girls. 88 Great Daddy-Daughter Dates provides dads with a wide variety of fun ideas for spending quality time with their daughters. Each date tells dads what to grab (any needed supplies), where to go, and how to grow together while having a blast and making great memories. Included for each date are Scriptures and questions to get the conversation flowing. From bird-watching and making paper airplanes to bowling and photo scavenger hunts, there's something for every dad and every little girl ages 6-12.

About the Author
Rob Teigen has been a publishing professional for more than fifteen years. The author of Laugh-Out-Loud Jokes for Kids (under the pseudonym Rob Elliott), Rob met his wife, Joanna, when they were students at Moody Bible Institute. Joanna Teigen is the homeschooling mom of their teenage son and three younger daughters. The Teigens enjoy church, foster parenting, books, music, and laughter. They live in West Michigan.

The Geek Dad Book for Aspiring Mad Scientists

Order "The Geek Dad Book for Aspiring Mad Scientists by Ken Denmead" Here

Book Description
Fans of the New York Times bestselling Geek Dad and The Geek Dad's Guide to Weekend Fun will flock to the 3.0 version, The Geek Dad Book for Aspiring Mad Scientists. As Ken Denmead explains, most kids lack an understanding of science and an awareness of how it influences our everyday lives. What kids today need is a fun way to learn scientific concepts. This book will help scientists-in-the- making discover how our world works with creative project ideas, including how to:

• Grow crystals to power your Stargate and set your room aglow
• Extract your own DNA and decode your genes
• Build a MacGyver radio from nothing but cast-off electrical and office supplies

Chock-full of instructional illustrations throughout, The Geek Dad Book for Aspiring Mad Scientists puts the fun back in science.

About the Author
Ken Denmead is the editor of GeekDad, a blog on Wired magazine's Web site. A professional civil engineer, he lives near San Francisco with his wife and their two sons, who are both geeks in training.

Celebrating Festivals with Children

Order "Celebrating Festivals with Children by Freya Jaffke" Here

Book Description
In this thoughtful book, Freya Jaffke describes festival celebrations in relation to child development in the first seven years. She considers in detail the main festivals throughout the year: Easter, Whitsun, St John's, starting school, harvest, Michaelmas, lantern time, birthdays, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Advent, Christmas, Epiphany and carnival. Drawing on many examples, she shows how we can celebrate festivals with children at home and in kindergarten in a meaningful way. Every festival is prefaced with a deeper contemplation for adults, before considering preparations with children, followed by the actual organisation of the festival -- with games, craft activities and decorations, stories, songs, poems and the seasonal nature table.

About the Author
Freya Jaffke is an experienced Steiner-Waldorf kindergarten teacher in Germany. Her books on early childhood have sold over quarter of a million copies worldwide and include, Toymaking with Children, Magic Wool and Work and Play in Early Childhood.

Encouraging Your Child's Imagination: A Guide and Stories for Play Acting

Order "Encouraging Your Child's Imagination: A Guide and Stories for Play Acting by Carol E. Bouzoukis" Here

Book Description
Encouraging Your Child's Imagination: A Guide and Stories for Playacting is an easy-to-use guide to creating simple dramas with young children. This innovative "how-to" book is written especially for parents, daycare providers, librarians, educators, and youth leaders who want to not only encourage their child's imagination but enhance their self-esteem and joy of learning. Dr. Bouzoukis recounts nine familiar children's stories for reading aloud and presenting to our children. By following the tips and using the sample questions, anyone can create a story drama in their living room, garage, Sunday school class or community center. Each story includes an analysis that adds insight into the creative process and reminds parents how simple and care-free it is to let our imaginations turn us into wolves, gingerbread boys, trees, and rivers.

About the Author
Dr. Carol E. Bouzoukis is a Child Drama Specialist with twenty-five years of experience expanding creativity in children. Dr. Bouzoukis holds a Ph.D. from New York University Educational Theatre and Dramatherapy. She earned a Master of Fine Arts from the University of North Carolina. She is the Executive Director and Founder of Child Drama Workshops, Ltd., an interactive theatre arts enrichment program for children ages three to nine. She also maintains a private psychotherapy practice, Play Therapy Delaware, specializing in Play Therapy and Dramatherapy for children. Her first book, Pediatric Dramatherapy: They Couldn't Run So They Learned to Fly, earned international recognition.

Making Handmade Clothes and Projects for Your Creative Child

Order "Growing Up Sew Liberated: Making Handmade Clothes and Projects for Your Creative Child by Meg McElwee" Here

Book Description
Bring joy, creativity & learning to your sewing with fabulous kid-friendly projects Meg McElwee puts her signature sewing style into gorgeous children’s clothes and creative activity-focused designs. From simple clothing to toys, Growing Up Sew Liberated is packed with innovative, playful sewing patterns. Follow the structure of a child’s day with 20 projects including:

• Getting up and getting dressed: comfortable clothing patterns such as T-shirts, sweatshirts, and pocket pants.
• Homemaking and cooking: projects for engaging children in helping around the house and for in the kitchen, such as aprons, bibs, and placemats.
• Playtime: indoor and outdoor activities are celebrated with dolls, a cape, a satchel, and a tent. Bedtime: snuggle in for a night in cozy pj’s and a sleep sack.
• Meg adds in suggestions for projects and adventures for kids and adults to explore together and tasks that children can accomplish on their own.

Includes a techniques section, how-to photos, extra tips and tricks, and a bonus full-size pattern section, Growing Up Sew Liberated collects designs, activities, and ideas that are perfect for adding creativity into the daily life of sewists, children, and families.

About the Author
An internationally certified Montessori teacher, Meg McElwee is a successful sewing pattern designer and the author of the Sew Liberated crafting blog, where she offers sewing tutorials and writes about motherhood and other handmade projects. She is also the author of Sew Liberated: 20 Stylish Projects for the Modern Sewist. Meg lives in North Carolina with her husband and two sons.

Develop Your Child's Sense of Joy & Wonder

Order "Playful Learning by Mariah Bruehl" Here

Book Description
Children are natural scientists, artists, mathematicians, authors, and scholars. From the time they are born they seek out information about the world around them in an effort to construct meaning and further their development. Children have an inherent drive to make sense of their reality, and when given an enriching environment and supportive guidance they intuitively take advantage of the prospects for learning that are before them. Parents have a unique opportunity to harness their children’s curiosity and channel it into the development of habits of heart and mind that will serve them throughout their lifetime.

Playful Learning is the magic that takes place when we meld a child’s sense of joy and wonder with thoughtfully planned learning experiences. Through easy-to-implement, hands-on projects you can engage your child in fun and creative ways that encourage learning and impart the joy of discovery. In addition, discover ways to create a space conducive to learning and learn how to build a culture within your family that celebrates learning. With a little bit of information and forethought, you can play a pivotal role in the cognitive and creative development of your child.

About the Author
Mariah Bruehl has worked in the field of education for over a decade. She has an MS in Elementary Education from the Bank Street College of Education, was a classroom teacher for four years at the Dalton School, and worked in Early Childhood and Elementary Administration for six years at the Hampton Day School, the Ross School, and the Ross Institute Academy. She has taught in the classroom, trained teachers, implemented programs across many grade levels,and developed and implemented curriculum. Her educational influences include the Reggio Emilia Approach, Maria Montessori, and Howard Gardner. She is currently a stay-at-home mother of two girls and the owner of Playful Learning— a retail space and education center in Sag Harbor.

The Rhythm of Family

Order "The Rhythm of Family: Discovering a Sense of Wonder through the Seasons by Amanda Blake Soule, Stephen Soule" Here

Book Description
Many of us with busy families yearn for a slower and simpler life with our kids—one that is connected to the seasons and the natural rhythm of the year, one that has our children spending more time out of doors rather than in, one that balances out some of the busyness of our lives—the computers, the televisions, the cell phones—with a deeper connection to the Earth and an appreciation for and understanding of the natural world. The Rhythm of Family is a guide to living such a life for any family.

Following the course of a year through the passing of the seasons, this book explores the ways we can create deep family connections and meaningful memories through living in tune with the cycles of nature. From stomping around in mud boots in the spring to gathering around the woodstove in winter, our activities naturally change from season to season—from the rhythms of the seasons comes the rhythms in our homes, our hearts, our families, and our every day. Paying attention to these changes slows us down, inspires new types of creative play and exploration, instills a sense of family togetherness, and deepens an awareness of nature and self that can make our lives, days, family, and earth grow stronger.

The Rhythm of Family explores what we learn and can gain as parents and families by encouraging and experiencing creativity and nature exploration with our children, the seasons can provide us with a rhythm that brings us close to the earth, and closer to our children.

About the Author
Amanda Blake Soule is the creator of the popular blog www.SouleMama.com. Amanda spends her days with her four young children—making things, thrifting, exploring and being inspired by their coastal Maine surroundings.

The Complete Daily Curriculum for Early Childhood

Order "The Complete Daily Curriculum for Early Childhood by Pam Schiller, Pat Phipps" Here

Book Description
There’s more than one way to be smart! This innovative book for three-to six-year-olds offers a complete plan for every childhood learning style. Organized by theme, The Complete Daily Curriculum for Early Childhood includes a morning circle and end-of-day reflection, and different activities for each learning center. With more than 1,200 activities and ideas to engage multiple in-telligences, assessment tools, and a comprehensive appendix of songs, stories, games and dances, props, recipes, patterns, chants, rhymes, and arts and crafts, you’ll find everything you need to captivate and challenge every child in your classroom.

About the Author
Pam Schiller, Ph.D., is an early childhood author, consultant, and highly sought after speaker. She has written numerous articles for early childhood journals, including Child Care Information Exchange and Texas Child Care Quarterly. Pam is the author of five early childhood curriculums, eleven children's books and more than 30 teacher and parent resource books.

Creative Ways to Make and Listen to Music as a Family

Order "All Together Singing in the Kitchen by Nerissa Nields, Katryna Nields, Dan Zanes" Here

Book Description
Music is not only fun, but it can be the all-purpose, go-to tool for any family--it can soothe a crying baby, engage an active toddler, entertain during long car rides, and help everyone get through daily chores. From playtime to bedtime, making music a larger part of your family's life can be hugely rewarding and lead to a lifetime of family memories.

You don't need to know a thing about music to get something out of this book. If you're new to singing or playing an instrument, this book offers tips and guidelines to get you started. By the same token, you might be a classical violinist or a teacher of elementary school music; this book provides songs, games, and ideas to inspire every family. Here you'll find:

• Songs for entertaining a new baby, first songs for little voices, rounds for when family members are ready to experiment with singing a part, songs to modify for any occasion, traditional folk songs, original songs, and more. Each song is presented with the lyrics, the chords, and any other fun information that may be helpful. The songs are also included on a CD so you can learn the melody and sing or play along.
• Musical games including songs with movements, dancing, rhythm games, audiation (leaving words out of a song), and imaginative play.
• Homemade instruments to make--from cardboard guitars to small hand drums--as well as practical tips on starting your interested child in learning an instrument. Also included are tips on how to help your child to practice (and how not lose your mind when they do!).
• Family traditions and community events to take your musical interests further, from seasonal celebrations to all-school sing-alongs and community hootenannies.

Making music with any group of people is one of the best and surest ways to forge deep emotional connections. Making music with the members of your family practically guarantees a lifetime of distinct, memorable, warm moments of togetherness. This book is a celebration of the connections that music can make.

About the Author
Nerissa and Katryna Nields are national touring musicians and sisters, a part of the legendary band The Nields who toured North America throughout the nineties and into this millennium. As a duo, they were a part of Lillith Fair, and have shared the stage with Pete Seeger, Arlo Guthrie, Natalie Merchant, Suzanne Vega, Sarah McLaughlin, Dar Williams, the Indigo Girls, James Taylor, Joan Baez, the Band, 10,000 Maniacs, Billy Bragg, Dan Zanes, and countless others. With fifteen albums in fifteen years, they remain prolific. Now that they are parents to young children, they have expanded their repertoire to include the youngest in the folk festival crowds. They have released two family albums, All Together Singing in the Kitchen and Rock All Day/Rock All Night, and a family music DVD titled Organic Farm.

101 Things to Do Outdoors Before You Grow Up

Order "Go Wild!: 101 Things to Do Outdoors Before You Grow Up by Fiona Danks, Jo Schofield" Here

Book Description
Young people these days are often homebound, entertaining themselves with the Internet, television, video games, and text messages, but completely disconnected from the reality of the great outdoors. Many have never experienced simple pleasures such as telling stories around a warm campfire, camping outdoors, or whittling a stick. Go Wild! is the perfect book for families with children ages 10 to 14 wanting to get in touch with the natural world. The authors describe a range of wild and fun adventures for families to share. Readers learn potentially life-saving skills that give them confidence, independence, and a sense of environmental awareness. Topics include building shelter, building a fire, foraging for food, cooking outdoors, tools and weapons, bushcraft skills, water and keeping clean, and safety. From making a catapult to catching crayfish, creating fire without matches to constructing a tepee, Go Wild! is all about thrilling activities, amazing discoveries, and young people having the time of their lives in the great outdoors.

About the Author
Fiona Danks did a degree in Ecology at Edinburgh University followed by a PGCE in Rural and Environmental Science at Bath College of Higher Education. She worked in environmental education for a number of years, first for the Shropshire Wildlife Trust and then for the Berkshire Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust, organizing training for teachers and taking groups of children out to nature reserves and other wild sites. She then went on to write books about the Chiltern Hills and the Cotswold Hills while working part-time running activities in a pre-school nursery. She currently runs the Trust for Oxfordshire's Environment, a non-profit making company providing grants for a wide range of community and environmental projects across Oxfordshire. Through their website www.goingwild.net Jo and Fiona provide more ideas for outdoor activities and an opportunity for debate on the importance of real world adventures for all young people. For more information on how to encourage children to go outdoors, visit Fiona and Jo's website click here Jo Schofield gained a degree in psychology from Exeter University and began her career working for an educational psychologist in London. After getting involved in the production of a film, she went on to work in the creative department of a TV advertising agency where she began taking still photographs. This led on to her becoming a commercial photographer in Australia and then London. She worked mainly for national editorial magazines such as Country Living. When her children were small she worked in Watlington Primary School and the Dragon school in Oxford, applying her creative knowledge to the classroom with children aged 6-9 years. More recently she has been focusing on writing and photographing for a series of books with co-author Fiona Danks. Through their website www.goingwild.net Jo and Fiona provide more ideas for outdoor activities and an opportunity for debate on the importance of real world adventures for all young people.

How Your One-of-a-Kind Family Can Make Homeschooling & Real Life Work

Order "Homeschooling for the Rest of Us: How Your One-of-a-Kind Family Can Make Homeschooling and Real Life Work by Sonya Haskins" Here

Book Description
Homeschooling parents are under great pressure. Besides trying to balance teaching responsibilities and family life, they often face unrealistic expectations from relatives, churches, other homeschoolers, and society at large. Even parents considering homeschooling sense the need to be perfect.

Sonya Haskins doesn't want any more families to give up on homeschooling. In this book she shares affirming stories and practical ideas from dozens of everyday families who successfully deal with cluttered schedules, academic struggles, sibling squabbles, and other real-life issues. Instead of learning a one-size-fits-all approach, readers will discover how to evaluate their own family's strengths and weaknesses and set their own goals for success in homeschooling.

About the Author
Sonya Haskins is a veteran homeschooling mom of five children and an active homeschooling consultant and advocate. She is the author of several books, including The Homeschooler's Book of Lists, and her articles have appeared in Homeschooling Today, Educational Dealer, and other magazines. She lives in the Tri-Cities region of northeastern Tennessee with her husband, Chris, and their children.

The Definitive Guide for Becoming the World's Greatest Aunt or Uncle

Order "UNCLE: The Definitive Guide for Becoming the World's Greatest Aunt or Uncle by Will Murray" Here

Book Description
This is the first and only book for uncles and aunts who want to have a positive and lasting impact on their sibilings’ children. "Uncle: The Definitive Guide for Becoming the World’s Greatest Aunt or Uncle" celebrates the unique, indispensable and slightly zany role of aunts and uncles in our society. It helps aunts and uncles realize their role through a collection nearly 190 fun and whacky activities that nieces and nephews need to master to grow up as great kids: things that the grandparents have forgotten and that the parents wouldn’t ever think to teach. Show them how to scream, “Haaaaaaay!” while Dad is driving past a farm. Turn an orange peel into teeth that would scare a dentist away from her drill. Or spend time hanging out doing the fine art of nothing. The "Uncle: The Definitive Guide for Becoming the World’s Greatest Aunt or Uncle" will appeal to anyone who has an endearing aunt or uncle, whether blood relative or a revered unofficial aunt or uncle, or scoutmasters and other adults who get to engage kids in fun and useful activities. It’s a far better birthday gift than another tie.

About the Author
Will Murray has 15 nieces and nephews and no children (which makes him all uncle). He believes our society needs the kind of kids who grow up strong from being around great aunts and uncles. Will works with conservation organizations, climbs mountain peaks, fishes for trout, and participates in triathlons. He lives in Boulder, Colorado, with his wife, Margie.

Run Wild!: Outdoor Games & Adventures

Order "Run Wild!: Outdoor Games & Adventures by Fiona Danks, Jo Schofield" Here

Book Description
Following the success of Nature's Playground, Go Wild and Make it Wild, in their latest book, Run Wild, Jo Schofield and Fiona Danks focus on inspiring children of all ages - as well as parents, teachers, youth leaders and anyone working or playing with children - to have fun outdoors, anywhere, any time, whatever the weather. Here are activity ideas and practical projects for all ages and all occasions, from outdoor games to woodland storytelling, from wild navigation to planting trees.

About the Author
Fiona Danks did a degree in Ecology at Edinburgh University followed by a PGCE in Rural and Environmental Science at Bath College of Higher Education. She worked in environmental education for a number of years, first for the Shropshire Wildlife Trust and then for the Berkshire Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust, organizing training for teachers and taking groups of children out to nature reserves and other wild sites...

Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons

Order "Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons by Siegfried Engelmann, Phyllis Haddox, Elaine Bruner" Here

Book Description

• Is your child halfway through first grade and still unable to read?
• Is your preschooler bored with coloring and ready for reading?
• Are you worried that your child will become lost in overcrowded classrooms?
• Did you know that early readers hold an advantage over their peers throughout school?
• Do you want to help your child read, but are afraid you'll do something wrong?

SRAs DISTAR® is the most successful beginning reading program available to schools across the country. Research has proven that children taught by the DISTAR® method outperform their peers who receive instruction from other programs. Now for the first time, this program has been adapted for parent and child to use at home. Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons is a complete, step-by-step program that shows patents simply and clearly how to teach their children to read.

Twenty minutes a day is all you need, and within 100 teaching days your child will be reading on a solid second-grade reading level. It's a sensible, easy-to-follow, and enjoyable way to help your child gain the essential skills of reading. Everything you need is here -- no paste, no scissors, no flash cards, no complicated directions -- just you and your child learning together. One hundred lessons, fully illustrated and color-coded for clarity, give your child the basic and more advanced skills needed to become a good reader.

Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons will bring you and your child closer together, while giving your child the reading skills needed now, for a better chance at tomorrow.

About the Author
Siegfried Engelmann is a professor of education at the University of Oregon, and has written many books on teaching, including Give Your Child a Superior Mind. He is the originator of Direct Instruction, the most successful approach to teaching, and he has developed more than thirty direct instruction programs. He has provided teaching demonstrations with a wide range of children -- consistently showing that they could learn much more than had been achieved with traditional teaching.

Places to Take Your Kids Before They Grow Up

Order "Frommer's 500 Places to Take Your Kids Before They Grow Up by Holly Hughes" Here

Book Description
500 Places to Take Your Kids allows parents, grandparents, and kids to create a lifetime of shared memories while visiting destinations the whole family can enjoy. Here are cities, zoos, sports shrines, museums, castles, beaches, outdoor activities, and more—500 thoughtfully-chosen places that will enchant and beguile both the young and the young at heart.

Each entry contains all the information families need to help plan a trip: age ratings, service details, and nearby kid-friendly hotels. A Specialty Index organized by type of trip helps families discover places and activities for all ages and interests, while a Geographical Index allows families to locate attractions across the world or simply across town. Photos throughout the book help bring destinations to life.

About the Author
Holly Hughes has traveled the globe as an editor and writer—she’s the former executive editor of Fodor’s Travel Publications, the series editor of Frommer’s Irreverent Guides, and author of Frommer’s New York City with Kids. She’s also written fiction for middle graders and edits the annual Best Food Writing anthology. New York City makes a convenient jumping-off place for her travels with her three children and husband.

All of the Tricks, Games, Puzzles and Jokes You Need to Impress Your Kids

Order "Be the Coolest Dad on the Block: All of the Tricks, Games, Puzzles and Jokes You Need to Impress Your Kids (and keep them entertained for years to come!) by Simon Rose, Steve Caplin" Here

Book Description
An all-encompassing guide to entertaining, amazing, and possibly even educating children, Be the Coolest Dad on the Block provides the perfect excuse to stand on a balloon, play with grated cheese in the microwave, and unroll an entire roll of toilet paper, all in the name of spending time with your kids.

Written by a comedy writer and a cartoonist with thirty years’ combined experience as dads, Be the Coolest Dad on the Block is a cornucopia of practical parenting advice, like how to skip stones or teach a kid to ride a bike. It has answers to the pesky questions kids love, such as “Why is the sky blue?” or “Where do babies come from?” And it can help dads entertain large groups of kids with slapstick gags (“burp the alphabet”) or cool tricks (“the hole in the head”). Be the Coolest Dad on the Block also contains spooky myths for telling around the campfire and loads of quizzes and jokes for rainy days or endless car rides.

With a range of ideas to suit all situations and sensibilities, Be the Coolest Dad on the Block gives any dad the right stuff to be the wackiest and smartest guy in the room.

How to Get Your Kids Active in the Great Outdoors

A great read that leads the way to healthier kids and a healthier planet, written by one of my favorite writers. Outdoor Parents, Outdoor Kids gives a fun, healthy, and really cool perspective on the best ways to interact with our world.

Order Outdoor Parents Outdoor Kids: A Guide to Getting Your Kids Active in the Great Outdoors by Eugene Buchanan Here

Book Description
There is a movement upon us and it's full of parents who refuse to let their children become a statistic of childhood obesity, and who understand the fate of the environment rests with connecting their kids with the outdoors. Outdoors Parents, Outdoor Kids shines a much needed headlamp on helping parents accomplish this and more. With an informative and entertaining look at biking, camping, swimming, paddling, snowsports, hiking, fishing, climbing and more, award-winning author Eugene Buchanan extends parents a helping hand in getting their kids outside and instilling in them a respect for their health and the environment. It's a set of training wheels for first-time parents and an essential guide for hair-pulling veterans.

About the Author
A former reporter for the Denver Business Journal and 14-year editor-in-chief of Paddler magazine, Eugene Buchanan has written about the outdoors for more than 25 years, from covering the X Games for ESPN.com to working for NBC at the Beijing Olympics. With freelance articles published in the New York Times, Men's Journal, National Geographic Adventure, Sports Afield, Outside, Forbes Life and other publications, his passion for traveling and writing has taken him to more than 30 countries on six continents. A Fellow member of the Explorer's Club and contributor to Men's Journal's The Great Life anthology, he spearheaded the Outdoor Industry Association's book, Brothers on the Bashkaus, was released by Fulcrum Publishing in 2007.

Parenting Adventures in the Great Outdoors

Order "Wild Play: Parenting Adventures in the Great Outdoors by David Sobel" Here

Book Description
When David Sobel’s children were toddlers, he set out to integrate a wide range of nature experiences into their family life, play, and storytelling. Blending his passion as a parent with his professional expertise, he created adventures tailored to their developmental stages: cultivating empathy with animals in early childhood, exploring the woods in middle childhood, and devising rites of passage in adolescence. This book is Sobel’s vivid and moving memoir of their journey and an inspiring guide for other parents who seek to help their children bond with the natural world. As we share this family's experiences, we observe how wild play in nature hones a sense of wonder, provides healthy challenges, and nurtures Earth stewardship—and we share Sobel’s joy as his children, Eli and Tara, grow into earthbound, grounded young adults.

Richard Louv’s Last Child in the Woods identified the urgent problem of “nature deficit” in today’s children, sounding the alarm for parents, educators, and policy makers. Wild Play is a hopeful response, offering families myriad ways to blaze their own trails; it should become another classic in this field.

The Geek Dad's Guide to Weekend Fun

"This book is packed with delightfully fun projects for a rainy day or romping in the sun. The ratio of building and playing is just right." - Chris Anderson, Editor in Chief, Wired

Order "The Geek Dad's Guide to Weekend Fun: Cool Hacks, Cutting-Edge Games, and More Awesome Projects for the Whole Family by Ken Denmead" Here

Book Description
The wildly popular DIY dad follows up his instant New York Times bestseller with a fresh batch of geeky weekend science projects for the whole family to enjoy.

Ken Denmead struck a chord with parents and kids across America with his GeekDad blog on Wired.com, which receives more than one million page views per month. His debut book, Geek Dad, was on bestseller lists and in its seventh printing just two months after hitting store shelves. With The Geek Dad's Guide to Weekend Fun, he keeps the nerdtastic novelties coming, with projects that teach readers how to:

• Build homemade robots from scratch
• Write and direct simple stop-motion movies
• Hack into mechanical toys to add cool electronic twists, and more

United by the premise that to really understand science and how something works you must design and build it yourself or remake it better, Geek Parents everywhere will celebrate this latest installment of weekend workshop wonders.

About the Author
Ken Denmead is the editor of GeekDad, a blog on Wired magazine's Web site. A professional civil engineer, he lives near San Francisco with his wife and their two sons, who are both geeks in training.