meta-dad

Great free educational coloring pages

We have a activity table set up for the kids and it is forever piled with coloring pages, doodle pads, sticker books, boxes of crayons, rubber stamps, glitter and paint markers. Coloring is something they do when they get bored with everything else. It is what they do when they’re waiting for dinner to be served. It is what they do when they are inspired to make a card for their aunt or grandmother. You get the idea.

We have found that printing free coloring pages on the backs of previously used paper is a great way to recycle at home, save a dime and offer the kids a great variety of coloring pages. Here are the latest list of free downloadable Animal & Wildlife coloring pages and other great related links to follow.

Sited Links;
National Geographic | Animals Coloring Book
Los Angeles Zoo | Printable Animal Coloring Book Pages
Fun School | Animal Adventure Coloring Pages
The Coloring Spot | Animal Printable Coloring Pages
Karen’s Whimsy | Animal Coloring Pages [*beautiful stuff!]

meta-DAD | The best kids activity and coloring pages ever
meta-DAD | Great coloring pages online
meta-DAD | Mod coloring books for your lil’ Picasso

Tags: 2-4 years, 3-5 years, dad hack, kids activity, simple kids projects

Hey Dads, Need Some Last Minute Gifts…

We all procrastinate, that’s okay, so long as it gets done time and the job is done well, right. When it comes to holiday shopping there’s no exception. Here’s a quick list of five affordable gift ideas for the family with an emphasis on everybody in the family. They are simple ideas to help spark some memorable gifts.

Baby Leg & Arm Warmers – I love these things! I have written about them before. They protect Baby’s elbow and knees when they’re crawling about, they provide an additional layer of warmth, and they make diaper changes super quick. Get them for the newborn, baby or toddler! I am a big fan of the selection at BabyLegs (between $7-$21, most $7-$12) but due to their popularity you can now find them at places like Amazon and Target.

Framed Personal Photos – Take a minute to burn a CD with some favorite family photos, either jump in the car and take them to be printed, print them yourself or upload them to Shutterfly (or the likes of), next buy a single frame or a set of frames at your favorite store and viola, you have a thoughtful gift of memories that the wife, grandparents or the in-laws will adore.

Classic Toys Under $10 – There’s a number of classic toys (*that aren’t choked with phthalates or dipped in lead-heavy paints) that I would recommend for either stocking stuffers or as solid little holiday gifts for your favorite niece or nephew when visiting for the holidays. There is a solid list of classic inducted into the Strong National Museum of Play (here are a few);

• Slinky
• Travel-sized Checkers Set
• Wooden Alphabet Blocks
• Small Lego Set
• Silly Putty

Gardening Starter Set – Get a good sized planters pot and fill it with the following; a few bag of seeds (flowers, herbs are very hearty and forgiving), a hand shovel and rake, gloves, and if you want to make the kit complete buy yourself a small bag of soil and put it into a zip-lock freezer bag.

Or, if you’re like me and running out of time or don’t want the DIY approach, check out the cute Kids Gardening Kits that are available online (starting at $20 [+ shipping]).

Emergency Play & Craft Kit – I have recently written a post about this ingenuous piece of packaging. The Momergency Kit is a bag filled with stuff. Stuff your kids can use to do various activities and craft to pass the time when your stuck at the airport, waiting in holiday traffic or just killing time. Granted the DIY Dad in me is tempted to run to an office supply store and make one myself, the most redeeming aspect of this little gem is that a portion of the proceeds go to the Heifer International to fight poverty and hunger.

Tags: 0-1 year, 2-4 years, 3-5 years, dad hack, DIY, holidays, non-toxic, toys

Five Fun and Simple Games for Dad & the Kids

How many times have I had downtime with the kids and they are bored, they’re slumping around the house with gaze fixed on me, as if to say, “Dad, what can we dooooooOO?” It’s not easy having fresh ideas to pull out of my hat, some of you dads might know what I’m talking about. Here are five free activities that will entertain the kids for hours.

I often try to see this as an opportunity to bond with the kids and to teach them the finer point of playing well with others and communication which usually means picking up on social cues, keep in mind I am talking about toddlers and preschool kids.

Over the next few months I will throw out a few more ideas and maybe eventually I will compile a master list. Moms and Dads, please pipe in.

1. Shadow Tag: all it takes is a sunny day – go to an open area, chase each other around using shadows. Whoever is “it” steps on somebody else’s shadow thus making that person “it.” Of course you don’t have to play with them, but explain the rules and set them up for a friendly round or two of tag, so they can get some exercise, have some fun and maybe blow some steam off. 

2. Play Fort: I just did this with the boys yesterday. It was cold and rainy outside. They had an absolute blast. Span blankets across the backs of two chairs or simply throw a sheet or tablecloth over the dining room table, viola – a “fort.”  They filled the fort with pillows, stuffed animals, snacks and flashlights. Once the novelty started wearing off, “Daddy Monster” came in to attack them when they were inside the fort, squeals of joy – that’s all I’ll say.

3. Monster Mask: regardless of your artistic abilities, I think everyone can have a good time with this. Take a brown paper shopping bag and have the kids draw a scary face with crayons, pencils, markers, whatever… Cut the eyes out, unless they old enough to do it themselves. Have them take the time to paste More »

Tags: 2-4 years, dad hack, DIY

The Final Word on Santa Suits for Dads

Sure, there are a lot of reasons why you may be in the market for a Santa Suit, hopefully none of them have to do with trying to impress your date [*Playboy Holiday Smoking Jacket illustrated above]. I have to admit I was a bit reluctant to buy in to the Santa “thing” with the kids, but after seeing my kid’s face the first year, I am hooked! Good stuff!

For Christmas, I use the same trick every time and the kids fall for it hook-line-sinker (of course they do!).

1. I set up the latter the night before for easy rooftop access early the next morning with supplies nearby (I know it sounds like the beginning of the Brinks Job).
2. The boys tend to be early risers in general, so at 4:45am I change into St. Nick in the garage,
3. Climb up the latter, stomp around and jingle some bells and call out to a few of the reindeer,
4. Scurry down the latter and scoot around the corner to the back door by the kitchen where I bump into the kids and my wife (who happens to be recording the whole thing on the video camera).
5. I explain to the kids in my best Santa Claus voice that “they were extra good boys so I want to hand deliver these gift to you.”
6 I hand my wife their stockings (fully stuffed) and the sack of gifts.
7. After a bite of cookie and a sip of milk (I’m still trying to convince the kids that Santa is really “craving” coffee but they don’t believe me), and a quick pat on the head, my wife scoops them up and brings them inside,
8. While I do a quick-O change-O routine and reappear as my self moments later.

Now what I have quickly come to find out is there are a few things you need to know about Santa costumes;

• a cheap fake beard can potentially ruin the whole thing, be careful and don’t go too cheap on it,
• the footwear is another potential deal breaker, don’t dress up as Santa wearing white New Balance sneakers with a cheap black rubber boot slip-on over it, even the guys at the mall do better than that!
• when you’re dressed up as Santa Claus in front of your kids, don’t grab your wife’s butt – it’s kinda creepy! Stay focused and stay in character.
• everything else is pretty forgiving. I have found spending a little extra money on the costume may make a little sense (within reason), considering you may want to use it for a couple of years. Whether you’re the Grinch and spent a dime on the costume or you dropped some cash on it do a good job storing it, you’ll thank me next year.

Related and Sited Links:
SantaSuits.Com [between $45-$679 +shipping]
Wonder Costumes | Impressive Variety for the whole family [*Grinch suit included]
Bronner’s Santa Suits and Accessories
Santa Suit Costume | Wigs & Beards
Act One Costumes | Very Good Traditional Costume [good price!]
Expert Village | How to Make Your Own Santa Suit (videos)

Tags: dad hack, holidays

Dads Can Learn Something From This Little Kit

Sure deep down we like to think we Dads have MacGyver potential but honestly, we fall flat most of the time. Think about it, to really pull it off you would have to have a sundry of supplies tucked away in every nook and cranny of your person.

Some Dads may already be on top of this, occasionally I have a moment of brilliance but most of the time it is pure luck. What is he talking about? I’m talking about having stuff on hand to entertain the kids on the drop of a dime.

Say, you grab one of the tikes to tag along with you while you make that visit to the post office only to find there’s only one window open and the line that bending around the corner conjures images of everlasting purgatory and your kid looks up at you and says with tender innocence, “Dad, this is going to take a long long time. Do we really have to mail these?” And most of the time (unfortunately), the answer is yes.

Well, the folks at Wire + Twine have a little sack of fun that may ease the pain for the little ones. What’s in it?

• Instructions for 20 activities
• Balloon
• Bandage
• Binder clip
• Birthday candle
• Carabiner
• Cotton swabs
• Dice
• Emery boards
• Flashlight
• Glue stick
• Googly eyes
• Latex gloves
• Measuring Tape
• Mirror
• Needle and thread
• Paper clips
• Permanent marker
• Plastic zipper bags
• Safety pins
• Sanitizing wipe
• Scissors
• Rubber bands
• Whistle (I save this for last because if the kid makes it this far, either you’ve fallen asleep in line or you need to make a ruckus and get the blood flowing in that line)

If you are cheap or just inspired, you could easily fashion you own kit. Regardless, consider getting one for the wife or perhaps a friend or family member, a portion of the proceeds go to Heifer International.

$25 [+shipping] at Wire + Twine

Tags: better dad, better living, dad hack, design

Need Some Ideas for Carving the Pumpkin?

If you’re like me, it is always a last minute thing and I’m scratching my head for ideas. Alas the web (especially Flicker) has a basketful of good ideas to spark your next work of art. Some are definitely a little advanced for my sculpting ability but it’s worth a try.

I just try to remind myself that the kids are going to remember the family tradition of watching dad carve up the pumpkin while getting ready to trick or treat and hopefully they won’t remember how awful looking they were. What am I saying, they will remember and tease me forever more.

22 Inspirational Jack O’lanterns vis a vis GrowSpot.Com

Tags: dad hack, DIY, halloween