meta-dad

5 helpful Dad ‘hacks’ for babies

I know very little about parenting, the number of questions, curiosities and perplexities of being a solid Dad and raising healthy kids is breath-taking. That said, through the natural course of More »

Kids In The Kitchen

Although our kids are still quite young, my wife and I feel it is important they are involved with cooking and mealtime at some level. It promotes a healthy sense of responsibility, safety in the kitchen, offers some special bonding time between you and the kids and lots of opportunities to learn different concepts along the way. Think about it; there’s lots of potential for More »

DIY Dad – Paint Your Own Piggy Bank

Looking for a simple craft project for the kids? Here’s a good one. These kits come complete with stickers, stamps, paint pots and brushes. Use this as an opportunity to talk about all the different ways people earn money, the positive impact of saving money. Financial advisers and academics alike all say More »

DIY Dad; 5 simple dad-friendly kids activities

I will be the first to admit, it can be quite a challenge taking care of three boys when my wife isn’t around, or heaven forbid, I need to take them with you to get my errands done, but with the right attitude you can turn a quick trip to the grocery store into a scavenger hunt or turn your living room into a theater.

Allow these fun times as a chance to listen to your kid, play on their terms, while maintaining fair play and encourage healthy social interactions. Young kids, toddlers and preschoolers alike spend most of their day playing by ‘our rules’, let this be a chance for them to dictate things a bit; it is good for their confidence and promotes self assurance.

1. Masterpiece Theater – turn the living room into a More »

Lego instructions & catalog resources

Considering he is four years old, my son does a great job keeping his various Lego kits sorted and put away. He has figured out if any of those pieces get lost he will not be able to complete his model the next time around. Unfortunately, he has had no luck hanging onto the the instructions and catalogs that come with each kit. They get torn, ripped and bit by bit they find their way to the trash can or the vacuum bag.

His pile of instruction sheets have all but vanished. With a little hunting (actually, it wasn’t that hard) I was able to find a couple fantastic sites that have a comprehensive catalog of free viewable/printable Lego instructions and catalogs, some reaching as far back as 1958! So whether you are searching in vain for the instructions for that Lego 2005 Mini Dumptruck or an obscure set from the 70′s, there’s a chance you will find it in one of these databases (listed below).

Sited & Related Links:
LegoAt.Com [*Official Lego Site]
Peeron Database
The Brick Factory

The Brickshelf [* Looking for inspiration for your next project? Check out this fantastic Lego User-based gallery]

How to make paper airplanes for kids

There is plenty to be said about kids having a healthy dose of unstructured play in their life. No soccer practice to run to, no piano lessons to fret about. Those things are good to do, but the unencumbered afternoon is something to be cherished for kids.

As a dad, it may mean having a few tricks up your sleeve to get them going in the right direction, whether it’s a handful of dolls or action figures or even a few sheets of paper. That’s right, a few pieces of paper. This is arts and crafts, dad-style. There are a number of good sites that provide easy to understand directions (video too!) for creating a number of classic paper airplanes.

Sure – as parents you sometimes catch yourself “upselling” an activity but paper airplanes needs very little selling. Being able to take a sheet of paper (preferably one that has already been used for something) and transforming it into a moth, stealth or ring plane is totally entertaining for kids, regardless of age. As kids discover the different tricks (loop d’loops and such) that can be achieved by simple modifications to their planes, they will be hooked.

For the more advanced designs, check out the patterns available at How Stuff Works. They have directions for planes like the FA Thunderhawk Paper Airplane and A7 Moonraider Paper Airplane, cool stuff.

Sited & Related Links:
How Stuff Works | How to make paper airplanes
10 Paper Airplanes
Best Paper Airplanes | 10 original paper airplane designs that fly well

Pat’s Planes | Learn to Fold Paper Airplane from Pat, the Aerospace Engineer
Zurqui | The DC3 of paper airplanes
Airplane Collectible Resource | Making Paper Airplane that Flies like a Real One [*check out downloadable directions midway down page]
Set your own world record with this design! [*PDF]