Dad's Book of Awesome Projects: From Stilts and Super-Hero Capes to Tinker Boxes and Seesaws, 25+ Fun Do-It-Yourself Projects for Families

I've rewritten this review a few times because expressing the sentiment as to why I've rated it 3 stars instead of 4 or 5 stars without insulting the author or the work is a bit challenging. So now to explain; the book itself expresses, in my opinion, some great core values. Some include things like teaching your kids to use tools for drilling, measuring, etc.. as well as other ideas like empowering your children to go ahead and do things instead of conditioning them to believe they cannot do anything not their own or always being afraid they may get hurt. The idea of becoming independent and resourceful is what i like best about the book.The idea of building comic book shoes, garden trolleys or my own backyard swing set just isn't 'my dad style. My thinking makes it hard to find value in these simple ideas however my thought for this is that the content is not original or worthy of a book. If I wanted to do these things I'd simply search online for a DIY type approach for building a swing or a Seesaw. Again though.. the idea that the author is encouraging people in todays world to build a swing by hand with their child is exceptional…. because too many parents would, in today's society, buy a swing set from a big box store, have someone assemble it and then have the nanny watch their kid play on while they sat inside on the internet...This book may be good for someone that doesn't have access to the internet or someone that wants to build things that may have been built in the 50s such as a fruit crate scooter, DIY Jackson Pollock, a birdhouse,etc… The reason that I will not use this book is because the ideas are not 'originals', with the exception of a few, and because of that it makes completing any of these tasks almost too scripted; even if they are only sharing the idea. I personally think that coming up with an idea originally or taking a moment when something can be institutionalized is what makes the project worth it. What I am trying to say is if I want to build a bird house I'll do so by teaching my son how to 'find out how' to build a bird house and there will be a reason.. not get a book and start reading it. My son, in my opinion, will not find as much knowledge in me reading from a book as he will from seeing how one goes about learning to do something before doing it. Nor will my son see me as an innovative, creative and outside the box thinker. I believe it is important for him to see 'original' thought on the spot so that he knows it can be done…seeing me retrieve a book is not nearly the same.I am creative in my thinking (even created patents) so I may have misinterpreted the goal of the author here. I was however hopeful to come across some ideas that were going to be 'new' and 'clever'. Things that involved innovation and ingenuity to get my son thinking outside of the box. Things that my son and I would share that have not been shared with the masses throughout history. These ideas are preexisting ideas that everyone and their auntie have done for years (most of them). I want to take cardboard boxes and build my son a robot suit, I want to decorate a laundry basket to look like a car and pull my son around the yard using an attached belt, I want to have my son build a time capsule that includes images of his friends, family and thoughts written down, their own code for writing letters, etc..Again, my interpretation of this book is that it is too simple and limited to add to the book shelf. The ideas are ones that anyone with some creativity could ascertain on their own or using the internet.I hate to give this such a confusing review, however, a book review is subjective. Unfortunately; I was disappointed after giving the book a quick review. I've shared this information in the hopes of enhancing potential consumer's knowledge of what the book includes.The author nails it by reinforcing the idea that a parent should spend time with their children and empower them to conquer tasks and overcome obstacles…

Gift for a new dad--he will find it quite useful.

"Dad's Book of Awesome Projects" is exactly that -- a collection of craft projects that aren't cutesy. No memory books here. He'll show you how to make a seesaw. Circus stilts. A terrarium. A scooter.A cape shirt. Holy s***, a sweeeeet cape shirt.All the projects are pretty darn affordable, so it's perfect for families still recovering or adjusting to post-Great Recession life. So you can't take the family to Cabo once a year anymore. Big deal. Maybe you can't buy them the latest XBox right when it comes out. Good. Go pay attention to each other. Show your growing kids the joy of creating something out of almost nothing. Show them how to solve problems. They'll value these projects as much as any vacation.

As a Dad, I am constantly trying to find interesting things to do with my son. Some of those things require a talent for storytelling, being handy with tools or specific types of knowledge. And I am not that dad.But this book has something for both the rad dad and dull dad.The author, Mike Adamick, is funny and talented. He has a knack for presenting us with fun projects to do and you immediately get the sense that it would be so awesome to be his kid. His book is really about transforming the mundane into magic. Seriously, if you don't buy this book you simply suck as a parent. It's a must-buy.

I love sharing these projects with my granddaughter. They're easy to do and you don't need a lot of tools or skill for many of them. They're just about having fun with the children, as a Grammy I like that. We particularly enjoyed the shoe project as it was easy, creative and so individual. My granddaughter felt like a fashion designer. Great fun! The crafts in this book provide some really good conversations for us as we start a new "creation." We enjoy some good "giggles" as we work together. Thanks for the simplicity and great ideas.

Fun book! I purchased this book as a father's day gift for y husband and my girls are looking forward to doing projects with their dad. Some of the projects seem a little advanced for them currently, but they will grow and be able to do the more advanced projects too. The book is colorful and seems easy to understand/fun. I also thought that the ruler side of the book was a neat addition!

Our daughter has lately been asking for projects. She's got a zillion kits - jewelry making, paper crafts, etc. But she really wants to BUILD something. Enter Dad's Book of Awesome Projects. It truly IS awesome. So many cool things to build, from simple to more complicated, from minutes to days worth of together effort. And there are great projects for kids of any age. I'm not sure I'm even going to hand it over to my husband on Father's Day. I want to do nearly everything in it!

I really loved the range of projects in this book. It has no gender bias. There are all types of projects. You will be able to find projects in it that appeal to your child no matter what their disposition. Looking forward to seeing them come to life. Great father's day gift.

Great for dads investing in quality time

Not much to see… or say….

Fab little book to share with the kids. Some of the projects are more mums department in our house than for dads so mums don't be put off by the title. Great way to spend some quality time with your kids doing some fun activities.