Geek Dad - the Book

Last week I got a copy of Geek Dad: Awesomely Geeky Projects and Activities for Dads and Kids to Share and I’ve had a lot of fun reading about all of the geeky ideas. I have to admit sometimes I welcome books full of projects (or crafts or recipes…) with the best intentions and a lot of enthusiasm, only to have reality eventually relegate the book to a dusty corner of my craft table downstairs. (Yes, I have a craft table and two craft caddies…) However, I don’t see this happening with Geek Dad - the projects are too interesting to pass up.

I read the foreword and the introduction and then skimmed through a bunch of the projects (this book is not meant to be read from cover to cover). I immediately found 2 projects (The Pirate Cartography and the Homemade Coloring Books) - these are probably the first two we will try, given the age of my children. The Cake Model is also a great fit and I’d love to make the duct tape wallet for my geeky husband (maybe for Christmas…).

What I like about Geek Dad is that it isn’t just a list of projects - it inspired me to look at my regular daily activities with my kids in a more creative, inquisitive, and fun way. The day after I looked at the book, we were walking to the playground and came across some items piled under a tree, a sign attached to the trunk indicating it was all free. There was a discarded construction project of some sort - parts of a toy-sized castle made out of wood and we decided it would be perfect for our garden and we took it home. While painting it in our backyard, my three year old had fun discovering color mixing (we were using whatever paints I could find in the house - leftovers from a birdhouse kit). While not a Geek Dad project, the activity had the same tone: it used imagination, experimentation, problem-solving, building, and learning.

The next step will be to select a good spot for the castle (probably the ‘enchanted forest’ of weeds near the fence). I anticipate that some action figures will be moving in, and perhaps a My Little Pony… Future plans for this kingdom may be some flags for the turrets or even a moat…

In the introduction to Geek Dad, Ken Denmead explains that he is showing his kids that “being different isn’t bad, and that being intelligent and inquisitive is something to be proud of.”

This book is called Geek Dad but it certainly applies to Geek Moms (or Geek Sisters or Aunties) as well. I think the author has two sons, but I particularly like this book for little girls because it exposes them to projects that the average mom might not know how to expose them to (I can lead a castle-painting project solo, but will need some guidance to show my kids how to build fireflies using LEDs, electrical tape, and batteries). I’m looking forward to learning about electronics (Electronic Origami, Fireflies For Every Season) with my daughters - and that kind of enthusiastic learning, combined with energetic creativity, is why being a geek is so cool!

Talking about cool, this brings me to…

Favorite Web Personality #21: Geek Dad

Platforms:

Ken Denmead is the editor of the Geek Dad blog, originally started by Chris Anderson (Editor in Chief of Wired). He started off as a contributor to the blog and then took over the editing duties after 6 months. He is also the author of Geek Dad the book (see above) so, while he may not be the first geeky dad, he is arguably one of the best.

Denmead’s personal website is www.kendenmead.com and you can also follow him on twitter.com.

Who He Is:

He has a degree in Civil Engineering. He lives in California with his wife and kids.

Best Quote:

“…don’t be afraid to take things apart to figure out how they work, and don’t be afraid to repurpose stuff, don’t feel afraid to use things that have nothing to do with each other, to put them together and create something new. It’s about getting past just using toys for the originally-designed purpose.” (Read the full interview with him at Make: technology on your time.)

Five Reasons Why I Chose Him:

1. Even though I buy Wired magazine a few times a year, I had never heard of the Geek Dad blog until I got the book (for some reason I hadn’t been visiting Wired.com… wierd…).

2. Just one day with the book and I feel like he’s had a positive influence on my geeky parenting skills.

3. He seemed a perfect fit for the “favorite web personality” distinction (and he’s among great company, like:  “Crochet Dude“, Andy Kaufman, and German Chocolate Cake Man).

4. His book includes a Venn diagram that explains the difference between geeks, dweebs, dorks, and nerds.

5. He has a parenting method that includes turning your kid’s life into a RPG (I can’t wait to try this one out when my kids are a bit older!).