The Geek Dads Guide to Weekend Fun: Cool Hacks, Cutting-Edge Games, and More Awesome Projects for the Whole Family by Ken Denmead

The Geek Dads Guide to Weekend Fun: Cool Hacks, Cutting-Edge Games, and More Awesome Projects for the Whole Family Reviews

• 
  Caitlin

  First, let's start with terms. Over the past 5-10 years or so the words geek and nerd have been conflated to mean one thing. This is unfortunate because they're actually two different things. So - you can be a geek or a nerd or a geek and a nerd or a nerd who's sort of geeky or a geek who's sort of nerdy, but the two concepts related to geekdom and nerdom are just that - two separate concepts.
  
  So nerds tend to be really intelligent people who are obsessed with complex sorts of hobbies - mathematics, hardcore science, but also things that might be considered too young for them like trading cards. Nerds tend to be socially awkward, but they are definitely academically successful and many have accomplished great things (c.f., Bill Gates).
  
  Geeks, on the other hand, are all about the technology and all about using the technology to do various kinds of things - like make robots or build super-fantastic home PC's, or (as from the quote above - home-made rayguns). Some geeks love the technology, but adore other things as well - comic books, history, science fiction, historical re-enactment, literature. Geeks are always outside of the mainstream by choice and social awkwardness is not necessarily a part of the package. As a long-time geek myself I think geeks have a leg up over nerds by being just a lot cooler. To make it more simple, nerds like chess, but geeks like chess on the computer particularly when they wrote the program to play it.
  
  Having said all of that, you don't necessarily need to be a geek OR a nerd to adore this book. Geek Dad has a blog on Wired and talks about being a Dad who is a geek and geeky stuff to do with kids. The Geek Dad's Guide to Weekend Fun: Cool Hacks, Cutting-Edge Games, and More Awesome Projects for the Whole Family is full of really cool stuff to do with your kids. Since we're at the start of summer you should go out and get this book so you can start playing as soon as possible. In fact, even if you don't have kids, you should go get this book and then borrow some kids to play with - it's just full of fun. I'm thinking of trying to get my cat interested (my kid is 20), but don't hold out much hope unless tuna or raw duck is involved.
  
  From making ray-guns to origami lights to combat card games to robots to food and drink to costumes to science experiments of all kinds and just about anything else you can imagine this is a book full of hardcore geeky fun. The fact that the instructions are clearly written with plenty of diagrams means no geek (or nerd) creds are required - that everyone will learn something is bonus!
  
  Summer is starting - go play with your kids - they're the funnest people you know!
• 
  James Swenson

  The book is fun to read, and it's interesting to imagine doing the projects, but I was not inspired to put any of them into action.
• 
  Alyce (At Home With Books)

  What I loved about this book is that geeky moms like me will have just as much fun with these projects (and the pop culture references) as the dads.
  
  Projects vary in scope, with ideas for just about every age level. While most of the projects are the hands-on building type, there are also some inventive activities for little tots, like geeky variations on “This Little Piggy” (Lord of the Rings themed for example). The majority of the projects though are for grade school kids, but could be adapted either way for younger or older kids.
  
  The ideas that appealed to me the most were those that fit two criteria:
  
  I had to easily understand the instructions.
  They had to appeal to kids in my boys’ age group (6-9)
  
  Fortunately this book is filled with ideas that I’m sure they would love. Those that I think would be fun to try are: the Nerf dart blowgun, Lego trebuchet, skitterbot, and Pokemon bingo.
  
  As far as the instructions are concerned, I found them to be easily readable and could understand most of them. The only ones I had difficulty with were those that had to do with electronic circuitry (in the skitterbot and the electronic music projects). That had more to do with my ignorance of electronics than anything else though, and I’m sure I could figure them out if I put some effort into it.
  
  I do think that this is an excellent activity book for dads and kids to use together. It’s a wonderful way to unite the interests of dads and kids so that both can spend time together working on something they love. The parents get to have the fun of building and teaching their kids a new skill, and the kids probably won’t even notice that it’s a learning experience because they’ll be having so much fun launching some of their favorite toys across the room, or incorporating them into a robot, etc.
  
  Even if you don’t consider yourself a geek there is a lot of good information and fun ideas here. If you do consider yourself a geek though (in other words, if you thrive on cultural references to Star Wars, Star Trek, Lord of the Rings, and Doctor Who), then you’re sure to have fun with all of the humorous cultural references in the text.
• 
  Karen

  Read as an E-galley
  I love the Geek Dad books. I bought the first one for my husband for Christmas and I've already pre-ordered this one for Father's Day. I'm excited to see that there's a third one on the way!
  
  I like that some of the projects in this one are friendlier for younger children than the first book. I can see now that we'll be making the modified Lego mini-figs, the medieval weapons, and the NERF dart blow-gun. I also love the food ideas included in this one - can't wait to try the dry ice ice cream and the Igor Bars. And, my husband just bought all the materials for a zip-line, but I'm sure he'll use these directions to make some cool modifications, especially the inclusion of the camera.
  
  I think the Geek Dad books would be great for science teachers and libraries with science fair collections, as well - there are some intriguing projects that I haven't seen elsewhere. I think the high-tech treasure hunt would be great for a science class or a tech class.
• 
  Jennifer

  Even though I am not a dad, I am a geek, and one day I hope to have kids that I can share projects like the ones in this book with. Some of the projects are not within my interest, or tend more to the masculine side of things (hence Geek DAD and not Geek MOM) but on the whole they would appeal to either gender, kids and adults.
  
  My only gripe about this book is that it could have benefited greatly from more instructional pictures. The descriptions of the project are great, but some of the materials mentioned I have never encountered, let alone seen, so a picture or two of the more uncommon items would have been appreciated. Some of the guest projects have diagrams or patterns, which I would like to see throughout (says the visual learner).
  
  I'll definitely keep this book on my list of things to get when I have kids.
  
  I received a digital ARC of this book from Netgalley.
• 
  Ryan

  A pretty great collection of short, geeky activities that can be done over a few hours. Range from the simple (making a supperhero cape, making medieval weapons) to the more complicated (making a zip-line with a camera attachment). The author provides estimates on time required, difficulty, cost, and even a shopping list so you're not wandering around RadioShack aimlessly. There's pretty detailed instructions, and some ideas for extending the project.
  
  I can't say I'm going to try all of them, but there's probably 8 to 10 that I'll attempt over the next year or so.
• 
  Dylan McIntosh

  I received this for Christmas and i'm looking forward to working on several of the projects. My only beef with the book is the cost of the better projects.
  
  I just wish there would have been a few more $ hacks.
• 
  Shawn Ridenour

  First one was better, but this one had some fun ideas
• 
  David

  some fun ideas
• 
  Samantha

  This has so many fun ideas to do with your kids. So excited to get started.
• 
  Brendan

  A lot of fun geeky ideas. The essays throughout were hit and miss, but otherwise a fun read for anyone looking for a new project.
• 
  Jon

  I wanted this to be good. I also want to be better looking. If wishes were fishes...