Geek Dad: Awesomely Geeky Projects and Activities for Dads and Kids to Share by Chris Anderson, Ken Denmead Page A
Authors: Chris Anderson, Ken Denmead
Tags: General, Family & Relationships, science, Fathers and sons, Parenting, Games, Crafts & Hobbies, Fatherhood, Boys, Activities, Experiments & Projects, Handicraft for Boys, Amusements
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each noodle so that the plastic wraps over and under the noodle and is attached back to itself. Do this for all the noodles until you have a berm all the way around the perimeter of your slide.
5. Once you’re done, you have the underside of your slide. Flip it over, and you should have what looks a little like a very long, very narrow emergency slide from an airliner. Or a really cool waterslide.
6. Last thing we need is the water source. If you’re keeping it simple, just make sure you have a little slope and start running a hose at the top of the slide at the higher end (where you’ll start your slides from). Or if you have one or more lawn sprinklers, use those. For a little more money, pick up a 50-foot sprinkler hose and (if you also got the extra roll of Velcro) affix it to the side of the slide down one of the berms. Use your regular hose to feed water into it and you’ve got a perfect shower down your slide.
IMPORTANT TIP FOR A FLAT YARD: The best placement for an SNS is on a gentle downhill slope that peters out at the end to flat, but not all of us are lucky enough to have the perfect sliding real estate. If you’re building your SNS on a flat expanse of lawn, an added feature could be of use. Get a piece of rope about 6 or 8 feet long. Tie each end to a short piece of wooden dowel or a plastic handle like the ones that come with car window squeegees or toilet plungers. Make sure you have good knots, and perhaps wrap it all up in duct tape as well. You now have a towline. Position your child to sit at the starter end of the slide, either in a crisscross applesauce position or on his or her front or back, and have someone as big or bigger pull him while running down the slide. Once the initial friction is overcome, it’s not very hard to build up a bit of speed down the slide. Just make sure to have them let go before the end of the slide.
Now just wait for a warm day, collect the neighborhood kids, and become the best house on the block! Oh, and in case you hadn’t noticed, with all that Velcro, this thing is really easy to disassemble and fold away for another day.
Fireflies for Every Season
A n enduring memory from the childhood of many people who grew up in rural or semirural areas is the sight of fireflies on a warm summer night. Watching the clouds of sparkling lights dancing around is a magical experience. But for people in urban areas, fireflies are harder to come by. Even if you do live in a firefly-friendly area, the summer lasts only so long. With this project, you can enjoy the magic of fireflies anywhere, at any time of year!
We are busy parents, so sometimes even if we have the inspiration for a fun project to do with our kids, it takes some time to put our idea into action. I was inspired to make a cheap solar light based on an www.instructables.com post involving deconstructing solar garden lights and reinstalling them in Mason jars. My inspiration held out long enough for me to search fruitlessly for some cheap solar lights, but not long enough to make anything.
Fortunately for me, the Internet provided the answer rather quickly (via an especially good geeky project site called Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories— www.evilmadscientist.com ). And I was finally able to make my dream happen!
For this project, purchase the following from your local electronics store (or order them online):
12 (or more) CR2032 3v batteries
A bag of 25 diffused 5mm yellow LEDs
A twenty-five-cent roll of electrical tape
Total cost was under $20. Each firefly costs about $1.50.
The build process is very, very easy:
1. Unwrap the battery.
2. Slide one leg (lead) of the LED onto each side of the battery. It should light up. If it won’t light up, flip the LED around for a quick polarity lesson. The longer leg is the positive cathode.
3. A little tape around the battery covering keeps it lit.
At my house, proper presentation is the key to early adoption. You can’t be too excited about a new project
5. Once you’re done, you have the underside of your slide. Flip it over, and you should have what looks a little like a very long, very narrow emergency slide from an airliner. Or a really cool waterslide.
6. Last thing we need is the water source. If you’re keeping it simple, just make sure you have a little slope and start running a hose at the top of the slide at the higher end (where you’ll start your slides from). Or if you have one or more lawn sprinklers, use those. For a little more money, pick up a 50-foot sprinkler hose and (if you also got the extra roll of Velcro) affix it to the side of the slide down one of the berms. Use your regular hose to feed water into it and you’ve got a perfect shower down your slide.
IMPORTANT TIP FOR A FLAT YARD: The best placement for an SNS is on a gentle downhill slope that peters out at the end to flat, but not all of us are lucky enough to have the perfect sliding real estate. If you’re building your SNS on a flat expanse of lawn, an added feature could be of use. Get a piece of rope about 6 or 8 feet long. Tie each end to a short piece of wooden dowel or a plastic handle like the ones that come with car window squeegees or toilet plungers. Make sure you have good knots, and perhaps wrap it all up in duct tape as well. You now have a towline. Position your child to sit at the starter end of the slide, either in a crisscross applesauce position or on his or her front or back, and have someone as big or bigger pull him while running down the slide. Once the initial friction is overcome, it’s not very hard to build up a bit of speed down the slide. Just make sure to have them let go before the end of the slide.
Now just wait for a warm day, collect the neighborhood kids, and become the best house on the block! Oh, and in case you hadn’t noticed, with all that Velcro, this thing is really easy to disassemble and fold away for another day.
Fireflies for Every Season
A n enduring memory from the childhood of many people who grew up in rural or semirural areas is the sight of fireflies on a warm summer night. Watching the clouds of sparkling lights dancing around is a magical experience. But for people in urban areas, fireflies are harder to come by. Even if you do live in a firefly-friendly area, the summer lasts only so long. With this project, you can enjoy the magic of fireflies anywhere, at any time of year!
We are busy parents, so sometimes even if we have the inspiration for a fun project to do with our kids, it takes some time to put our idea into action. I was inspired to make a cheap solar light based on an www.instructables.com post involving deconstructing solar garden lights and reinstalling them in Mason jars. My inspiration held out long enough for me to search fruitlessly for some cheap solar lights, but not long enough to make anything.
Fortunately for me, the Internet provided the answer rather quickly (via an especially good geeky project site called Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories— www.evilmadscientist.com ). And I was finally able to make my dream happen!
For this project, purchase the following from your local electronics store (or order them online):
12 (or more) CR2032 3v batteries
A bag of 25 diffused 5mm yellow LEDs
A twenty-five-cent roll of electrical tape
Total cost was under $20. Each firefly costs about $1.50.
The build process is very, very easy:
1. Unwrap the battery.
2. Slide one leg (lead) of the LED onto each side of the battery. It should light up. If it won’t light up, flip the LED around for a quick polarity lesson. The longer leg is the positive cathode.
3. A little tape around the battery covering keeps it lit.
At my house, proper presentation is the key to early adoption. You can’t be too excited about a new project
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