Cool Parent 101 Fun things to Make your Kids say WOW!
I picked up this book last year at a school sponsored book fair. At the time I jsut wanted to buy something to support the school that I would actually read. Little did I know I would be returning to this little gem time and time again on rainy days and school vacations. It’s also great to pull out near the end of the summer, when the kids are tired of doing everything else.
Written by Alecia T. Devantier and Carol A. Turkington, this handy little book (seriously, it is maybe 8″ x 8″, perfect to shove in a bag) is full of cool stuff like how to write secret messages, stained glass candy and homemade silly putty. Sure, a bunch of these ideas are classic mom knowledge, but it is awfully nice having all these ideas and their recipes in on place. What is also great is the activities work for all kinds of ages. I have a 7 year span between my oldest and middle, so it’s very difficult to do the same activity with both. Throw a toddler into the mix and you have trouble. Thanks to these ideas, I just modify them to the ages involved, and VOILA! Happy Mom, Happy Kids.
My kids’ favorite activity is making animal print castings. We can usually find prints at our local park, and it is easy for me to pack the needed ingrediants in old water bottles. My kids love making the casts, and getting home to see what animal it could be. With my 5 year old, I sit with her and we make up a story about the animal. It easily fills up an afternoon or even a whole day, depending on how much I stretch it out 
I highly recommend this book. It’s a wee pricey, but to my family, and my sanity, it’s been worth every penny.
For more book reviews, check out Janet’s BookNook
2 responses so far ↓
1 Kimberly // Mar 7, 2008 at 6:06 pm
This sounds great. We are having a book fair in a couple weeks. I think I’ll look for it there first and then I may just order it if they don’t have it.
2 cardiogirl // Mar 12, 2008 at 12:33 pm
I like the idea of covering the age span between kids. I wish I could take a peek at the book before I purchase. The link you have does not show the cover or any sample pages.
Also, what exactly are animal print castings? Is it like a dog print in mud and then you pour plaster over it and let it dry? It sounds interesting, like I said, I just wish I could take a peek before taking the plunge.
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