Forbidden LEGO, it conjures up memories of my mom busting me for making guns with my LEGO bricks — we had a no war toys house. But the title actually refers to the fact that the models presented in the book would never, for a variety of reasons, be produced as an official LEGO product. […]
Continue ReadingMore than once, the nerdy Icelandic/Danish artist Olafur Eliasson has donated 3 tons of white lego bricks to a community and had their kids construct cityscapes. The resulting art is beautiful. I much prefer fantasy constructions with Lego, to any reproduction of an existing thing, which most Lego building seems to be about. These community […]
Continue ReadingA couple weeks ago I wrote about how it was high time to get ready for Halloween. Well, guess what? With crunch time waaaaaaaaaayyy past, prepare for full-blown panic if your costume isn’t done or your party plans are incomplete. I know at my house, there will be some tense moments with a hot glue […]
Continue ReadingWindell Oskay at Evil Mad Scientist Laboratory shows us how to make a snap-o-lantern sure to scare the bajeezus out of trick-or-treaters. A clever use for those mini-pumpkins that bounce around our house every year for sure! Plus, it is a good excuse to delve into microcontrollers. There is still time folks, there is still […]
Continue ReadingWe all know the initially ingenious-seeming but ultimately annoying and doomed AOL CD distribution program of the ’90s and early ’00s. As AOL lapses into well-deserved obscurity, we are left with the fact that over ONE BILLION of the disks have been distributed. While some found their way into collections the vast majority became landfill. […]
Continue ReadingI’m here in Austin, Texas getting ready for this weekend’s Maker Faire at the Travis County Expo Center. If you’re anywhere in the vicinity of Austin and looking for some good, geeky family fun, I highly recommend checking out this event. There’s lots of posts on makezine.com about the preparations taking place, and a tangible […]
Continue ReadingLast night, as part of a project my older son is working on for school, we made a batch of home made, dough-like play substance. I didn’t remember how easy a process it was!
Continue ReadingAfter a horrible couple of months of high humidity and scorching heat, we have finally had our first taste of fall weather and we decided to find something we could do outside, for a change. After thinking about a few projects, we decided on a mouse trap car. Many of you will recall making a […]
Continue ReadingIt’s shocking how many different ways you can make a kite, and how many different materials you can use to build it. It is also shocking how destructive a strong wind can be to any form or material. Design is key for a kite’s success. The other day I met with a group of friends […]
Continue ReadingThe popular Howtoons cartoon that is featured in Make and Craft magazines now has a spiffy new web site. You’ll find some cool projects for kids there, illustrated in a fun and engaging fashion. The site is more than just a reproduction of the project-based cartoon series, it also features a blog, a helpful glossary, […]
Continue ReadingInstructables contributor Sam Noyoun has posted up a nice how-to on constructing your own homemade version of the famous Chinese finger cuffs gag. Every geeklet should be subjected to the finger trap at least once in their young lives. As my Dad would say, it builds character (though for my money some kids have more […]
Continue ReadingThis is adorable. On Instructables, "Rosedale25" publishes a How-To on making an Optimus Prime head out of Lego. There’s only one problem, which the commentators quickly zero in on: Dude im sorry but that looks more like marge simpson!! have you actualy seen what Optimus Prime looks like? Much piling on ensues. Then comes this: […]
Continue Reading[Guest blogger Kevin Karplus sent in the following. Like it? Ask for more in the comments! -ca] For the last two weeks, my son has been at a theater class, working on a production of Robin Hood. He had the part of Friar Tuck and had to do a quarterstaff fight with Robin Hood. They […]
Continue ReadingAt the end of May, I suggested a contest to see how much hang-time a G.I. Joe paratrooper action figure could get. We had several great suggestions in the comments – ranging from water-balloon sling-shots, rockets, and water-rockets. Turns out the Kentuckiana Joe Club has been working on this since last year after a similar […]
Continue ReadingI’ve never known a kid who, after reading The Hobbit, didn’t spend days and weeks dreaming of living in a hobbit hole. I’ve even known a few who made abortive attempts at constructing their own (I apologize again for the big hole in the yard, Dad). But in Wales, one man (well, one man and […]
Continue ReadingHere’s a great summer geek project for kids: Tie Dye! It’s fun, colorful and chemistry in action. It’s also perfect for groups of kids. We found doing tie dye fits perfectly well with being in a bathing suit — less worry about getting clothes stained. This was our staging area for one tie-dye-in at a […]
Continue ReadingWe recently had a rainy weekend interrupt our original plans to go geocaching. Instead, I took inspiration from John Baichtel’s recent posting – Codes For Kids – to introduce my kids to ciphers. Specifically the Number-Grid (or Polybius Square) cipher. The NSA’s CryptoKids website is a great place to help introduce your kids to codes […]
Continue ReadingI’ve just posted an interview with one of the authors of The Dangerous Book For Boys, in which I asked: What about girls? His response didn’t exactly answer the question, but HarperCollins certainly has with this exciting announcement: The Daring Book For Girls is being written as we speak, and will be out by December […]
Continue ReadingFirst things first: Making your own Lego ice cube trays is emphatically not cheaper than buying them straight out from from Lego. It is probably more fun, and since I wanted to learn mold-making, it gave me an excuse to buy a few materials and take a stab at it. Details after the jump.
Continue ReadingMy son (6) has a ton of great project ideas for me. But, the next great idea often pushes the previous one out before the task is complete. This tends to reduce my desire to start more projects with him, since I end up completing them or they sit on the shelf. I’ve come up […]
Continue ReadingWe tend to do a lot of afternoon shopping with our toddler daughter. Although we try to bring snacks, sometimes we forget or run out, and then end up grabbing something at a store we’re in. Today it was trail mix, a big bag with tons of dried fruit at the top. I’m loathe to […]
Continue ReadingI bought a beer at the Twins game the other day and the concession worker scanned my driver’s license into her computer to verify my age. But what else did she get? My social security number? My street address? No idea. The sad fact of the matter is that our personal info is being bandied […]
Continue ReadingI’m guessing many GeekDads grew up with the G.I. Joe action figures…we may be at the edge of some of you not knowing that the real original G.I. Joes were 12" tall and had kung-fu grip (but I digress). The one thing I remember when I was a kid was really, really wanting my paratrooper […]
Continue ReadingCodes are fun. Kids love thinking that they can write something only their friend will be able to read. But more importantly, at least from a geekdad’s perspective, is that when your kid learns about codes, he or she also learns a ton about math, language and history. For instance, delving into the Enigma story […]
Continue ReadingHere’s a great way to make cardboard cutouts of pretty much any size from a regular digital image. The only real limits are the amount of cardboard you have (I’m guessing plenty if you’ve bought a stroller or flat-pack furniture lately) and how much paper & ink you want to use. Not unlike Dave Banks’ […]
Continue ReadingAh the fridge – custodian of beer, reminder of doctors’ appointments, precious real estate for kids’ paintings, where would we be without you? Here are some ideas for the unsung heroine in the corner of your kitchen. The Lumi Pad This gadget is a magnetic flashing message board – you write on the screen with […]
Continue ReadingRope technology is nearly as old as civilization and is one of those things we usually take for granted. But without ropes, cables, cords, yarns, threads, and strings much of our modern life would be very different. Sure, you can suspend a bridge with metal rods and mend your torn clothes with staples (if you […]
Continue ReadingInspired by the Instructables posting on pancakes, the kids and I made them special for Mother’s Day. We mixed the batter with food coloring and had to hurry when GeekMom came downstairs earlier than expected. I love making pancakes with my kids. I’ve added food coloring in the batter to make eyes, a nose, a […]
Continue ReadingThat’s GeekDad Mark Frauenfelder (editor of Make) on next month’s cover with his daughter, Sarina. They are testing a simple robot that Mark writes about in the issue.
Continue ReadingI just finished reviewing The Dangerous Book for Boys for Parent Hacks, and I’m thoroughly entranced by its premise and promise: that there exists an essential package of skills and knowledge each boy should master. In so doing, he unlocks the potential for a life of exploration and adventure. (Here’s a link to the full […]
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