Product Description

Children expect the earth from their fathers. They have to be able to conjure up games from thin air, to answer every question under the sun, to skim stones, and tell bedtime stories. Such perfect dads may exist. For the rest of us, there is DAD STUFF. DAD STUFF is packed with great things to do with kids. There is a range of ideas to suit all situations - games, puzzles, practical jokes and spooky urban myths. Not all dads are walking encyclopaedias and DAD STUFF will provide an easily recalled mine of useful and useless information with which kids can amaze their friends. Dads never need to be stuck for ideas again.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3401 in Books
• Published on: 2005-11-07
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 208 pages

Jonathan Ross, BBC Radio 2
'A great Christmas idea.'

Carrie Dunn, Press Association
'This imaginative, fun-filled book is what every father should have on his shelves…Packed full of information, it's tremendous fun.'

Carrie Dunn, Press Association
'This imaginative, fun-filled book is what every father should have on his shelves...Packed full of information, it's tremendous fun.'

Customer Reviews

Just as much fun for Dads as for kids!
As Dad to a three-year-old daughter, and with a son on the way, this book is going to get increasingly well thumbed. It’s packed with no-cost ways to keep kids amused on a rainy day at home, in the car, out and about, or when you need to entertain a bunch of them and want to be remembered for doing something special.

As well as bringing back childhood memories of tricks and games that still amuse today (such as pretending to break an egg on your child’s head by patting and squashing a loosely formed fist), the book also includes bang up-to-date stuff like how to create a 3D image on your computer by arranging two photos taken from slightly different angles side-by-side on the screen.

The chapters include ‘Fun with everyday objects’, ‘Batteries not required’, ‘Are we there yet?’, ‘Puzzles, tricks and jokes’ and ‘What where who why how?’. Each chapter has dozens of things to do/make/say. And there are plenty of illustrations to demonstrate things where required.

I really don’t think I’m ever going to run out of ideas with this book – the real challenge is deciding what to do from all the great things suggested. So far, my daughter just thinks I’m full of fun things to do (like creating shadow animals, making duck calls out of drinking straws or being the tickle robot), because I’ve secretly read up on it….I’ve toyed with sharing the book with her, but that would take the magic away.

I anticipate many years use out of this material – there are some science experiements which would probably occupy 10-12 year old minds successfully.

The authors have also set up a web site with a forum for Dads to share more stuff with each other.

One of the final entries is a list of fun stuff to mess with your kids' heads, like "There's a little man who lives at the back of the fridge to turn the light on when we open the door." If you're looking for more of this kind of stuff, I'd also recommend 'Great Lies to Tell Small Kids' by Andy Riley.

If you ever have to entertain children buy 'Dad Stuff' and you'll be totally sorted.

The definitive read for all Dads and some Mums too !!
Dad Stuff is the perfect read for fathers and frankly most mothers too. Not only does it contain a myriad of tricks and games to entertain ones children for hours without the aid of a playstation or dvd player, but it achingly amusing for adults to read as well.

Steve Caplin and Simon Rose have managed to find something to entertain kids of every age - even this 33 year old one. Everything is there - how to answer awkward questions like 'why is the sky blue' or 'where do babies come from'. How to make a car or plane journey less of a horror and more of a fun family trip. How to stun your children into an incredulous silence with puzzles and tricks - even pretending to read their minds.

This book is essential reading for all parents and the perfect Christmas present for the father of the family - he can do a lot more with this than socks and ties !!

It works for aunts as well
This is a great book! There are loads of ideas for tricks with which to impress young family members. It really is the sort of book where you think 'I'll just read one more page/chapter' and an hour later you are still sitting on the stairs, reading, on your way to bed. At least, that is what happened to me last night. And a huge advantage is that this is the perfect Christmas present for men, who are otherwise impossible to buy for, although I will be needing a Volume 2 by this time next year.