Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Good, Old-Fashioned Summertime Fun

Wth the kids out of school, parents are always looking for something to entertain the kiddos between summer camp, trips to the swimming pool and the next family vacation. Instead of letting them veg out in front of the TV or with video games ad infinitum, stimulate their senses with some good, old-fashioned fun.

The Dangerous Book for Boys is the quintessential book for boys. Chock full of all sorts of information ranging from project ideas (learn to make a treehouse or a go-cart), to history (the Battle of Lexington, or a time-line of American history) to simple games your kids can play in the car (five pen-and-paper games or paper football), this book is a wellspring of useful and fascinating information that your boys (girls, too) will enjoy. Created by brothers, Conn and Hal Iggulden, The Dangerous Book for Boys is meant to put a little bit of risk back into playtime. Nothing serious, mind you. Just a bit more than they'd get sitting in front of their Playstation. Plus, it's what boys are hard-wired for, so giving them a creative outlet for risk can help offset some of the danger.

For busy kids on the go, The Pocket Dangerous Book for Boys: Things to Do is a quick and easy reference guide for boys to carry with them everywhere. Excerpts from The Dangerous Book for Boys are included with a focus on activities and projects. Help your son learn the "five knots every boy should know", "fishing" or "basic coin tricks". By the end of summer he'll have a wealth of knowledge up his sleeve and some great memories of his "dangerous" summer.

Win It!
We're giving away one copy of The Dangerous Book for Boys. To enter, leave us a comment and tell us what your son's (or nephew's, grandson's, etc) favorite "dangerous" activity is (don't forget your email!) Deadline is Midnight, EST, July 1. Please note, all comments are moderated and may not appear immediately.

142 comments:

kygirl said...

My son's favorite thing right now is climbing trees. This drives me crazy. I keep telling him I am not rasieing a monkey. lol

louiseb130 said...

I've heard this was good

Mommy Instincts said...

My son is only 15 months old right now, but that doesn't stop him from being curious and adventurous! He is now starting to climb on things (tables, couch, toys) and it scares the daylights out of me. I know, with each day, he will dicover more dangerous things to do to make me crazy, maybe this book will give me a heads up on what to expect! LOL. Thanks a alot.

Jen
mommyinstincts AT gmail DOT com

Mya said...

My twin boys are only 3, but they love to climb on the couch and jump off the arm...ug! Drives me insane.

iluv2pray@gmail.com

ackerfr said...

my son is still to young to have any "dangerous" activities, but hopefully soon will. I was a "dangerous" kid loved ot jump off anything and everything, and hope he will have that same spirit.

gillian said...

my son is pretty cautious, first born, overprotected ya know! So I guess his favorite 'dangerous' activity is jumping off the bed.

MaryBeth said...

My son is 2.5. He loves slides. I would love to receive a copy for him.

mesargent813 at yahoo dot com

Maja said...

jumping from a trampoline onto a couch

angelina115@hotmail.com

Ana said...

joliexox@hotmail.com

clmbing trees

Angel said...

meza-angel@sbcglobal.net

riding a bike with one hand

LisaW said...

My son is 2 now and climbing (and falling off of ) everything in the house and yard.

Annie said...

hmm........

For me, and I'm sure you, this isn't a dangerous activity; but for my husband it is Cooking!!!

He's always burning himself or cutting a finger!

nancyrobster@gmail.com

gkstratos said...

By the time my son was 4 years old, he had suffered through his share of accidents both big and small. The worst of which required a trip to the ER and several stitches. It's not that he jumps off the refrigerator or anything (okay, maybe once), he just like to play and play hard. Skateboarding, skooter races ... you name it. Can't wait until he's a teenager .....
gkstratos@ yahoo.com

Stacy said...

my son is only 5 months old, but he is a wiggly guy. One of these days he is going to wiggle right off the changing table.

tutugirl said...

My son's favorite Dangerous activity would be using his bb gun. Luckily he uses it only when supervised and then he is very careful.

barbarabaker said...

My fifteen year old son loves being dangerous and his biggest "dangerous game play" is Airsoft game play on sunday afternoon with a whole lot of military guys and girls...our family friends own a huge amount of property that they all go out (dressed in camo, carring packs, MRE's and so forth) and go out shooting everyone with these air guns. He is forever coming home with what he calls, "battle scars"...I would never play, but my husband says we have to let him be a kid. Normally he is really good about lounging around with the family, but on Sundays...it's his day to shine.

Great giveaway, I'd love to win this for him (CJ).

Aubrey said...

My son is only 21 months so he doesn't do extremely crazy stuff now, but he does scare me sometimes. The other day he was throwing rocks into a stream and he tried to reach in and get the rocks back. He ended up tumbling headfirst into the water. Luckily it was only to his knees, so he stood up right away, but I'm glad I was there just in case!
byubabe14 at yahoo dot com

Erin said...

Actually, our little guy is quite cautious, and I can't think of anything he does that's specially dangerous (but give him a break; he's not even three yet!)---that's why he needs this book! Thanks for the contest.

emhagedon at gmail

Stephanie said...

Since my boy is only 1, his fave dangerous activity is trying to eat paper, bugs, or random hairs on the ground. 8)
tvollowitz at aol dot com

Alice H said...

Swimming - no fear! afdr3d@umkc.edu

PS said...

Climbing the swingset and hanging upside down. He'll climb anything and he's not even three yet!

JenO said...

My nephew is a serious climber, particularly indoors. No furniture, cupboard, or cabinet is safe! (and no cookie stashed too high!)

nifferjeno at gmail dot com

Reiza said...

Mine is burrowing and hiding. He'll just keep burrowing under the table as long and as far as you'll let him.

seeryusfam@msn.com said...

This would be an excellent book for my 8 year old. In this crazy world...he doesn't know the kind of fun that my brothers and I experienced as a child.

seeryusfam@msn.com

noreen said...

jumping off of the shed, grabbing an armful of willow branches and swinging

dwarzel said...

Climbing on practically anything

toasters lie said...

playing football

Meg said...

My sons got a habit of pulling things down on top of himself---like his highchair last night. Hes got a major shiner this morning.
gomeggo@gmail.com

Amy said...

My 2 year old nephew doesn't do a whole lot out of the ordinary that is dangerous, except for trying to eat rocks! I know alot of little kids eat what they see on the floor, dirt, paper, whatever, but he finds stones or rocks and tries to chew on them. I've been seeing this book everywhere and wanting to pick up a copy, just havn't yet. Thanks for the contest!

oona said...

Running with sticks!! Yipes. Thanks for the giveaway :)

Dolly said...

calvin's 8 months in 5 days...but he's already starting to climb up on shelves and chairs. his most rambunctious time is during diaper changes "naked time" when he thrashes his limbs...slams his heels down on the mat...and let's out belly laughs.

this kid is already keeping me on my toes...i can't imagine the trouble his curiosity will lead him to once he can walk...which i imagine is gonna happen pretty soon.

i was a venturous tree-climbing, roof jumping, treehouse building kiddo...i imagine my son's got the same unction.

Kimberly said...

Ok, I'm going to go against the norm and tell you that my son doesn't have one "dangerous" bone in his body. I WISH he acted more "boy like" by jumping on things or climbing on things and being a little dare devil. He's FAR from that. My sweet boy gets HYSTERICAL if he sees a lady bug, let alone jump off of something. Maybe he can learn some adventurous things from this book.

Kimberly
HunnyV "at" Optonline "dot" net

Princess Golden Hair said...

Climbing. No not simply climbing on nice furniture pretending he is scaling a huge mountain. That would be OK. Nope. just like hundreds of real mountain climbers he climbs anything and everything. Why? Because it's there. The higher the better. Bonus points if they give me grey hair.

mverno said...

riding his bike my grandson is just learning

blueviolet said...

My son will pick up any bug or critter he comes in contact with. He picked up this bug from a pond once on a field trip and the director said he couldn't believe he picked it up because that thing has an absolutely horrible sting. My son just happened to grab it by the right place and didn't get stung. He didn't even think about it though. He just picks stuff up because he's interested in it. It scares the crap out of me.

doot65[at]comcast[dot]net
Elizabeth

Khristal said...

My little boy is 2 and his favorite dangerous activity is climbing on top of anything and everything! We saw this book in the store and thought it was really cool and I would love to win it so I could put it up for him for later.

Mary512 said...

I would love to win this for my daughters best friend Elliot. He is only 2 and has already broken his leg, and came to storytime the other day with a big scab running down his face. He loves jumping off things, and that is how he broke his leg. Great giveaway, thanks! hellomary018 at yahoo dot com

chromiumman said...

climbing trees

BrineS said...

Roller skating...at three! He's just learning, but my nephew earned himself a pair of roller skates for his potty training accomplishments. Not ready for hills, yet...but soon will be, I'm sure!

dbstout[at]juno[dot]com

danosor said...

Fearless of anything.In the water is where i fear for him.

Trish said...

skateboarding. all day and night.

Tonya said...

My nephews love to wrestle and roughhouse. Completely opposite my daughters.

Megret said...

There are so many! :0) He rides close to the stairs on his riding toys, runs with scissors, talks with his mouthful, climbs on the kitchen counters to reach cups, etc.

This book looks awesome!
Megret
meg.wilson@gmail.com

Genevieve P said...

My brother built a treehouse in the back yard.

Danielle said...

My son loves to pull off any stunt with which he can end us up in a trip to the ER! LOL! Our most recent incidents involved a broken wrist and swallowing magnetic marbles! Fun!
dansan826 at yahoo.com

Christine Bryant said...

My son's favorite dangerous activity is actually kissing. He loves to kiss everything. It's nice for Mommy and Daddy, but not so great when he wants to kiss the neighbor's mean dog or the worm he just found in the yard.

Christineebryant@bellsouth.net

Christian Kay said...

Um how about the fact that he likes to "chase" tornadoes with his dad! Drives me mad and makes me so upset but they both love it and don't listen to me. So the dogs and I go to the bathroom and hide while they "chase" the storms.

Anonymous said...

dirt bike.... way to young and dangerous for the nephew..
kadia3 at yahoo dot com

shiloh said...

when my son went to college he decided to take up bullriding, and got stompted. he waited three days to call me and tell me about it. He could assured me I had no need to worry, as he was no longer pissing blood.

Kari said...

My kids love doing silly crazy things like jumping off the edge of the pool, swinging way too high and climbing trees - ack!

michelle said...

My son's most dangerous activity is riding down the hill on his bike as fast as he can to see if he can break his speed records (he has a bike spedometer). It is enough to give a mother more grey hair.

michelle at northofthe49.com

greenly said...

My son (7) is into climbing trees. He goes MUCH higher than I think he should.

Anonymous said...

My 6 year old son is actually pretty cautious in most of his play. He has a huge imagination and I think he would enjoy reading this book and learning how his dad used to play as a boy.

pamelatrogdon@aol.com

clc408 said...

My very active nephew loves baseball. Thanks for the chance to win.

idahomom said...

I would have to say jumping on the trampoline because they always try to break the two man rule. Thanks for the chance.

jennem said...

My nephew likes to poke at snakes in the ravine near his house. His mom is not happy!

Kristie said...

Since my son is only 9 months old, the most dangerous thing he tries to do is pull himself to stand on something unsturdy. I'm sure he'll be giving me gray hair soon enough, though! :)

khmorgan_00 [at] yahoo [dot] com

Tobye said...

Riding his bike. The problem is that he doesn't know how to use the brake, so when he's done, he just jumps off!

sweetsue said...

My six year old grandson loves to show off bicycle tricks-I am so worried he will get hurt!

Amy said...

He loves to climb trees and then jump out of them. He is going to break something one of these days! aewalls425@hotmail.com

Melissa said...

Let's put it this way, my nephews favorite shirt says "I saw it on TV, I'm pretty sure I can do it" and it speaks the truth. That boy is fearless! This book would be awesome for my house though since we have plenty for our nieces but never enough to do for the boys! jeepcutie82 at msn dot com

izackcarson said...

going down hills on anything that rolls

mannequin said...

I've browsed through this book many times and thought how wonderful to have!
My son is 11 and he scares the pants off of me when he gets on the pogo stick. A pogo stick; he is not a carnival geek.

Smooshy said...

My nephew loves to play with insects! Any kind! Ick!

D. said...

He's a climber! A climber of extremely tall trees!

bfox74 said...

My son is 31, his most dangerous activity is hunting.

vmkids said...

Tree climbing

Shelly said...

Our neighbours have three boys under four who love to walk on the high concrete fence - and run into the street when they see us coming!

Alexia said...

My boys are both under 2, but my youngest is already doing daring things that make my heart beat a little faster. He loves to climb and will climb on anything! He's crawled out of doors (with big steps) a couple times as well, I know that I'm in for some trying times when he gets older!

M.A. said...

My grandson always goes into water that's way too deep for his ability to swim.

Lower Mitten Kitten said...

My 3 yr old son's current favorite "dangerous" activity is to launch himself from the couch onto several (large and fluffy - thankfully) floor pillows. He lands with a "thud" and then gets up to do it again... but Mommy twarts his plan.

wild thunder said...

he's only three but he has a deep desire to do somersalts on any couch he sees.

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Anjanette said...

Our son is little yet (4 1/2 mos) to do too many adventurous things, but his daddy loves anything risky. He checked this book out from the library and put it on our "to buy" list for our son. :)

Amber said...

My oldest son's favorite dangerous activity is climbing trees. It worries me to pieces.

I have 2 younger boys also and they're dare-devils, as well.

It's no wonder I'm getting gray hairs already (and I'm only in my late 20s)!

llinda29 said...

climbing trees and fences

Anonymous said...

jumping on the couch

Anonymous said...

as lazy as my nephew is getting out a bed is his most dangerous activity

Sharon said...

My son is almost 16. I would have to say it would be eating all that junk food...no kidding...dangerous to his stomach!

LINDALSHOT said...

Diving off the couch!!!!

jenny said...

wow this i here is a realy grate book and i love to win it so i could read it and well what boys dont love climbing trees and well makeing forts and just all kinds of things and well tom boys also like doing this like this too and well thay also got a book for girls as well and well i'm just dieing to read this book lol

deedleweedle said...

My three year old climbs the fence to spy on the neighbors.

- Marybeth I. said...

My nephew's favorite activity is helping dad out with work around the yard!

kristilb19 said...

Riding four wheelers! My son is addicted!

NesieBird said...

My nephew's favorite dangerous activity is crossing a busy highway to get to his favorite snack shop.

Bunny B said...

Definitely climbing on furniture and stairs and then jumping!!

Thanks for the chance!

bunnybox9 at gmail . com

Anonymous said...

This looks like an interesting book to read.
Right now my 8 year-old's favorite dangerous activity is running without looking. I'm always afraid he's going to run into someone or something. He pays no attention to where he's going.
partymix25(at)hotmail(dot)com

paryjeja said...

Tree climbing!

Ellie said...

My son's most "dangerous" activity right now is climbing! On everything, up everything no matter how challenging.

jodi b said...

My son likes to climb up on retaining walls and balance! Walls, curbs, it doesn't matter how high, he just wants to balance and walk!

connie said...

my greatson is 2 we have to watch him very close because he like to climb on the table thanks

judybrittle said...

when 3 of my grandsons get together watch out! first their wrestling on the floor then 1 gets hurt. then they climb trees and i have to get at least one of them down. then back to wrestling.

kaylee8 said...

My sounds favorite dangerous activity is driving - he just turned 16!

Ginny said...

My nephew is into climbing trees & it makes me so nervous. Even more when my little girl follows along, lol.

Deanne02 said...

My son loves to climb as well! It really must be a "boy thing"! He climbs trees, fences, ladders and likes to stand on things he shouldn't, like tables and counter tops! He grins from ear to ear!

Molly C. said...

All 5 of my kids are boys, and I would have to say the most dangerous activity they participate in is either fighting with each other, or climbing & jumping off of eveything. You would think that we abuse them, by all the bruises they have from their adventures. lol

Staci A said...

Living on a farm, my 3 year old has a million chances to do dangerous things. I would imagine the most dangerous is playing with the baby goats, who like to jump up and chew on everything the see. But he has no fear.

Thanks--
princess3sah@cs.com

rosie said...

my son is only 2 1/2 and a little cautious, but my nephew is definitely a "dangerous" boy! his favorite is jumping off anything he can find!

novaceleste said...

My son has been into skateboarding since he was 4 or 5. He is really good at it and luckily hasn't had to go to the ER. (knock on wood) I worry some, but we have taught him how important safety gear is. I never have to remind him to out it on.

Katie said...

I totally agree that kids need to be outside more and most kids these days have way too many distractions to stay inside and watch tv, playstation, computer, etc. I have a 3 year old son who is all boy, and he hardly watches tv (alot of my friends with kids are amazed at how much time he actually spends outside). He loves to play in the dirt, dig, go fishing, take walks, attempt to climb trees, go for 4-wheeler rides, ride his bike, canoeing, etc. That book looks like it has some awesome projects and activites!

Jean F said...

Picking up snakes-we've had to memorize the "red on yellow, dead fellow" saying about coral snakes....

kristen cook said...

Oh, my son just started skateboarding! Even though he has all those pads on, it still makes me nervous!!!! k_cook30@yahoo.com

Shannon said...

At Tristans age the dangerous thing for him is he's pretty brave to put anything in house and that can be dangerous for sure!

amanda said...

My boyfriend's nephews love to jump off the top level of their tree house!

catss99 at yahoo.com

Just.Me said...

We live on a mountain in Arkansas, so between hunting and atv riding, those are 2 of the most dangerous things.

pancak said...

My son probably does more daring things than this out of my sight, but in my presence he'll jump from high areas and try sliding down railings (which are suually surrounded by seas of concrete).

bison61 said...

right now it's climbing and jumping off anything

tiramisu392 (at) yahoo.com

Melody said...

My nephew is 10 years old and currently his favorite dangerous thing to do is skateboarding but now he is learning surfing since moving to the NC coast. He would LOVE this book as he is always wanting to find new things to do with his dad.

myvintagelove@gmail.com

idahodad7 said...

I have two boys. I am afraid that they will kill each other.

Jinxy & Me said...

Well, my nephew is only 6 weeks right now, so I guess his most dangerous activity is putting too much of his finger in his mouth!

Renee said...

My son loves to take a running jump into our swimming pool. (so much for don't run around the pool. :) )

rsgrandinetti@yahoo.com

matternu said...

Jumping on the bed,it drives me crazy

Samantha P said...

climbing trees

pauline15 said...

My son is a total monkey, he loves to play in the playgrounds and the monkey bars scare me, worse, is that we have construction going on next door and he loves to play in the piles of dirt they have dug up. They are very tall and unstable.

Jayfr said...

My nephews now have power vehicles -- a couple of go carts. This has made things interesting... Racing is fun.

Karrie said...

My 19 year old son likes to pick up women on myspace..ugghh

Sylvia P said...

he really likes to jump on his bed, while doing karate moves in mid-air.

jceko77 said...

My nephew's "dangerous" activity is climbing into his treehouse to have adventures.
jceko77@yahoo.com

pitaharmon said...

I let my kids walk around the block IF they stick together. My 6 year old son took off, running all over the neighborhood, crossing streets by himself! The other kids came back, told us, my husband takes the car, finds him, but he STILL runs. My hubby runs after him and residents think he is some guy trying to kidnap him and called the police!!! They came to our house and we had to explain that it was our son, and they "talked" to him about how dangerous that was. He even did it again a few weeks later! I need this book.

Brooke said...

My best friend's kid likes to hang from the top of banisters.

purango said...

baseball garrettsambo@aol.com

carissaad said...

Climbing and jumping off of things...and torturing his sister. :)

Thanks!

carissaad at aol dot com

sharon said...

sports and roughhousing with his dad and friends!

klp1965 said...

climbing trees i hate that cause im scared of heights :(

Heather said...

My nephew's most dangerous thing is staring right at my sister and smashing tons of crackers with his feet. Ooooooo, that's dangerous, big-time.

Zakiya said...

My son is a wrestling fan, and his favorite dangerous activity is to practice his wrestling moves with his friends on our trampoline. No matter how much I ground him he always finds a way to wrestle. I guess that's an improvement from jumping off of air conditioners and body slamming each other.

Carolyn Ellis said...

My grandson is 2 and loves to slide down the steps head first on his stomach. Drives me crazy, but that's a boy.

rentastage@aol.com

Sunshine Mama said...

My son's dangerous activity is playing with a piece of wood called his "sword" and he says it shoots too. He swings with it, runs with it, throws it and more.
kristie2 (at) comcast.net

BusyMom said...

My nephew's favorite dangerous thing is paint ball.

Gus, Clay and Mommy said...

My son loves to bounce on things- the bed, the couch, his brother... His favorite song is 5 little monkeys bouncing on the bed- which he acts out repeatedly- ack!!

ssmina said...

what does he do that's not dangerous! hubby wants this book too...

Hélène said...

My son's favorite dangerous activity is jumping. That doesn't sound too bad, but I need to keep him away from the windows or he will try to jump out of them.
schola.athenarum at gmail dot com

windycindy said...

Hello! My oldest son is a pitcher for a traveling baseball team. I am always afraid of him getting hit by a line drive. That is dangerous to this mother. Please enter me in your book drawing. I have read good things about the book. Thanks very much!
Cindi
jchoppes[at]hotmail[dot]com

Anonymous said...

Most dangerous is a game called chicken in riding bicycles head on; it is done without my knowledge however this is why the bike in locked in the storage building/garage. Thanks SW

Anonymous said...

My son likes the "bad" girls.

theyyyguy@yahoo.com

Rockin' Mama said...

Does climbing count as dangerous? : ) He's only 1!


jasonncaryn at yahoo dot com

Gus and Clay's Mama said...

My 8 month old likes to crawl over to the dog food bowl and try to eat (and potentially choke) on the dry dog food. Dangerous AND yucky!

donna444444 said...

My son likes to do gymnastics. He can climb a rope 30 feet!

brianpiero said...

... my nephews are skateboard & bmx bike daredevils, in addition to a proclivity for climbing very, very, tall trees...they are 8 & 9 years old.

senorpiero at yahoo dot com

angelaandconnor at gmail.com said...

Skydiving off the couch *sigh*


I blogged your contest on Prizeatron
http://www.prizeatron.com

Jessica said...

my cousin loves climbing on anything dangerous or high up.

sundaygirl at gmail dot com

Mariann said...

I have 3 boys (and 2 girls). My youngest boy is the most "dangerous". He LOVES to jump off of things!!! It drives me crazy. :) He will be 5 at the end of July.

This would be a really neat book to have - all my boys would LOVE it!!! Thank you for the opportunity!