Picket Fence Post

If you live in New England, it may not seem like summer outside just yet. It’s been damp and cold and distinctly un-June-like outside. And while the school calendars are winding down (though several last-minute school projects are still ongoing and causing supreme angst in the Picket Fence Post household), summertime ’tis a-comin’ regardless . . . which means we’ll be tackling some of the activities in The Double-Daring Book for Girls, a collection of activities and general knowledge entries that’ll liven up your little gals’ (and boys’ . . . don’t tell ‘em the book title) summer.

The Girl and I have perused the 275 pages of activities countless times since we received it. (She’s also combed the book’s contents with her neighborhood gal pal.) However the activities she’s itchin’ to do are better suited for doing out of doors in summer-like weather . . . when we have 30 spare moments to cobble together.

So, as soon as it truly feels like summer and the Picket Fence Post family’s schedules have let up (sports have concluded, school and the insufferable projects are almost completed), here are the projects The Girl has ID’ed as ones in which she’s keenly interested:

 ”How to Dye Your Hair Using Kool-Aid.”

I know, you’re likely thinking that I’m nuts to even consider letting her do this. There’s even a warning at the beginning which says, “BEWARE! This project is messy and Kool-Aid will stain. Wear an old T-shirt to protect your clothes, and have a buddy help you.” Hence, we’re waiting until it’s warm outside, and until she no longer has to show up at school each day after she’s dyed her hair blue or purple or whatever color she selects. (Don’t worry Grandma, the color washes out. Eventually.) I haven’t yet informed The Spouse that I’ve already given The Girl permission to do this once it’s warmer.

“Make a Decoupage Bowl.”

Again, this decoupage bowl bowl project seems like it has the potential to be mighty messy what with oils, glue and/or varnish in the ingredients list. (And I’m anticipating that The Youngest Boy — age 7 — might want to participate as well.) But I think that our backyard will be the perfect place for The Girl and her gal pal (and whoever else wants to join in) to tackle this activity.

“Make a Lava Lamp.”

Actually, this is one The Boy (age 10, like his twin sis) wants to do. Includes baby oil, water, food coloring, mess in general. Again . . . this’ll be an outdoor activity.

Other activities in this empowering, kid-centric guidebook include: “How to Catch Fish,” “How to Build a Raft,” “How to Debate” (I think I’ll keep the Picket Fence Post kids away from this one; they’ve already mastered it), “Hula-Hoops,” “Make a Snow Globe” and “The Double-Daring Girl’s Guide to Getting Out of Trouble.”

To broaden the kids’ minds there are thoughtful entries on topics such as: “Notable Women,” “Cowgirls,” “Being a Private Eye,” “Horses” and “Dreams and Their Meanings.”

Once we’ve tackled the three projects above (dye hair, bowl and lava lamp), I’ll post images here.

Image credit: Double Daring Book for Girls.

I previously heaped praise upon two books — The Daring Book for Girls and The Dangerous Book for Boys – which remind me of the good old days when kids played outside without parental interference and didn’t come back home until it was dark out. The publishers of both books recently released new pocket versions of each, focusing on “Things to Do.”

When they arrived at the Picket Fence Post HQ, I decided that instead of having me wax nostalgic about making God’s Eyes out of yarn and sticks during summer camp and playing lively games of SPUD until dusk, I’d turn to my two resident experts to see what they think. I gave my nearly 10-year-old twins — The Girl and The Eldest Boy — copies of the pocket editions and a stack of Post-It notes with instructions to put sticky notes on suggested activities they liked or didn’t like. I then sat down with each child individually. Below are the interviews.

The Daring Book for Girls

Lemonade Stand: When I asked the Hannah Montana/High School Musical/sporty/Manny Ramirez loving girl what she liked from Daring, the first thing that caught her eye was the entry on how to make and run a lemonade stand. “If you ever want to earn money, here’s a fun way to do it,” she said, sounding as though she’d been paid off by the book’s publisher. “If you want to earn money, it’s not a boring way to do it, like chores.”

What ideas did the book give her about setting up lemonade stands? “When I pictured doing a lemonade stand, I just thought of lemonade and cookies, but this had different ways to draw attention,” she said, noting that she was intrigued by suggestions to dress up the stand with decorations and music. (Can you say, “The Best of Both Worlds” crankin’ in our ‘hood?)

Frying An Egg on Sidewalk: “I thought it was fun, but weird. You need to live in a warm place where there’s a lot of sun on the sidewalk to do it,” The Girl said, adding that the book had explanations about why this “odd but fun” activity would or wouldn’t work under certain conditions.

How to Be a Spy: “It says the word ’spy’ comes from ancient words . . . I don’t really get that, but I spy a lot around my house,” she said (*mother tries to camouflage her concern as to exactly what her child has discovered during her covert ops*). “. . . It gives me different ways to make codes that my brothers wouldn’t get, but I could teach my friends and they have siblings who they’d want to fake out.”

How to Run Faster: This was the only item The Girl singled out as something she did not like in the book. Why? “It’s kind of like cheating because it doesn’t really matter how fast you run as a kid . . . until, like, high school,” she said.

Her Overall Assessment: “I think it was pretty good,” she said. “It gives girls a lot of fun stuff to do over the summer. If they’re bored, all they have to do is pick up the book and flip to a random page.”

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