Best family activity books according to redditors
We found 62 Reddit comments discussing the best family activity books. We ranked the 31 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
We found 62 Reddit comments discussing the best family activity books. We ranked the 31 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
Birnbaum's is a fun read and great to get excited about your trip! Just keep in mind it's not impartial - it's published by Disney themselves, and if you look closely there's very little critical commentary about anything. It's great for learning about rides and planning activities, but not so great for choosing between restaurants or figuring out strategies for gaining a leg up on the crowds.
I recommend pairing Birnbaum's with a copy of the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World by Bob Sehlinger and Len Testa. https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1628090669 It's huge and has many fewer pictures and drawings... but it also has wonderful spot on advice to help you make the most of your trip. The easywdw.com book is also excellent, and maybe actually a better choice for first time visitors since the volume of content is much less overwhelming.
Birnbaum's holds a special place in many people's hearts since it's been the go-to WDW guide for years. It's evolved away from its roots as an independent travel guide over the years, though, and I do think it's trading a bit on its old reputation.
I remember when I was around 5 or so this arrogant prick named Phil Phillips came to our church to speak on the evils of toys. This guy was a traveling evangelist and a quack pseudo psychologist. He talked about how pretty much Care Bears, Smurfs, Barbie, Thundercats and every other 80's toy was a tool for the devil in Hollywood's secret cult agenda to convert kids into vessels for satan (I'm not exaggerating this shit).
Because of this motherfucker, my mom thre out EVERY LAST ONE on my Thundercats, Silverhawks, G.I. Joes, Super Powers action figures, and any other thing I may have had that was the devil.
To this day I hate that man with all the fire of a pissed off five year old watching the my toys go in the trash to be taken to the dump.
He also wrote a book called "Turmoil in the Toybox" it sells on Amazon now between a penny and five bucks I think. If anyone can stomach the amount of bullshit this dude shovels, its a good insight into the delusions of some Christians or the work of a smart marketing man attaching a fear to something and preaching about it to make money. Either way the fucker cost me Lion-O.
Here is the link to it on amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Turmoil-Toy-Box-Phil-Phillips/dp/0914984047/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1373900730&sr=1-1&keywords=turmoil+in+the+toy+box
Highly recommended. My daughter turns seven next month and we've gone through about half the activities in there.
She had good intentions in doing everything she did. Including taking inspiration from this wretched book and raising me to be a fundamentalist.
Doesn't change the fact that it was wrong and fucked up.
Dad wisdom to my daughter:
Any question she asks indicates she's ready for an honest, informative (age-appropriate) answer.
I try not to be a slob or a couch-potato in my relaxation time. I've always got hobbies and goals to pursue, and open to her involvement if she chooses to watch or help. Hopefully, she will always be able to keep herself occupied when she has time alone.
And buy a copy of Fifty Dangerous Things You Should Let Your Children Do.
Get a copy of the Unofficial Guide. This book is perfect for you since you've never been to WDW. They have thoroughly researched and rated everything, from hotels to restaurants to rides.
Someone probably has. I'd start with the work of Ione and Peter Opie who do a lot of this sort of thing. I suspect this would come under Children's Games In Street and Playground
It was "knock and run" where I grew up.
The Unofficial Guide to WDW is a really good resource, and comes with a discount to their site TouringPlans.com which has stuff like crowd calendars, and touring plans (which tell you what order to ride rides in to wait less in line). The WDW Today Podcast is also good to listen to, especially when they have a user's questions episode.
You labeling those pictures of a demon as "subliminal" is incorrect labelling. It's not subliminal, you can see it with the naked eye with no prompting. He could've worked for the Department of Witchcraft and Child Sacrifice - it doesn't change the fact that the images aren't subliminal.
>I truly don't understand people like you.
I used to be like you. Horror stories of secular music, "Turmoil in the Toybox" books, Hells Bells - anti-rock n roll videos, subliminal messaging, demons in children's toys and movies. Yeah, I've been there. People like me didn't make sense to me back then either.
There's a book that addresses a lot of what you're talking about. It's "50 Dangerous Things". The author writes about letting your kids do things that we probably did as kids that taught us very valuable skills.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0451234197/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_AYRAybKE8WJKE
100% serious. I would also say that experience wasn't completely atypical in an evangelical Christian family in the 80s or early 90s. Luckily, we've chilled out a little since then.
The book
We will stay for a week. 7 days 6 nights. Room will cost $400 because I know people. Tickets will be free, also because I know people. We'll drive down ($300 in gas). We'll assume $1000 for all of us for food. That leaves like $800 for random other crap!!!!
Did any of you expect a different answer?
WOO DISNEY
There are a dozen similar resources, but as a default I recommend you pick up the Unofficial Guide.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1628090006
You will have a much better time with a plan.
This book is actually a really great resource as it not only covers the where and the what, but it contains some great example touring plans that might help you plan your days there if time is a factor.
I always buy one before each trip as a way to formulate a plan of attack. It can be a great resource!
Get The Unofficial Guide. It's $12 and changed my life (in regards to WDW).
He's advising other people take risks, risks he has not taken himself nor could he truly understand.
Does he have a book out?
Edit: Yep. His ideas are not new or novel, and the people beating this drum in the media have a book to hawk.
You shouldn't have any issues. There are lots of rides where its 2 people per ride vehicle though, so you might be in different rows within the same vehicle -- such as Expedition Everest, Seven Dwarves Mine Train, Slinky Dog Dash, Splash Mountain, and Big Thunder Mountain, Spaceship Earth. Might be something that you need to prepare your kids for ahead of time, particularly if they are potentially scared of roller coasters. There are some rides where you might be able to squeeze one adult and two kids into depending on your size and how big your kids are, such as Haunted Mansion, Peter Pan, The Seas with Nemo, and the Little Mermaid ride in MK.
For most of the boat rides (Pirates, Navii River Journey, it's a small world, Living with the Land) everyone will be in the same row. Test Track has rows of three. Mission Space and Soarin have strange seating configurations. You will all be together and joined by others.
For first timers, I'd highly recommend reading parts of the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World. Its a huge book, that looks daunting, but there are lots of super detailed parts you can skip. I've been to Disney many times, but I enjoy the reviews and getting their input to help prep for my trip. Hope you have a wonderful trip!
Edit to correct my sentence fragment.
better to learn both poisonous and edible.
Eastern US
Mushrooms of the Northeastern United States and Eastern Canada The most recently published for the NE
Mushrooms of the Northeast by Walt Sturgeon An excellent pocket guide, Walt does a good job mentioning the lesser known look alikes.
Mushrooms of Northeast North America A great guide for beginners, with many pictorial and dichotomous guides to ID fungi.
Mushrooms of Northeastern North America Has the most species listed for the NE.
When I was younger, this book was given to my parents and needless to say it made my young life "un-fun"... People really do take that shit seriously.
Pandora's Mystery Summer Box of Goodies.
What makes me tick: my 2.5 year old daughter, video games, reddit, the National Stuttering Association.
Best part of my week is when my daughter and I go out to a restaurant and have out daddy/daughter date night.
Book for my daughter and I
Went last June and it was very wet. Also a pretty nasty storm rolled in. Totally worth it though as it was an environment I had not hiked in before. I got this book before the trip. Five-Star Trails: West Virginia's Monongahela National Forest: Your Guide to the Area's Most Beautiful Hikes https://www.amazon.com/dp/1634040589/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_1ZmXCb2VCF42H
I am moving to Mass in a few weeks and eager to go mushroom hunting!
I got this field guide on Amazon (along with a few others) but I liked it the most: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1591935911/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
It's got tons of pictures. My favorite thing is that it starts with listing 'Top Edibles' and 'Top Toxics'. Also, it lists common lookalikes for all the mushrooms and tips for telling them apart.
Only eat the ones you're super confident in identifying, but the field guide is a fun guess + check when you're still learning
DM if you'd want a novice mushroom hunting buddy. I'll be in the south shore area
We recently became parents and just found out how utterly tiring it is to care for a baby every day. We got a bunch of clothes and toys for our baby shower, but in retrospect what would have really helped was some kind of activity tracker (sleeping habits, feeding times, etc...). We recently got one from Amazon and that helped a lot to keep schedules every night.
In particular we have this one (this is in Large format but I think there's a smaller one but I couldn't find it). Anyway here it is: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1711965677
Here are the 2 guides I am using to research foraging. The plant guide is pretty good. I give it a 8/10. It just needs a few more pictures because it doesn't show all stages of growth. The mushroom guide is pretty incredible! 9/10. It has a subsection specifically for edible mushrooms and specifies poisonous look alikes side by side. I use these in conjunction with youtube to research foraging. The mushroom guide is very pocket sized. The plant guide is larger and would require a small backpack to comfortably hike with it, but it isn't by any means bulky. It is like 6x8 with 120 pages or so.
Jusy FYI, I am mostly and armchair forager so far. I have foraged for wineberries and raspberries in NJ but that is about it. PM me the area you live in. Might be able to explore with you.
Plant foraging
https://www.amazon.com/Northeast-Foraging-Flavorful-Wineberries-Regional/dp/1604694173/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1491754003&sr=8-1&keywords=northeast+foraging
Mushrooms
https://www.amazon.com/Mushrooms-Northeast-Simple-Common-Mushroom/dp/1591935911/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1491754115&sr=8-2&keywords=mushroom+guide+northeast
Buy and read [The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World. ](The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World 2018 (The Unofficial Guides) https://www.amazon.com/dp/1628090677/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_49TPAb15EQ3KE) I know in the Internet age guide books seem a bit old-fashioned, but this is the best call-it-as-it-is source of WDW information I know of. I recommend the Kindle version because the authors sometimes release updates to each year’s editions.
Along those same lines, subscribe to touringplans.com so you can air a custom tour I plan using their research to automate the process. I know I sound like a shill but I just completed a day in each park, easily completing the attractions I wanted to see by mid-afternoon by using their plans. I was very impressed in Epcot yesterday that when Test Track went down, it was removed from the plan and then came back when it came back online.
"I'm gonna write my memoirs."
Hiya Guude. You may have already hit this on your research, but the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World is one of the best resources I've found.
If there's one piece of advice I can give, it's "take a break in the middle of the day". I've seen a lot of families fall into the trap of trying to stay in a park from opening until closing. Get some lunch outside of the park, go back to your hotel, take a nap every day. You don't want to be one of those parents with a crying child in a stroller, shouting at the kid that you've "paid good money for this vacation" and demanding the child calm down and have fun.
I have teen boys (14 and 16) and shockingly we have not yet seen the lego movie and would love to win a digital copy!
Your son sounds similar to mine in their taste profile, so I asked them what they liked as gifts when they were 12. Here are their thoughts:
My recommendation (in addition to my kids) is based on his love of the titanic. Have you heard of Ernest Shackleton? He did a journey to the South Pole that was very much an adventure story about leadership and teamwork. There is a graphic novel about it that might be right for him (I haven't read it) and a larger book called Endurance.
Good luck on the gifting!
Hi there! We are also doing a Disney World honeymoon (I read your edit that it's Disney World in Florida, not Land in California, and realized I might actually be helpful!). It will be our first time to Disney World, as well. I've used mostly http://yourfirstvisit.net/ to plan for us. It's targeted toward a family of four going, but I found enough useful tips (including money-saving tips!) for a couple. There are also books that have tips about doing a honeymoon specifically - my sister gave me a copy of this guide: http://www.amazon.com/Unofficial-Guide-Walt-Disney-World/dp/1628090006
Both things cover the whole process of booking from head to toe, so definitely check out at least Your First Visit, since it's a completely free website :)
As far as packages, we did book a resort package (Magic Your Way package) which includes tickets that get you into each park (except the water park, I believe?), but only into one park per day. (So if you start your day in Epcot, for example, Epcot is the only park you can get into for the rest of the day, but the next day you can go to Magic Kingdom, then Hollywood Studios another day, etc.).
I think $2200 is doable, but it definitely depends on how many days you want to go for and how fancy of a hotel/resort room you want. I think the info on the website I linked will help you determine that (it did for us! We decided to splurge on the Pirate-themed rooms at the Caribbean Beach resort, and to stay for 9 days, but to save money by going at a cheap time of year rather than right after our wedding).
Hope this is helpful to you, and HAVE FUN!
I recently bought Mushrooms of the Northeast: A Simple Guide to Common Mushrooms (Mushroom Guides)
Marrone, Teresa and not happy about it
I think next time i'll buy Boletes of Eastern North America i hope it"s less generic. (it's the shame there is no preview of couple pages)
Our stack of books is about a foot high and growing, and my favorite book so far has been Brain Rules for Baby, a book with a lot of great guidance backed up not just by anecdotes but also sound science. As a counter to our instincts to be over-protective, the other book my wife and I have both really enjoyed is 50 Dangerous Things You Should Let Your Children Do.
For mushrooms. I have their book for the Midwest region and it is a very good guide. They put top edibles in front with the pages lined in green, top toxics lined in red, and then everything else grouped by cap and stem with gills, cap and stem with pores, shelf with gills, etc but also in each subcategory as a color progression from lighter colors like white to darker colors like red, purple, or black.
Here's the tip I give all my friends:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1628090006?pc_redir=1409111205&robot_redir=1
Buy. This. Book.
Seriously, it's amazing. I'm on mobile right now, but I will gladly post the reasons this book is fantastic, if there's interest. It's essentially the cheats codes for Disney rides and planning.
You probably can solve some of your problems "with a spear", so to speak. Watch this TED talk and then buy the book the guy is talking about, 50 Dangerous Things (You Should Let Your Children Do).
One of the thing that he lists is: throwing a spear. Spears existed all over the world in separate cultures, and date back to the very beginnings of human existence. He makes that point that there is a very primal structure in our brains that involves the aptitude and ability to throw a spear.
So, going out and playing with a spear, throwing one, and accessing that part of your brain that had 50,000 years of design influence to be useful for spear-throwing could net your a real benefit.
77 Ways to Have Fun With Your Family for Free (77 Ways to Parent Series)
You'll get better response if you post to /r/MinnesotaCamping
MinnesotaCamping is not the most active subreddit, but likely someone will respond. Better response though if you provide a little more detail - are you looking for campgrounds with showers, something more rustic but still has porta-potties, dispersed camping, hike-in, water activities, hiking opportunities, etc.?
You can also go to the library and check out some books like Best Tent Camping: Minnesota, Camping the North Shore, or Moon Minnesota Camping for ideas.
Dear Mom - From You to Me, Journal of a Lifetime
This could be really cute so that you can learn more about her!
It's a hardcover journal she can take the time to fill out (it asks her questions about herself and her past) when relaxing at home or bored. She can even keep it with her around the house and doodle in it (if she's a doodler) so that it feels more personal. Then eventually she can gift it back to you so you can read and keep it forever!
(Scroll down and read reviews to see picture examples of inside questions and question examples found inside)
My family have exchanged copies of this series with different grandparents etc: https://www.amazon.com/Dear-Dad-you-Journal-capturing/dp/1907048308/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?keywords=dear+dad+from+you+to+me&qid=1557977495&s=gateway&sprefix=dear+dad+from&sr=8-1
Sorry you are going through this. Is he on the autism scale at all?
I would be worried also, but I feel like if you just took him off it cold turkey he might end up just waiting until he is an adult and then pick it up again as an obsession.
Found this ebook for only $3.00. For $3.00 it looks worth a read:
http://www.amazon.com/YOUR-CHILDS-VIDEO-ADDICTION-ebook/dp/B00DE85G7M/
> This led them to a book called Terror In the Toybox
Do you mean Turmoil in the Toybox, by Phil Phillips? Amusingly, the daft Mr. Phillips wrote a whole series declaring the satanic evils of pop culture, including Saturday Morning MInd Control, Halloween and Satanism, Dinosaurs: The Bible, Barney & Beyond, The Truth About Power Rangers and of course Turmoil in the Toybox II.
Have him watch ALL the videos you can find on Youtube or order a promo DVD from Disney (it's on their website and it's free. Usually arrives in about 4-6 weeks).
IDK what to do about the flying, except maybe talk to his doctor and see if he can't prescribe him an anti-anxiety medication to help with the flight. It can't hurt, right?
Get all 3 involved in the planning...get a copy of The Unofficial Planning Guide to WDW with Kids and go through it with them, esp the 12 yr old. Circle or highlight things that he think sound exciting or that he'd like to do.
I'd also discuss with your wife whether or not tag-teaming would work here. I'd buy a set of decently priced (not cheap, but not expensive either) walkie talkies to use instead of cellphones (because we're the type that leave our phones in the room safe when we travel. We don't want ANYthing from the outside world disturbing us) so that your wife and the girls can be off doing a girly thing while you boys do something more grown up/man-centered (ugh, I know that sounds awful. I hope you understand what I mean. Gah.) and then maybe meet back up later to all do some things together that you want to do.
Are you doing just one park or do you have park hopper passes?
PM if you want...WDW is kind of my "thing". Some people are obsessed with sports teams or celebs. I'm a little obsessed (just a wee bit! LOL) with pretty much everything Disney from the parks to the movies and the company and the man himself. :D
Mushrooms of the north east
buy this and go to Disney World :P
Grandma
has
a point.