Jun 4, 2007

A Different Kind of Activity Book

The Dangerous Book for Boys is apparently a huge seller in Great Britain, though I hadn't heard of it until reading an article that said the book is as politically incorrect and fun as it gets for boys. Activities include how to tie different knots, make a periscope, and oh yeah, hunt, kill, skin and cook a rabbit. The book also includes stories about heroes, battles, astronomy and other topics. The general gist of the book seems to be that boys should be allowed, even encouraged, to do those activities that boys have done throughout the ages.

It might be politically incorrect to say that we should raise our boys differently from girls. But ever since Alex started selecting his own toys (construction vehicles) and expressing his own interests (garbage trucks), I've been convinced that, generally speaking, boys and girls naturally gravitate toward different toys and activities. And I don't believe in fighting those tendencies but in using them to teach my children the important values in life. So I'm looking forward to using this book or something similar with Alex and Tyler some day - this particular one is for kids in grades 4 through 8, and at least in England, there are now a bunch of knockoffs.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I just heard an interview on NPR with the author of The Dangerous Book for Boys. Sounds like a good book to remind kids to get out and do stuff...though there's no reason it should be exclusive to boys ;-)

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=10559158

ChiefFamilyOfficer said...

Thanks for the link! And you're absolutely right, it'd be great to do the activities with girls too.