Catch a Fish, Throw a Ball, Fly a Kite: 21 Timeless Skills Every Child Should Know (and Any Parent Can Teach!)

This book is great- filled with 21 things that in the "old days" were just assumed everyone learned and knew. Now, this book is teaching my husband a few things HE didn't even know how to do, and he's showing them all to our daughter. It's great for those old fashioned parents where XBOX & GameBoy do not rule your household. Made a great Father's day gift (even though my husband hasn't even opened a book since College!).

I have a 4 year old. My father never spent much time with us doing stuff. Only around holidays. I learned to ride a bike by falling down. This guy actually found out there is a good way to teach kids to ride in one day! And he breaks down how to teach a scared kid how to throw a ball into managable steps. A MUST have for every parent. Most of the activities are suited for 5-8 year olds though, so my daughter is still a bit young. But I keep it near the front door for reference on the outside activity days. I will let you all know how the bike riding training goes. I rate this a 5 out of 5. Very useful, easy to read, and a good reference that I will pick up again and again.

I was so excited as I read through the pages of Catch a Fish. My boys and I are going to have so much fun together in the years to come. But it will take a village to teach my boys all the activities in this book! I read the exhaustive instructions on fishing. It was obvious Lee loves it, but I never will. So call all your village people to pony up and promise to teach the kids something! The memories made while learning are worth more than the skills themselves.

This is a wonderful little guide, including not only the basics of 21 great things to do with children of various ages, but an important perspective on how to teach those things.

Dr. Jeffrey Lee has two daughters who have been granted the benefit of his youthful interest in being, as he puts it, an "all-American boy". Dr. Lee's Chinese born father had no way of knowing how to, say, throw a baseball but in the face of his four sons' interests read up on the subject and gamefully worked his way through. Lee thought he'd have it easier the first time he set out to teach his daughter something and he made her cry. But she eventually learned and they had fun together, but that beginning wasn't terribly auspicious. And so Lee wrote this book, so that we wouldn't repeat his mistakes but rather could have fun from the start.In this volume that Dr. Lee offers step by step and well-illustrated instructions on how to make and fly a kite, bake bread, catch a fish, build a fire, make a pie, juggle, skip a rock and more. He notes early on that one doesn't need to be an expert to be a good teacher, a comment designed to calm adult fears of not being "good enough". Each chapter includes a briefing on what to know before you start, what equipment/materia is needed, a section on troubleshooting and even some jokes or theme-related funny stories and trivia. This is a wonderful book for any adult who wants to enjoy the company of a child while relearning and/or teaching these ever so critical "life skills". Your kids already think you know everything, why not have a little fun?