Steven Caney's Ultimate Building Book: Including More Than 100 Incredible Projects Kids Can Make!

What a wonderful, ingenious book. I am shocked this book isn't more widely known, particularly in homeschooling circles (at least, the ones I moved in), where the wealth of creative ideas for making construction toys out of common, inexpensive, everyday materials would seem right up most homeschoolers' alleys. These materials can be used to make simple, elegant, and incredibly appealing projects. There is also an excellent discussion of structures, both in nature and man-made, of buildings, of bridges and towers and so on. It is all absolutely fascinating and I'm going to plan a class for the spring using this book as the spine. Well worth the money. An amazing resource.

I teach art and will use many of the ideas in this book! It's fantastic with so many new and creative activities. They are all open-ended and not 'cutesy' art.

There are projects in this book for young people age 5 through college age, and even for the young-at-heart. Many of the projects use materials commonly found in the home. A child who begins with simple projects and advances to complex projects would be learning geometry and physics and the basic building blocks of architecture and the construction industry. I could see this book used by children who enjoy building projects or as a resource for family nights or home schooling or as a grandparenting resource. Congratulations, Steven Caney!

Do you have a child who is fascinated by creating? Do you have a child that you wish would be more creative? Have I got a book for you! Steven Caney's Ultimate Building Book is not only a book about how to build "stuff," nor is it a book of "stuff" to build, it is a comprehensive book that answers nearly every question a child (and many adults) would think to ask about structures, how they are built, and how they can do it themselves. Do you want to know what type of tent you see at the side of the lake? Did you know there were actually many types of tents? Who wants to build a greenhouse? Build people out of pasta? How about recipes for various types of modeling clay? With loads of information about structures from nests to castles and back to musical instruments, this book is a one-stop shop for the creative thinker. My six-year-old hauls around this nearly 600-page tome like it weighs nothing and will lie on his tummy, turning page after page and asking questions for an indefinite period--right up until he finds the next thing he'd like to try to create, and then he's off. An interesting tidbit that surprised me, but doesn't seem to bother the kids, is that all the photos are black and white and the children in them are from several decades. Though, quite frankly, had the photos been only of the current generation, they would be out of date long before you'll get rid of the book. This one's a keeper. Armchair Interviews says: The ultimate resource for the creative child. 5 STARS!

Wow, this book is hu-u-u-ge and has a lot of really cool information appropriate for a wide range of ages. I can't imagine a kid ever getting bored with this book around.