The Dangerous Book For Grandads by Jeremy Hobson is a beautifully nostalgic book designed to encourage and inspire Grandads to get active and engage with their Grandchildren in true old fashioned hands on activities.
It’s vintage imagery and scrapbook layout play out fond childhood memories for us oldies and for children they stimulate questions and conversation about what childhood used to be like for their parents and grandparents … it’s definitely a book to leave out for little and big hands to thumb through.
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Activities
Each activity is informally written with broad suggestions and top tips to start you off. They range from at-home jam-making, whittling, gardening, and garden camping to further afield adventures like canoeing, hiking, fishing, and geocaching.
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If you’re a grandad who doesn’t get to see your grandchildren very often, don’t despair. There are great ideas in the book that could work beautifully over the Internet after the holiday visit.
- Photographs and text updates on the bug house they built when they came for a visit in the holidays
- Photos of your latest fossil or fungi find
- Additions to the curiosity/nonsense museum you set up with them (I LOVE this idea)
Building Relationships With Grandads
In an age where parents work long hours and children spend more time indoors and in front of technology, Grandads (and Nana’s) are perfectly positioned to encourage children to get out and experience ‘old style’ fun. The time kids spent with Grandads (and Nana’s) is always memorable even if we don’t realise it at the time. It’s an opportunity for both to learn, discover, and grow again, and often grandads can get grandchildren involved in activities that they might ordinarily say no to.
As the author mentions …’even surly young teenagers, who might throw their hands up in horror and stomp back to their bedrooms in disgust should a trip out together be suggested by their parents, will happily indulge in an expedition or shed/garage project pioneered and put into practice by grandad.
Final Thoughts On The Dangerous Book For Grandads
I love everything about this book and I don’t think it’s just for grandads. It’s actually brimming with brave, unique ideas and activities (with an emphasis on getting active) that can be done with any family member. It’s about passing on knowledge, learning together, creating memories and above all having fun … and that includes remembering the ones that we have long forgotten!
When I was little my brother and I often stayed overnight at grandma and grandads house if my parents were going out. I always remember once falling from a wall when out walking with grandad – he was holding my hand as I walked along the top of an old brick wall but I tripped and did the splits on the wall (ouch) even though he had a hold of my hand, I remember it well from the pain it cause and I have huge scrapes inbetween my legs and a bruised bottom for weeks after! I have never walked along a wall since!
I remember when I was little my grandad would take us to go and visit his chickens and chicks at the allotment, then followed by an ice cream.
My parents had an allotment as welw
oh my goodness!! I’m buying this book for Father’s Day.
It would be perfect for that 🙂
My granddad was very serious but always made sleepovers special roasting chestnuts and making jacket potatoes in the coal fire
OOh special fire spuds. They’re always good!
I remember when my Grandad saved my mum from an Adder on the beach
I remember swimming in the sea with my grandpa & he also had a fab tree house in his garden!
My grandfather was an Irish joker he had half of thumb and use to pretend he had his finger stuck up his now so we use to swing on his arm to try and pull it out
Unfortunately both my GrandFathers died before I was born. So I did not get the Opportunity of spending time with either of them. My Dad died before any Grandchildren born. My brother is a Grand-Dad. Whilst luckily his Grandson has both his Grand-Fathers in his life.
My Great- Nephew is Great Fun. He entertains us sometimes with some of his antics, showing us his toys etc. He showed myself and his Great-Gran how to play Angry Birds. Grand-Dad is proud of him, enjoys his company, sometimes they sing songs together :- The theme song to Thomas and Friends etc.
my grandad use to own a resturant use to have great times t
He’d take us to go swimming and crayfish hunting in local creeks.
I used to help mine in the garden – probably the most dangerous thing was harvesting the raspberries
my grandad only had one leg, he more often than not was alays in a wheelchair – he used to take me downhills on his lap!!! Hahah
Building go karts out of scrap. How on earth we never ended up in hospital. Lots of scraped elbows and knees though:)
And loads of fun 😀
I used to go and stand on the terraces at football matches with my brother and my Grandad, which was incredible fun but as we all know now quite a dangerous thing to do back in the day.
We put together a self assembly greenhouse along with a couple of beers.
My grandad used to take me to the park and it was surrounded by a brick wall that got higher and higher. I used to walk on top of it all the way round. These days I’d freak if my daughter tried anything close to how high that wall was! Lol
I never knew my grandfathers which I deeply regret At least I have photos of them. My father used to take my son and myself to watch the Wolves at Molineux so my son has happy memories of his grandfather.
he used to take me to the park to swing on a rope
my granddad has an apple tree in his garden and as kids me and my cousin always used to climb it.
Id love this for my dad as its his first fathers day as a granddad so he’d love it.
He’d give us blocks of wood he’d brought home from work. We were then allowed to use saws, hammer and nails etc and we were allowed to make whatever we wanted. We usually created something totally rubbish, but what fun doing it.
I remember doing this as well. So much fun!
My Grandad was from the Irish countryside – we would go roaming for hours
I’d love to win this for my grandkids……….you never know I might just do some of the things with them!
My grandad and my nan always used to drive my sister and I to Bath city for lunch every now and then as a treat. Unfortunately he doesn’t drive anymore and my nan has passed but we do make the effort to take him to lunch instead.
Unfortunately as my parents were older when they had me I never had the experience of spending time with my granddads
Flying a kite!
I remember my Grandad attempting to ‘teach’ me how to use my skateboard…
Burning stuff on bonfires, setting fireworks, sawing and hammering… If it wasn’t dangerous, it wasn’t worth doing! 🙂
We used to walk along the river bank and drag things that had been washed up from it x
Walking along the edge of the cliff with my Grandad is one of my earliest memories
I absolutely loved my grandpa and remember playing cricket with him in particular, but it wasn’t very dangerous! We always had lots of fun though.
My GrandPa and GrandDad were amazing men who I loved very much. My paternal GrandPa lived with us and it makes me very sad that my Dad isnt around to spend time with my boys
I can remember grandad taking a few of us on a canal walk… leaving the path & ending up scaling the bank side up to our ankles in mud hehehehe
Not really dangerous, but I do remember gardening with my Grandad. Pulling up rhubarb from the bottom of the garden, then he would clean it and give us a bowl of sugar to dip it in.
What a lovely idea – especially with fathers day coming g up
How sweet is this book
sadly ive never had a grandad, but my children have lots of fun with my dad
I loved my grandad. He was always kind.
It does sound the perfect book for grandchildren and grandparents to enjoy together.
Unfortunately i have no granddad memories but i hope to make them with my own grandmonsters
I think I need to buy this for my Dad for Father’s Day, it looks awesome. I think he would love it x
Both of my grandads passed away before I was born unfortunately!
i dont recall any activities with my grandparents but my dad is amazing with my 2 kids and he acts silly with them
Making home made fireworks and bombs in my Grandads shed, Oh so not allowed today.
lol, can you imagine what the neighbours would say nowadays ;D
My granddad’s driving was dangerous!
My grandfather used to take me out in their car before my parents had one
I remember going sledging with my Grandad 🙂
My grandad used to take us on mystery tours in his car when we visited him in Devon. His driving down country roads scared the life out of me!
My grandad used to love his radio very much
I remembering him taking me fishing in his boat happy days!!
unfortunately i didn’t meet mine but my boys have hours of fun with their grandad, they get away with so much! i think they enjoy den building best
My daughter and her Grandad would love this 🙂
my granddad use to take me to a place that was used for clay pigeon shooting
Can’t remember any grandads, I used to go to allotment with my dad, hated the creepy crawlies
Getting taken to Doncaster horse sales by my grandad who was so knowledgable of race horses. We would sit all day in the ring and at the end of the day we were taken to the cashiers office having not noticed that he had bid on and bought horses.
Unfortunately, I didn’t do much with either of my granddads! I saw one of them every week, but he was busy working with my dad, so didn’t see much of him.
Flying a kite
We used to have snowball fights with my Grandad and ‘sledge’ down a snowy hill in a homemade sledge. No consideration for health and safety- just fun !
my papa owned a farm so we used to ride quad bikes in his fields
My grandad was a greengrocer and on Saturday mornings he used to take my sister and I to the wholesalers with him. There were enormous mounds of potatoes in sacks probably about 20 feet high, so, of course, our favourite pastime was to climb them! I look back in amazement now that we were actually allowed to do it!
Unfortunately I couldn’t make any memories with my grandads as I never got to know either of them but my husband is about to become a first time grandad as my daughter is expecting a little boy very soon, so I’d love this book for him!
Never met but he lived in the Ukraine
We used to go for long walks down the canal
My Grandad was taking me on the bike rides 🙂
Don’t forget – Father’s Day is on 19 June in the UK. ‘The Dangerous Book for Grandads’ can be purchased from all good online and traditional retailers. You can buy it from us here at RHE Media with a 10% discount and free postage and packing – see http://www.wordstothewise.co.uk/store/p3/The_Dangerous_Book_for_Grandads.html