Building A Great Relationship With Kids (NAPSA)—When it comes to cementing strong family relationships, one great tool is, well, cement—and wood and metal and plastic. Families that build things together can discover a greater appreciation for each other. At the same time, family construction projects foster a better understanding of math, science and reading in youngsters and a sense of accomplishment in everyone. Plus, you get to keep what you build, whetherit’s a backyard tree house, a skate ramp, homeziplines or go-carts. For Handy And Not-So-Handy Dads To help, there’s a delightful book by Todd Davis—extreme sports athlete, father of two and host of HGTV’s “Over Your Head.”In it, he presents 25 awesomeprojects for parents to build with their kids. Busy adults can choose projects that range from simple to challenging and take anywhere from five minutes to a full weekend. Readers are given all the directions they need to grab materials that can be found around the house or at a hardware store and get to work banging up a sweet BMX ramporhalf-pipe, building a tree houseor tire swing, or throwing together a slip-and-slide ortiedye station for an afternoon offun. With plenty of color photographs, easy-to-follow instructions and detailed illustrations, the paperback book, “Handy Dad,” is chock-full of creative and inexpensive ways to keep kids (and their grown-ups) entertained for hours. ve ama ED vzsone PROJECTS ror DADSano KIDS. A new book can help families learn to build great things to- gether—and build togetherness at the sametime. What Else To Do Here are two more waysto cre- ate strong family bonds: Eat Together: Parents and children should aim to eat one meal together a day. Share things that are happening in yourlife, and ask lots of questions about things your children are interestedin. * Read Together: Start your own family book club, with adults and children taking turns choosing books. This can improvekids’ reading skills and provide a chance to cuddle close and talk. Discuss what the books mean to each of you. Parents should be sure their youngsters see them read for pleasure. How To Get The Book The “Handy Dad”bookis available where booksare sold or online at www.chroniclebooks.com, or you can call (800) 759-0190.
