Books for Cool Kids – Paper Airplanes!

Hey all…

Books you say? Books aren’t cool… Bah! But you’d be wrong. I was a nerdy kid growing up, always with my nose in a book, and my oldest daughter is very similar. She’d love either of these books, which I’m considering for a birthday present (birthday in January)…

The World Record Paper Airplane Book

Though this book is recommended for ages 9 and up, I’d say that with help any smart, crafty kids would enjoy it from ages 7 and up. It includes materials and directions for 20 different cool designs, plus a discussion of why they fly and how to make them fly farther.

If that’s not enough, it also includes:

• info on Ken Blackburn’s world record paper airplane flight
• how to organize and win contests
• a flight log
• and a runway for practicing accuracy

Another cool paper airplane book is the…

Kids’ Paper Airplane Book

This book is also meant for ages 5 and up and features designs and materials for 16 different planes, plus:

• a field guide to real planes
• a log to record flight distances
• and a full-color poster of an airport

So check them both out for your amateur paper pilots. Maybe you’ll start a lifetime obsession with flight!

–Fitz

Paper Folding is Cool!

Hi all…

My daughter recently discovered that if you fold paper, you can make cool things like paper airplanes, birds, and so on. So I saw this cool Origami book in the latest Barnes & Noble Catalog and thought it looked about perfect for her.

The book/kit is titled “The Origami Kit” and it retails for $9.95 online. Less if you’re a card-carrying Barnes & Noble member (like myself – never leave home without it). It covers the basics of how to create several amazing projects out of paper and includes:

• A 120 page book with detailed instructions on 40 different origami projects
• Simple instructions that go step-by-step with illustrations at each point along the way
• And 30 sheets of origami paper in a couple of sizes

Projects include animals, flowers, shapes, and others. So this will be a great project for my daughter to work on. We always have scrap paper on hand (being a writer helps churn out the pages), so this will be a cool way to recycle the paper into unique shapes and designs. It’ll be a skill she can develop over the years.

When I mentioned this gift to my wife, she wondered if this was for our daughter or for me. I have to say “both!”

Have a good one!

–Fitz