DADVENTURE: "Chicken Socks" Fit Dad Perfectly -- a review

I know that you’ve probably had this weekend, too.  The spouse has a big project due, so she’s in the office on the weekend.  I’m on my own.  It’s pouring.  My oldest (8) has a friend over, so he’s good.  My youngest (3) is thoroughly amused by carpet fuzz, so no worries there.  My kindergartener, however, has been whining since she got out of bed.  I don’t make cereal like mom does.  Her socks hurt.  Our DVD selection is an outrage.  I’ve gone deaf in the upper register.

There are times (rainy days, airline flights, Tuesdays) when all you need is one good hour – one good project – to get your kid, and your day, back on track.  That’s when I strap on the Chicken Socks.  These kits by Klutz look like books, but they are really flat pack projects, ideal for desperate dads everywhere.  I try to keep one or two in the closet for DEFCON 3.

Last Saturday, I was there.  That was when I busted out Paper Purses.  This book/kit includes three cutout/foldout purses, and all the goods you need to decorate and stuff them.  One at a time, I separated the pop open paper purses from the spine of the book.  The plastic bubble that rides on the front cover contains a cleverly designed, pencil-thin tube of glue and cellophane sleeves of jewels, pom-poms, sequins and string for shoulder straps.

I put the various ingredients in little bowls and away my girl went.  While she’s gluing like an indie-band concert promoter, I’m punching out the thousand little items to put in the finished purses.  Cell phones, credit cards, lipstick, sunglasses, change purses – you name it.  If you really worry about creating little consumers, there are some items in here to give you pause, but, as the barbarians say, what’s in your wallet?  It’s all here in two dimensions.

Of course, as I’m working on the thousand punch-outs, my youngest decides that carpet fuzz has lost its romance, and he wants a project, too.  No worries.  Tree House Bugs, here we come.  This Chicken Socks volume is even simpler.  The blister pack on the cover houses a few pipe cleaners and beads that become bug figurines in seconds, then the freakin’ book itself unfolds 360 degrees to become a playhouse.  The little book becomes a really cool looking dollhouse (bughouse?) in under five minutes. Amazing.

Let’s be real.  These things are not meant to last.  And they are so cool that when they inevitably break down, there is disappointment (Youngest stepped on and destroyed his tree house before I could get a picture – I know, I know, it says “four and up” on the front, clear as day).  But these books/kits/dad’s-best-friends-that-don’t-mooch-beer are a clear winner for any parent in a tight spot.  The economy and cleverness of design with which these things are carried off is incredible. They fit together like a Dutch stroller at a fraction of the cost. The $14.95 retail may seem steep for a toy with a limited shelf-life, but on a rainy day, these kits are priceless.

Thanks Klutz. I wear my Chicken Socks with pride.


Clay Nichols, Health Correspondent:
Clay’s column, Dadventure, published twice monthly to Gather Essentials: Health, is a sure-fire guide to raising flawless, perfectly behaved, and always obedient children.  Yeah, right.
 
Clay is the co-author of Filmmaking for Teens: Pulling Off Your Shorts, an award-winning playwright, and the Chief Creative Officer at DadLabs.com, a fatherhood website.

You can find all of Clay’s Dadventure articles at http://gather.com/dadventure

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