Fun Summer Projects for Fathers and Sons

Summertime is the time for getting outside and having some fun. And there are lots of traditional ways to do this but this article looks at some unusual and different ways to enjoy the summer. The focus here is on projects that adults and children or teens can do together and with an eye toward learning and or making things.  And although the title of this article says for fathers and sons all the projects and ideas would be great for fathers and daughters too!

Become a Siege Engineer

Building a catapult or a trebuchet is a fun project that has strong tie-ins to engineering. You can easily build a small siege engine in a single day and then you can take it outside to launch any number of things from tennis balls to watermelons.  There are lots of online resources for finding plans on how to make siege engines around three feet in size.  And this type of project lends itself very well to design improvements. It is very common for young siege engineers to be constantly improving their new catapult. You can build a mid-sized catapult with just a few basic woodworking tools and a few pieces of two by four lumber.

Rocketing into the sky

Model rockets have been a steadfast hobby for many decades. It is very inexpensive to get started and you get a double dose of fun with them because you can spend an hour or two making the rockets then you can take them out and launch them. There is a duality here that is hard to resist. If you don’t know anything about model rockets there are many beginner kits that are readily available. You can get everything you need to start this hobby including the launching pad and rocket engines around thirty or thirty five dollars.

Remote Controlled Fun

Remote controlled vehicles such as helicopters, airplanes, cars, and even boats can be a very rewarding pursuit in summer although the initial expense can be a bit high. There is also the added benefit of being able to make the projects before you take them out to fly or drive them. One of the best examples of this is remote controlled airplanes. Half the fun of the airplane comes in the making of it. And you can tailor the type of airplane to the age and skill level of your son or daughter. There are great beginner kits that can be assembled in a couple of hours and there are more advanced kits that take dozens of hours or more to make.

Make a Go Kart

This is a great project for teens because it is a bit more in-depth in both the making stage and the outdoor fun stage. You can spend several days making the go kart then it can be used all summer long. You also have the option of making a simple go kart that will roll down hills or getting elaborate and adding a motor to it. You can even start with the simple kart and later in the summer upgrade it by adding the motor.  There are many clubs that still engage in soapbox derby racing which adds a competitive dimension to this summer hobby.

Exploring the Sciences Outdoors

The Natural Sciences – All it takes is a field manual (that you can check out of the library) and a little time outdoors and you can do some discovering of how nature works. A few suggestions would be to study rock formations and geology, or to study botany and plant life. In both of these activities you can build a collection of plants, leaves, or rocks and minerals.  Half the fun is in collecting then identifying the specimens you collected. It is an easy task to find one of the sciences that might interest you and other family members. A good example is entomology where you can collect insects and display them in a case.

The sciences offer many opportunities in many different fields but my favorite is astronomy. This is a pursuit that can be started without spending any money. All you have to do is download and print a few star maps and you are ready to begin finding and identifying constellations and other heavenly bodies like planets. If you have a pair of binoculars it will add a whole new level of enjoyment to your star gazing.

 If you are looking for something spectacular in astronomy you can consult with charts of meteor showers. There are several different meteor showers that occur during the summer months and some of them have a frequency of up to as many as sixty falling stars per hour. And if you are bitten by the astronomy bug the sky is virtually the limit in this hobby because you can upgrade and improve your viewing by buying a telescope or even making your own.

When it comes to the summer months there are lots of fun and traditional activities you can do like going to the beach or an amusement park but with a little thought and creativity you can take on some hobbies and projects that add whole new dimensions such as making things and learning about the world around us.