I remember moving to a new city and switching schools as a shy and bashful tween. One of the boys in my new school really went out of his way to make me feel welcome and help me fit in. Unfortunately, with meeting so many new people in a big school and getting adjusted to the new locale, I'm ashamed to say I had trouble remembering his name in those first few days. My dad worked with his mom and asked me if I had met him yet and I didn't recognize the name and said no. A few days later that kid got angry with me at school asking why my parent told his mom that we weren't friends. While I honestly apologized and admitted that I hadn't remembered his name unfortunately he was never really that friendly with me again from that point on. Since then I've always made remembering names a priority and as a parent emphasize that as an important thing for my kids to do. So I was impressed that Tip #42 in 100 THINKS TO KNOW BEFORE YOU GROW UP is "How to remember someone's name" which is an important aspect of life for both kids and adults to have a good grasp on.
A friend of mine told me about an incident where his son, who is active in the Boy Scouts, was out to eat at a restaurant one evening when an elderly woman began choking. People began noticing and anxiety filled the room as no one seemed to know what to do. His twelve year old son rushed past a crowd of adults staring at the situation in bewilderment and performed the Heimlich Maneuver saving this lady's life. What would you or your kids do if they found themselves in this situation? Tip #4 spells out how to help someone who is choking.
You never know when you may need to tie a good knot but at some point in your life there will be a moment in which that skill will be really useful to have. Tip #13 shows readers how to tie three basic knots: the Bowline, Square Knot, and Sheet Bend.
In addition to charts, pictures and diagrams like the ones pictured above that demonstrate important skills to have, 100 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE YOU GROW UP incorporates experts giving their advice on how to get things done. Nathan Odom the 13 year old winner of the FOX cooking competition television show, MasterChef Junior shares recipes for baking cookies; Jimmy Thai from Toastmasters International provides advice on public speaking; professional organizer Barry Izsak explains how to pack a suitcase; and astronomer Knicole Colon provides her list of 3 must-see planets viewable through a telescope. These are just a few of the experts and explorers that provide their 2-cents on various topics throughout the book.
Designed with the same youthful vibe as the publication style of National Geographic KiDS Magazine, this compact sized book is easy to store around the house and small enough to take along traveling making it an always handy option for a kids to reference when faced with a conundrum. 100 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE YOU GROW UP brings together motivational tools and educational references with the goal of inspiring boys and girls ages 8 to 12 years old to be inquisitive about learning new things to help them become the best person they can be. Whether it is practical skills such as how to do laundry, pump up a bike tire and stay safe online; goofy stuff like learning to balance a spoon on your nose, coming up with the perfect secret hand shake, and teaching a pet a new trick; or inspirational insights such as how to say NO, dealing with jealousy, learning to be tolerant, responding to hurt feelings, and taking the perspective of looking on the bright side, the material in this book is a dependable source for kids to turn to for information that reinforces the lessons being taught to them by their parents and at school. We plan on keeping this book readily accessible for our own two kids because you never know what will spark a kid's interest and there is a lot of intellectual tinder in this book. Speaking of tinder, I also pulled the book out the other day for my own personal use because I'm notoriously bad at building camp fires so I wanted to check out Tip #17 before the summer weather gets here.
CLICK HERE for more information or to purchase 100 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE YOU GROW UP from the National Geographic online store.
A Geek Daddy is a member of the National Geographic Kids Insider blogger program. Insiders get a behind-the-scenes look at National Geographic’s resources, activities, content and projects for kids and families. They also review copies of books, magazines and toys, and are offered interviews with authors, explorers and editors. I do not receive any financial compensation for my participation as a National Geographic Kids Insider. #NGKInsider
