Accessories For Your Man Cave That You Really Need!

The ‘man cave’ can be a special room in your house, perhaps the basement, perhaps the attic or a small corner in the garage, but you know that there you will not find more than what you would turn your whole house into. With your wife’s permission, of course! Here’s a good collection of essential objects for your personal cave (aka personal paradise!) 

The first thing to consider for your man cave is definitely a sign, right? Because, without a sign, how can we tell people that this space is only for men? Currently you can find a large number of signs, from those that are made of metal or wood, for example, to neon signs or LEDS, for example. Depending on the style of your cave, it will be the type of sign that you can use since there are currently a large number of options on the market.

Gaming tables and accessories

A man cave wouldn’t be a cave if it didn’t have some kind of board game for fun. One of the most popular options, and that without a doubt cannot be missing in your cave, are the famous pool tables. It doesn’t matter if your man cave is small or narrow, there are pool tables in all shapes and sizes. You can even find much more versatile options such as pool tables that can be transformed into tables or shelves. Depending on your budget and the characteristics of your cave, it will be the table that you should choose. You should also look at a dart board as this is certainly going to be something fun that the guys can enjoy over a beer. Although we are talking about pool tables, here it is worth mentioning other types of games, the so-called video games which offer a large number of advantages for users. You can find a lot of possibilities. You can mount a projector in your cave and connect it to a console to place only a television or a Gaming computer. 

Refrigerator

One of the basics of every man, and a man’s cave, is beer, this due to the great affection that men usually have for said drink. Nowadays having beer in your cave for men is easier than you think because there are options for everyone. A perfect example is the beer dispensers which can serve you beer directly into your glass. If you like to drink it in its container, a refrigerator may be a good option. Of course, in both we recommend some accessories such as wall openers or shelves for glasses and bottles.

Chairs and comfy seating

A cave for men has to be, yes or yes, comfortable because the main objective is to serve as a space to rest and relax. Currently in the market we can find options of all kinds, from bean bag chairs or classic armchairs to chairs of all kinds. Depending on the design of your man cave, it will be the type of armchairs and chairs recommended. For example, if you want it to be inspired by a video game theme, Gamers chairs can be a good option. If you want it to be sports-themed, a ball-shaped bean bag might be a good idea. There are so many chairs to look at. In fact you should look at A Guide To Buying The Best Man Cave Chairs. Now it’s really time to get that man cave up and running! 

This post is a collaborative effort by St. Louis Dad.

October is Cyber Security Month

Did you know that October is Cyber Security Month? Hopefully you did, if not, it’s totally okay because now is just as good of a time as any to start learning about cyber security and how you can protect your family!

With the start of school this year many districts are going with a virtual option. This leaves kids on devices almost all day and night. So making sure they are cyber aware is a very important part of using the internet and all of these different apps.

If you need help, consider using the FBI Safe Online Surfing program. It’s a free cyber safety educational game for students in third through eighth grade. Learn more at: https://sos.fbi.gov.

You can also check out NetSmartz.org for videos, activities and more from @MissingKids This content empowers youth of all ages to make safer choices on and offline.

There are even more resources than just these two, but let’s not overwhelm everyone with so many options that you don’t even know where to start. If you want to dive deeper into cyber security resources, check out this post I did a few years ago. It is filled with lots of resources.

As we continue through this month I will be posting more resources to highlight some of my favorites. So be sure to check back and follow along as we work together in protecting our kids and ourselves with online safety!

How Healthy Is Your Relationship With Your Phone?

Your smartphone is a miracle. It allows you to answer any question and settle any heated barroom debate in seconds. It allows you to turn a tedious commute into productive working time. It is your gateway to hundreds of hours of awesome online content (much of it free) so that you need never be bored or lonely again. You can even make phone calls on it (as alien a notion as that may seem to many these days, especially our kids). Yet, while we’re constantly told that we should be vigilant when keeping tabs on our kids’ use of technology, we so often neglect our own relationships with our phones. And that can be a problem. Developing young minds aren’t the only ones that can be warped by spending too much time on their phones. In fact, even the oldest and wisest of us can find ourselves getting into bad habits where our phones are concerned. 

Here are some questions all Dads should ask themselves to ensure that they have a healthy relationship with their phones. 

Are you guilty of phubbing?

Phone snubbing or “phubbing” is something that we’re very keen to clamp down on when we catch our kids doing it. But when we catch ourselves falling into the same bad habit, we need to shut it down even faster. If our kids catch us engrossed in our phones at the dinner table or in another inappropriate context, they’ll see it as a tacit sign that it’s okay, no matter what you say out loud. And this can increase their dependence on their devices and impede social development. 

How long are you spending on your phone?

Be honest now. How much time do you spend on your phone every day? Less than 5 hours? 10 hours? 15 hours? Believe it or not, the amount of time we spend on our phones isn’t that dissimilar between baby boomers, gen x, millennials and gen z with each spending around 4-6 hours a day on their phones. Still, there are many who would say that more than one or two is too many. It’s certainly worth tracking how much time you spend on your phone from one week to the next.

Do your amusements become addictions?

Our smartphones are our gateway to a treasure trove of fun games. Whether you’re playing games just for the fun of it, reconnecting with childhood classics ported over from your mobile device or even trying to make a little money through online games and casinos- take a look at this LeoVegas casino review for an example, there are all kinds of ways in which we can wile away the hours with games. But we need to be vigilant. These amusements and distractions can become addictions if we’re not careful. We need to exercise restraint and self-discipline so that they don’t impact our productivity at home and at work. 

How are you sleeping?

Finally… like tablets, laptops and TVs, smartphones emit blue light which can disrupt the brain’s production of the sleep hormone melatonin which in turn can lead to insomnia. If you’re having trouble drifting off at night, it may be a sign that you’re spending too much time with your face in a screen!

Mad Science Virtual STL Summer Camps!!!

It’s that time of year again, when schools are out and summer starts peeking it’s head out from behind the Arch. With school ending this year in a dramatic fashion all across the region, I have started to see exciting new opportunities pop up for kids to still have fun and participate in fun and engaging programs from the safety of their living rooms.

This summer your children can participate in some very exciting virtual summer camps provided by Mad Science STL!

During the month of June Mad Science STL is offering 4 different virtual summer camps. The camps run 3 hours each day for 5 days. A total of 1-1.5 hours is spent on an active Zoom call, but that time is not consecutive.

The time on zoom call will be spent watching experiments, learning about different science concepts, listening to instructions, and discussing what your children think and what they’ve learned.

The time off the zoom call is spent doing the activities and experiments. The majority of materials are provided by Mad Science, parents can choose to either pick up materials from our office or have them delivered/mailed for $7.50! A bargain if you ask me!!!

Other materials parents will need to provide are fairly commonplace materials such as a cup, a book, or a piece of paper. While campers are working on their activities, the Mad Scientist will be available to chat and provide clarification as needed.

Mad Science STL is offering 4 different Virtual Camps for the Month of June. Space Alien Traveler, Rocketry, and Secret Agent Lab are open to rising K-5th graders. Our 4th camp is Mad Inventors and is open to rising 2nd-5th grades.

For most campers, they should be able to participate independently, but for Rocketry, Kindergarteners and 1st graders will need help from a parent or older sibling. 

A little more about the different camps…

Space Alien Travelers June 1st-5th: Take on the role of a space alien visiting earth for the first time. Find out about how earth’s sports work. Explore the animals and nature on earth. Learn how humans communicate with secret messages. Discover how earthlings can protect their planet. Finally, it’s time to take off into space to return home as we explore space!

In this camp, campers will explore nature, physics, space, and secret messages. All of the experiments and activities will relate back to the campers being Aliens, exploring the mysteries of Earth.

A young mad scientist waiting to see what happens!

Rocketry Camp: June 8th-12th Your child’s in for an action-packed week focused entirely on rockets and the physics of rocket flight! After learning the model rocket safety code, campers will build different types of rockets and watch exciting rocket launches. We recommend this camp for children entering 2nd – 5th grade; however, children entering kindergarten and 1st grade will enjoy it as well with a little more help from a grownup at home. Note: If you wish to for your child to launch their own rockets (with adult supervision), you will need to purchase a launch kit from an online source or hobby shop. All fueled launches during camp will be virtual.

Campers will learn about different parts of rockets. They’ll also learn about NASA and how launched rockets are recovered. (K-1 campers will need help from a parent or older sibling)

Secret Agent Lab June 15th-19th: Ever dream of becoming a secret agent? We’ll start with the basics: Campers will get their very own spy glasses! Step into the shoes of a detective as you uncover the science involved in evidence gathering and analysis! Figure out the science of forensics in a hands-on look at crime scenes! Become a super spy and learn clever ways of performing tasks as we take a hands-on investigation of the science that spies use!

Campers will create secret message, find clues, gather evidence, and learn all about spy technology.

Mad Inventors June 22nd-26th: Creative Contraption Warning! This is a camp designed by you–the Inventor! Each day you’ll be given a series of challenges which must be overcome using basic materials, simple machines, tips from the world of famous inventors, and the most important thing of all–your mind. With a little bit of ingenuity, you’ll construct catapults and forts and then lay siege, fabricate a winning design and assemble a working light saber. While Thomas Edison said invention is 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration, this camp is 100% fun!

Campers will create duct tape castles to defend, explore hovercrafts, and learn about all different types of flight. This camp is full of creativity!

Be sure to sign up today with Mad Science STL as spaces are filling up quickly! Check out their social media pages on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and elsewhere for more info and to see some amazing photos, projects, and interviews!