I Double Dare You!

It's no secret that I want my daughters to be tough, accomplished women. I want them to not only embrace their femininity, but also not be afraid to get dirty, be inventive, and have fun doing it.

Which is why when The Daring Book for Girls came out, I had to have it. It was full of how-to advice for all of the things I had forgotten about as a girl, as well as activities I've never had the chance to try. It still sits on my shelf, and I occasionally page through it to see if there's anything new that is now age appropriate for my girls.

So when I heard about a sequel to the book, titled The Double-Daring Book for Girls, I knew it needed a place in our home, too. This book is full of new games, activities and information for the young women in your life. It covers everything from picnic games and how to make a paper lantern to celebrate Chinese New Year, to how to waltz and make your own rope ladder. Great women in history are profiled in short yet informative passages that can easily inspire.

For my girls, we've already made paper lanterns, used some of the advice in the book to tend our "farm" (the backyard vegetable garden), and played several games. Cordy's favorite is the tug-of-war, and honestly she's pretty good at it. She can give the average adult a challenge. But don't try too hard to win, or she'll let go of the rope and send you falling to the ground. (Where's the chapter on not being a sore loser?)

We tried water balloon volleyball, too. Can you guess how many volleys we managed before getting soaked? Try three. Can anyone do better than that?

Overall, this is a fun book that will remind you of your childhood and all of the fun activities we did as kids. With so many ideas, The Double-Daring Book for Girls is the perfect book to battle summertime boredom.