A WORKSHOP OF W MAKING KIDS’ DREAMS COME TRUE
What do you get when you combine goofball builders, a grumpy boss, and kids with wacky ideas? In Netflix’s 2022 reality show “Making Fun,” experts actually create high-concept, nonsense inventions that children dreamed up! The result is a playful and educational show that’s perfect for all ages. “Making Fun” follows Jimmy DiResta, a master builder, and his misfit band of “makers” as they bring children’s imaginative creations to life. The team members know their way around a workshop and use wood, metal, foam, fabric, and more to create mechanical wonders that ultimately serve no purpose other than to make kids’ dreams come true.
The first of eight episodes in the series follows the crew as they build a dinosaur that spits out tacos. In others, the builders create a pirate ship pizza cannon and a device to fling cat poop. (Remember, these were kids’ ideas!) Throughout the episode, viewers watch as designs are conceptualized and brought to life even as hiccups are addressed along the way. It’s not all fun, though; this show is also surprisingly educational. The builders explain why they use specific materials, the basics of how the machines in the shop work, and how experts make
If you’re tired of playing Catan every family board game night, we have good news: There are brand-new games in town! Consider adding these three options to your family’s stash. Impress Your Kids With These Fresh Choices LEVEL UP YOUR NEXT FAMILY GAME NIGHT
among the best board games of 2022 and recommended it to fans of other interactive, team-based guessing games like Codenames.
Steam Up: A Feast of Dim Sum Who doesn’t love a food-themed board game? This fun, fast-paced game for 2–5 players, ages 14 and up, comes with a Lazy Susan filled with dim sum ingredients. You play as a Zodiac animal and aim to collect more dim sum than any other players. Instead of fortune cookies, fortune cards help determine your luck! “If you’re looking for a fresh new party game in 2023, Steam Up looks like a real tabletop joy,” GamesHub reports. Steam Up was launched on Kickstarter and, as we write this, is available for preorder and expected to ship soon. Small World Kids ages 8 and up will love this board game, especially if they’re “Lord of the Rings” fans. As Wirecutter explains, “Imagine a game of Risk set in Middle-earth that didn’t take as long to play as rewatching all of the ‘Lord of the Rings’ films would. That’s pretty much the experience of Small World, an area-control game filled with elves, dwarves, and halflings, among others.”
Wavelength Not only is this game perfect for playing with your whole family (ages 5 and up), but it also actively encourages conversation! Up to 12 players can split into teams and use hints from their peers
When you sit down to play, you choose a band of magical creatures and a power, then set up your “empire” and battle the other players for land and gold. At the end of 60–80 minutes of strategizing, the richest player wins the game. If any of these games catch your eye, head to your local game store and ask if they’re available, or jump online to snag them yourself!
to guess their teammates’ opinions on various topics.
The issues can range from the merit of hit movies to “Where, on the scale of wet to dry, is spaghetti?” The New York Times’ Wirecutter ranked Wavelength
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