Great ideas for craft making and cooking for children and family activities. This book suits all age groups, is super easy and has activities that parents and older members can get involved in. Well illustrated with step by step photo instructions this really his the mark of family craft makes. The cooking is easy and appealing and some of the craft ideas are very useful and creative.

As a teacher and a mom, I really appreciate books like this. Rightly or wrongly, “kids these days” (wow that makes me sound old) are obsessed with technology. This book has tons of no-tech ideas to keep your kids occupied and spend some time together as a family. They are mostly crafts and recipes, but there are other ideas like using popsicle sticks to assign random numbers to your family so they aren’t fighting about who goes first. The only thing that was tough for me was the formatting of the digital copy was hard to follow and there was no table of contents, so I couldn’t figure out if the organization was off. (Ideas are pretty random and not categorized) overall I was impressed and will be buying a copy for my home when it comes out, and recommending it to my teacher and parent friends.

This is a nice enough craft-ish book although it doesn't really stand out in the market from thousands of similar books that have been published over the years. There are lots of color photos and it's written in a friendly, relatable way. The author has 8 kids and it's definitely geared towards those who have more than one child. Helpful hints are given for families, though there aren't many and they aren't really that novel. Some recipes are included for very standard American food (tater tot casserole, carrot cake, etc.). The crafts require specific supplies like a fake gumball machine that uses various parts and baubles, instead of child-led, open-ended crafts. You're likely to find some fun stuff here, but it will definitely be more helpful for parents who haven't read many similar books or who are fans of the author's blog.

I read a temporary digital ARC of this book for review.

Thanks for the opportunity to review this copy of Crafty Family Ideas. I think this is a standard collection of ideas that can work for a range of children, ages, family sizes, etc. It all depends on what the family is willing to try and spend -- most of the ideas are totally doable and accessible. I liked the range of ideas, which in my view indicates that there is some creativity and novelty to this book. It is suggestable to families, especially those that are looking for things to do to keep busy! Like summer breaks, quarantine (in the past lol), etc.

This book has a little bit of everything: advice from a mom of 8 on how she keeps her house running, to recipes and crafts. I’m still on the lookout for the perfect kids craft book (this seems to need a lot of adult assistance, which usually turns into mom-does-the-whole-thing), but it’s really cute nonetheless. I love the book pouch and the candy corn buttons and especially look forward to giving those a try.

Thank you to Fox Chapel Publishing and NetGalley for providing this copy to review.

Overall, this is a decent book of craft ideas for families, especially families with several children. Some of these might be hard to do with just one kid. I wouldn't say it's great, though, largely because the focus is a bit blurry. It can't decide whether it wants to be a craft book, a baking book, or a household tips book. You'll find a craft idea with a random household tip squeezed onto the same page for no apparent reason (not thematically related, I mean).

The ideas are organized around the four seasons, though there's no reason you can't ignore that and do a craft or baking project any time of the year. The ideas generally require only items commonly found in North American kitchens and homes, too, so you're not going to need to go out and buy a bunch of odd equipment or ingredients to do these.

Love it!!! I was expecting to see only crafs and it was great to see recipes to do with the whole famliy!!
The crafts are easy, are new and interesting.
Well explained and illustrated!!

An interesting book but not exactly what I expected from the title.
As well as crafty makes there are quite a few recipes which I wasn't expecting.
There are some good ideas here but some of the items I feel are aimed more at the American market, which I now understand is where the author is from.
Thanks to netgalley and the publishers for this read.

Another fun craft book just in time for summer! This one is filled with kid and family fun. Simple crafts and easy recipes! I like having a bit of each in a book- lets kids help out in the kitchen and learn to cook! Kristen Gambaccini is a marvel! she's found way's to multi-use items to get more use out of them. I try to economize as much as I can when doing crafts with kids in my library: scrap paper NEVER goes to waste! I will find a future use for it. And I do. I love the idea of decorating an umbrella- I want one! Dog snack recipe is sure to win over some four legged friends! Recipe for sidewalk chalk should last a long time. Travel advise from a pro-8 KIDS! That is always a good sign that someone knows what they are doing! game Day/or night, has lots of good ideas in it.
Overall, there is plenty for a family to do and enjoy throughout the year.

A great resource when looking for projects to keep yourself and your family occupied. Theres something for everyone, including our 4legged friends! A great collection of ideas and easy to follow instructions with hints and pots of useful tips! I particularly like the i e cream cone garland idea which will be fun to make for kid’s birthday and family occasions!