I was thinking of getting him some decent apps to get him going on android
Well mate, looks like no one bothered to give any root-free suggestions so I'll give a stab at some Dad friendly apps:
Pulse - excellent customizable news feed
Flipboard - visually beautiful news articles
Stumble Upon - specific interest based online content
TedTalks - science related presentations (excellent!!!)
Keep - great TODO list app made by google
Whatsapp - send free pics/vids/audio to family and friends
Pandora - free tailored music
Pocket Casts - excellent podcast access app
Real Racing 3 - a free racing game to try
Angry Birds - fun game
ProHDR - if he enjoys taking photo's he'll be impressed with the quality using that puppy
I'd love to find an a method to placing all images into one folder since the Note 2 Android gallery is an absolute mess compared to the iPhone single folder.