Re: Christmas Shopping

[Guest guest]

Wow, , you have some great ideas here. I’ve got a typical 9 y.o. boy that has a birthday next month, and then there is Christmas...I’ll be looking into some of these ideas. Thanks for passing them on!

I’ve been enjoying and learning a lot from this thread. My six y.o. daughter w/Ds isn’t into HSM or Hannah M.- yet, but I’m sure she will be. She’s into the Cinderella dvds & toys and we’re trying to get her to move on. We’ve been through many other phases: Zoe Ballerina, Winnie the Pooh, Wizard of Oz and Alice in Wonderland. Not sure what the next thing will be that will click with her, but I’m hoping it will be something that isn’t a cartoon!

I was looking at the Left Right Center (LRC) game on Amazon yesterday, as was suggested by someone here. I also found some other games that look interesting – Pengoloo and Zimbbos. http://www.amazon.com/s.html?ie=UTF8 & me=A1CNJ1H1GH9KFC & brand=Blue%20Orange Is anyone familiar with them? I also saw a & Doug wooden See & Spell that looks good, too. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0007Y4DLG/ref=ord_cart_shr?_encoding=UTF8 & m=ATVPDKIKX0DER & v=glance

One last thing – I was in a paper/party store today & they had the LRC game at the register for $5.95 so I bought one. It looks like a new favorite, along with Pig Out!

Colleen

Well, I have two 8 yo boys, one with DS and one w/o. I know what you mean about being in between younger and older gifts as well as being repetitive. I can't help you with the Barbie stuff, but maybe can offer other ideas. Great thread, as I am always looking for ideas too.

We homeschool, so I am always looking for educational stuff like board games, computer programs, books, science kits, and lessons. This year he is getting a tae kwon do uniform to unwrap with biweekly private lessons, and piano lessons. His brother is getting a dissection kit that he's been really interested in, and guitar lessons.

He also loves gross motor stuff. I was never a fan of trampolines, but our neighbors have one and all the kids love it. After researching them and developing strict rules for it, we got them one for Christmas last year. It has been wonderful. They love it and go out on it all the time and it's great exercise. It is an activity that he can be fully included in when friends come over too. How about a bicycle, skateboard, or scooter? We got a skateboard/bike ramp used at a garage sale last year and the boys LOVE it.

This year he's definitely getting new bedding and I can't wait. His has been washed and bleached with potty training so many times it is falling apart. How about a bed tent or canopy of some kind, or a bunk bed or fold-out chair for friends who might sleep over? A cool, comfy chair with lots of pillows for their room or a great reading area. A sleeping bag. A suitcase. Something else for their room like paint to paint it a different color or a dresser (one of my sons is getting a dresser for Christmas this year). They love having their bedrooms redecorated. Posters.

DVDs and/or movie tickets. Outdoor games like volleyball net, real horseshoes, kite, fishing poles, etc. New clothes (again we homeschool, so their back-to-school clothes are mostly given at Christmas).

One really great thing I got them for Christmas last year was a subscription to the Young Woodworkers Club, where they receive a different woodworking kit every month. They love it. Also a small toolbox with simple tools. If you get the woodworkers club subscription, get them a small cordless drill or have one available because the hand drill that is provided is very difficult to use and tedious. The rest of the stuff is great. A tool belt. They have huge, gorgeous make-yourself dollhouse kits, which might be a fun to get and do as a family project, along with furniture and decorating it.

How about exercise stuff, like a yoga mat or exercise ball and DVD? Or an exercise DVD that teaches dancing or martial arts (tai chi) at the same time?

Magazine subscriptions. Popular ones are Ladybug and Click for beginning readers, Ask and Spider for independent readers, and Cricket, Odyssey, or Muse for kids and teens. Highlights magazine, etc.

How about a new hobby such as knitting or crocheting, gardening stuff (a terrarium to plant herself), painting on real canvas with a real easel (the kids love this), sewing, scrapbooking, card making/papermaking, cake decorating, cooking/baking, etc. Again, there are stores around that offer lessons in stuff like this, which might be fun and practical.

Tickets to local and professional games. My sons' first Yankee game was this year, so that was a huge deal and they'll be getting tickets for Christmas this year (bus trip package as we are a few hours away in central NY) for next summer. They will also be getting a fan club subscription to the Yankees. Local teams are great too, though. There's " minor league " hockey, arena football, and baseball teams around here that they love going to also. How about tickets to a local theater for a fancy, dress-up concert or play?

Is there a winter/spring break day camp that she might be interested in going to?

My big challenge this year is finding them stuff they can open and looks like a lot when they first wake up and look under the tree. It seems like the best stuff as they get older, and I get better at using Flylady's principles of less clutter, are lessons and tickets to things, for us.

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