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Just what do I get the Kids for Christmas this year??!!
HanoiBoi:
I've got two boys, 6 & 8. Here's some of our results;
RECOMMENDED:
Perplexus 3D spherical maze puzzle. The kids really concentrate when they pick this up. I love this thing!
Yam Slam A yahtzee like game with poker chips for points. Very well built and fun for all ages.
Stomp Rocket Jump or stomp on the launch pad and send the nerf like rocket high into the air.
Remote Controlled Thunder Tumbler I've recently seen them in CVS. We've had 2 of them for about 3 years and they still work and they're still played with
Zoom-O Also a 9.99 toy, found at WalMart, Target, etc.. Shoots a propeller disc into the air. Simple, but very addictive. Non-competitive and just fun.
Nintendo DS My 6 year old would bring it into the shower if he could! If I had a nickel for every time I've heard "Can I play my DS?" It's the Pokemon games that he loves.
'Dangerous Book For Boys' (or the 'Daring Book For Girls')
Building Stuff Lego Sets (Atlantis, vehicles, etc) K'Nex, Bionicles, Magnetix
MP3 players Doesn't have to be fancy. Fill it with stuff that'll get them interested in tunes; Classic Rock, 80's, 1 Hit Wonders, Beatles, Bob Marley, etc.
Apples To Apples If you've got at least 4 people and most can read (you can help to an extent), it's always a fun game.
Five Below My boys love this store.
Other notables:
20 Questions Fun for the younger kids who can read
Mr Root Beer Make your own root beer.
Rubik's Twist Easy to get the hang of, travels well.
Duds
Air Hogs They are fun and they work well, but the kids lose interest when they have to charge so much.
Fushigi = Fushi++y
eds1275:
Ooooooh MP3 players! Kids LOVE Stevie Wonder's poppier stuff!
Hoopz:
We do games every year too. Board, card, book games etc. At least two for each. My stepson and I play Spy Alley a lot, Stratego (star wars version but with the regular rules), Drakon board game etc.
We have a boutique style game store that I go in and browse stuff. It's overpriced but I try and support small businesses that are local...
Perudo, Farkle and a few others like that are good for older kids (8+?) and teach good math skills to boot. For the boys group I work with, we had 80+ play Perudo in one sitting. It was fun to watch (at least the end of it was...).
The Cranium games are always good.
Ond:
The great Christmas Gift Thinktank! There's already plenty more suggestions here than I could have hoped to dream up by myself. Now to find the one stop shop that stocks it all :P (other than online ordering). No more wondering around shelves full of potential landfill (there's too much plastic in the world) at the last minute for this dad. I really like the family games, painting and art materials, constructive toys, musical and hobbyist gift ideas. I'll go with the clothes vouchers for the girls too, good one.
Not that I'd want to derail this thread with nostalgic Christmas memories, but thinking back to the best value gifts I got as a kid is sometimes useful when I'm trying to get inspiration for my own kids. Some of my favs were the Chemistry set I got one year, can you still even get these?? I mean the full on giant ones with all the cool tubes of various different coloured chemicals in them and glasswear, the microscope another year, The 'Electronic Project Kit' that was awesome ,till I lost all the wires that came with it. Various different construction sets. Thanks Dad! errr I mean Santa. Yes, I get to relive my childhood each Christmas and have no problem admitting that.
Well, time to spreadsheet some of these great ideas. I can't wait to be the smug savvy shopper thanks to you guys! :cheers:
HanoiBoi:
Ond, if you find a brick and mortar Amazon store, let me know. Otherwise, they're a nice one stop shop for many items.
I'm sure there are other stores like it, but my Dad used to get us gifts from Edmund's Scientific. They've got your Chemistry stuff. We'd also receive cool items like prisms, magnets, holograms, etc. It was kinda local to us and I actually visited the store a few times as a kid.
Check it out - it'll be good for ideas at the least!
Edmund's Scientific Official Site:
http://www.scientificsonline.com
Chemistry Section:
http://www.scientificsonline.com/chemistry.html?limit=48
Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edmund_Scientific_Corporation
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