The NEW Build Your Own Arcade Controls
Main => Everything Else => Topic started by: Clonedsheep on July 13, 2005, 07:35:45 pm
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Hi guys,
I need some help. My oldest son is turning 12 soon and I need some cool gift ideas. I have the whole dinner thing and evening planned but wanted to pick him a nice little gift as well. I do not want to buy him any more video games right now. He is on my cabinet and plays with his PC as much as he can right now. He does like projects Like Me :) Likes to fix stuff..well @ least take things apart. I was thinking along the lines of some type of woodbuilding project kids thing. I would like to stay between 50-100 if possible. Thanks guys.
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Find a creative toy or scientific toy. Think he might like a beginners electronics kit? Radioshack has some cool ones geared towards kids.
FIXED LINK (http://www.radioshack.com/category.asp?catalog%5Fname=CTLG&category%5Fname=CTLG%5F006%5F011%5F002%5F000&Page=1)
Add in a projects book. One of my favorite things when I was that age was I got a book that did science experiements at home.
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That's just the right age!
Why not get him something he can use while his body is beginning to change? A nice set of weights or something similar to help him grow , I'm sure he would appreciate that in the long run.
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Make him into a man. Get him laid.
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A trip to Neverland Ranch?
;D
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A trip to Neverland Ranch?
;D
Ummm no... I was thinking more a father-son trip to the nudie bar. ;)
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They say weight lifting at an early age can stunt growth. I got a chemistry set and a Radio Shack electronics set when I was young. I thought they were both great.
I also liked my Radio Shack remote control hover craft, but it's never as cool if you can't take it out on water somewhere. I was never big into remote control toys, but that hover craft was great. I checked froogle.com and found a couple of them for pretty cheap (under your expected budget).
I don't know if ya'll are the outdoors type, but I've always liked camping. I got a tent that I really liked. I still keep it as a spare. It'll do no good if you never use it, though. If you get the tent, make sure you also have a weekend already planned to use it. This is certainly the right time of year for it. You can find them at Sears ranging from $20 - $200. Here's a fancy one for half off at Sears...
Good tent at Sears (http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/product.do?BV_UseBVCookie=Yes&vertical=FIT&pid=00673114000)
If he's the type that likes making stuff, perhaps a beginner's set of power tools are in order. I mean 12 years old is junior high. He won't be little anymore. You'd have to supervise, of course. Home Depot is having an online special on their Black & Decker Multi Tool kit. I was having trouble with the link. It's one base with interchangeable heads. You don't need anytghing fancy for a first set, anyways.
I always liked giving and receiving intangible gifts. Think about concerts and theme parks - that sort of stuff.
Whatever you give him, though, make sure it's something that HE wants and not something YOU want for him to have. My dad has always had a hard time telling the difference (until I started asking for power tools).
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Model rocket!
.22 rifle!
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If he is into model or kit building, I second the model rocket suggestion.
I'll be 40 this year and Santa still puts a new rocket for me to build in my stocking each Christmas.
I have several that I have built over time and I enjoy headin to the park every so often to give them each a whirl......and kids of all ages come in handy when its time to chase them down.
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This is what I am saying. Take him to a nudie bar and give him a rocket in his pocket.
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I'll second the model rockets.
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I might want to toss in a suggestion for perhaps a pair of rollerblades, a GOOD skateboard, or some other non-bicycle non-motorized form of transportation.
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They say weight lifting at an early age can stunt growth. I got a chemistry set and a Radio Shack electronics set when I was young. I thought they were both great.
Ummmm OKAY !
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All things considered, I was a fairly active kid, anyways. I kinda lived in the country and did alot of stuff outside. I stand corrected, though.
http://66.155.118.175/irvine/coverstories/Resistance_Training.html
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Actually, he's right, in an surface skimming way.
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EDIT:
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I was thinking about giving him his first Playboy/Hustler magazine. This is what I wanted when i was that age ;D
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The boy has the internet. He needs no magazines.
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When I was that age I really thought model rockets and those Radio Shack electronics sets were fun. I'll second those suggestions.
-S
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At 12 all I had use for were my bike and my baseball glove.
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I saw the subject and expected to find some priest joke in here instead of a real request.
The "Big Book of Boy Stuff" looks pretty fun. I got it for my nephew last fall and I've heard it is a great book, but he may already know everything in there. Such as techniques for making armpit noises (one involves a drinking straw). Written by a JR High teacher.
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Thanks guys, I am taking a bit of most ideas. As far as outside things he has most of it all. Bikes, Rollerblades, and a skateboard. Here is what I came up with. Model rocket
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"Big Book of Boy Stuff" I like it. Where is this book you speak of?
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As for rockets, consider one with plastic fins for starters. You wouldn't want him to get discouraged on his first shot if he had to cut his own balsa fins and somehow screwed it up. If he likes it then you can always find fancier ones.
Also, find one with an engine that isn't too big because you're likely going to be the one chasing it down. This is especially true for urban areas like parks. You don't need it landing in some stranger's backyard. I had a 3ft rocket that could travel for a couple hundred yards with a good wind.
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Thanks guys, I am taking a bit of most ideas. As far as outside things he has most of it all. Bikes, Rollerblades, and a skateboard. Here is what I came up with. Model rocket
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We just did a classic car model. We still like to do those but we are waiting to get an airbrush set and paints. We do love to build models. I did find a cool project he can do with his new soldering iron. http://www.scitoys.com/scitoys/scitoys/radio/three_penny/three_penny.html
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"Big Book of Boy Stuff" I like it. Where is this book you speak of?
Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1586853333/qid=1121362650/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i1_xgl14/102-9166890-4791308?v=glance&s=books&n=507846) or Barnes (http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?userid=JE4JivoBbu&isbn=1586853333&itm=1)
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Cool, We found it and will be picking it up today. My wife liked the idea and read the summery. Now she wants to buy it for nephew too. Real cool book GadgetGeek . Thanks man.