Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums General Discussion Christmas/holiday gifts (2014 redux)

Just thought it would be fun to get the ball rolling with plans for Christmas/holiday gifts. The following is a list of gifts for DS3 that we are aiming to complete with grandparents' help:

1. Magformers kits: small and large -- bought

2. Robot turtles programming game -- bought

3. Kanoodle puzzle -- bought

4. Haynes internal combustion engine model kit <-- DH recommends saving for a later year.

5. Skeletons in the closet game <-- DH recommends saving for a later year.

6. True to life human xrays

7. Mini human anatomical model <--maybe. I can see him loving it for a day, then abandoning it. I'm on the fence.

8. A few simple card games

9. A slinky (for some reason, he loves doing experiments with one my in-laws own)

10. Some books, particularly this one on how machines work -- bought a few "We Both Read" titles, more to come. I have an unquenchable children's literature habit.

11. Funky pajamas

12. A Notre Dame toque (DH is an Irish fanatic)

13. Urinalysis test strips. <-- this sounds random, but I think this might be how I successfully motivate DS to toilet train. At the very least, he'll be able to tell stories about that time he received urinalysis strips in his stocking when he was 3...!

14. A tinkering mechanic's kit

FYI for Canadians: Indigo has a 20% off sale through Nov 5 on toys, but Legos sadly aren't included.

So far:

DS7
Metal detector
Shark tooth science kit
Lego

DD9
Origami kit
zip line kit for back yard
books

I saw the following at Costco some time ago, that your DS might like, if he's into anatomy: something like a big board book with clear plastic pages, each of which has a different human anatomical system. E.g., the first page is the skin/hair/nails/outside, then a page with musculature, a page with the nervous system, etc., down to the last page, with the skeleton. He might get more out of that than a model with no additional information on it. I think it's called Uncover the Human Body.

currently:
DS4
- LEGO sets (some bigger sets and some tiny ones for stocking - his current obsession)
- Dino globonz set
- Archiquest Empire State Building set (he is into NYC, thanks to Balto and Cricket in Times Square)
- Olaf plush toy for stocking

DD2
- handmade baby doll
- a set of cute "teeny tiny" soft dolls for stocking
- jigsaw puzzles in purses (she asked for pink puzzles, sigh)
- cute summer butterfly/bug tin tea set
- (on the fence) pretend play table set for doll(s) -> my concern is "choking hazard" issue, so I may save it for her birthday
- (and yes, I am caving to her princess craze) one pink duplo set of her favorite "princess"

and I am stocking up wooden toy paint sets and art stuff for rainy and home days for both kids, and bunch of Magic School Bus science kits to try for the holidays when school is out for DS and on rainy days. DS loves, loves Magic School Bus books so I am curious to try these out. And I saw over the weekend on zulily a bunch of national geographic books (early readers and such) that I ended up ordering too.

Ditto!

I am in the STEM field, and started to learn how to dress more femininely in my early 30s. However, DD3 is all about princess, pink, pretty, etc.

I am a little overwhelmed about all the girliness.

Let me know how the kits go over! DS loves MSB books.

If you like the Nat Geo early readers, the series is featured prominently in the Reading Rainbow app. If you're interested, I'd recommend a one-month membership for $10 first to determine whether the collection is sufficiently interesting to merit the $50 or $60 annual membership.

Thanks aeh! Great tip! I'm going to look into that.

Is this the edition you saw?
http://www.amazon.com/Uncover-Human-Body-An-Book/dp/1571457895

In case it helps, DS4 loves item #2 on original list. We have two copies of Robot Turtles from the Kickstarter (we gave away the other 2 we got.) The challenge is quite variable and can be made hard enough to even challenge adults (a big puzzle where you have to lay out all of the instructions at once, with a time limit

I'll mention that Skeletons in the Closet got two plays out of it when DS was 4. Once he had names on all the bones and built a skeleton, the game play ended up a bit unengaging.

So far all we have is DS8 vs. "learning to ride a bicycle" round deux.

Gracious, I haven't bought anything yet. But I do think DS is getting HIve, Settlers of Catan, and Qbitz. Building toys still happen every Xmas here, too, and I'm thinking of Zoob this year. DD wants a really great set of colored pencils...otherwise, IDK. Have also considered a slackline.