Just curious what was successful or not at your house this Christmas and Hanukkah.

DS's Perplexus has been driving us all crazy, in a good way. DD was excited to get her children's philosophy book, though she complains that some of it is not philosophy (and she's right). The card game Bohnanza has been a huge hit with everyone. The bird trivia game DS got for DD is good in terms of difficulty, but will be "used up" in a week or so because there aren't enough cards, so that one I consider a miss. DD's surprise gift, a keyboard, was a HUGE HIT. We have yet to figure out how to best take advantage of it since she does not want to take lessons, but she really is very interested in composing. But we have time.

DS dropped his favorite book, "The Scrambled States of America" in the toilet a couple months ago so I had to throw it out. He has a new hardcover and was very pleased to get it.

Snap circuits have yet to come out of the box which surprised me, since DD likes our other set.

Dh bought the kids a game "Portal 2" for the PC and that is the new Minecraft, for now. Dh let them play Portal 2 all day yesterday, much to my dismay (Minecraft has been an obsession in our house for several years).


DD really liked her pottery wheel which she asked for, but has yet to produce anything resembling pottery.

They both liked the card game Timeline.

And the game "Spot it" although DS started to get upset because DD was faster than he was (her slow processing speed was definitely not showing up with that game).

travel chess set/learn-to-play book for DD5 - first and only thing she's pulled out so far, unless you count asking a million questions about what makes *my* Thinking Putty work.

hope y'all had great holidays!

So far Lego Friends are the clear winner in our house. Both girls have been putting together Legos since Christmas day and still have a couple more boxes to go. The iPad minis with iTunes cards (from grandparents) would be runner up. Up to this point we have only allowed free apps on their iPods...needless to say Minecraft was the first app to go into the iCloud, with Cut the Rope close behind. I added Stack the States and Duolingo (which is free). Now they are really giving some thought to what else they want to purchase and debating what they can get with the amount they have left.

The other set of grandparents got the girls gift cards to Build A Bear. This was a huge hit while they were in the store picking stuff out, naming them, and dressing them up. They played with them for a while but now they are just sitting there with the other gazillion stuffed animals they have. We are having a stuffed animal purging very soon!

Like Blackcat...they were excited about the Snap Circuits when they opened that present, but it hasn't been touched since then. I think it will be a hit, but I may have to drag them from the Legos to get them to open the box.

DD8 got the first "Olivia Kidney" book and DD9 got "The Phantom Tollbooth". Both girls didn't seemed very thrilled with those when they opened them, so I'd say for now that is a miss. However, I know once they start reading them that will probably change.

Our surprise hit was a cheap microfiber throw for DS5 - he has been carrying it all over the house, including into our bed at 6AM this morning (unusual for him).

DS6 got six different science kits - Disgusting Science, a little biology lab, a chemistry set, crystal growing set, Mind Blowing science and a batch of triops eggs to hatch. These were all from different friends and family members.

He is so excited! He is setting up a laboratory in our basement. The first experiment he thought up is to grow bacteria using the disgusting science kit and then see how it reacts to the chemicals in the chemistry set.

He very seriously told me that he plans to make medicines that fight diseases but that he won't try to make money from his discoveries because helping sick people is very important.

Both boys love their bikes! Ds6- says his bike was "meant for him", "a perfect match".

Ds3 is loving his roller skates and pretend vet clinic.

Ds6 can't stop reading his new books- what's new?

A fail: the rainbow loom. I'm the only one who's made a bracelet.

KJP - that all just warms my cold little heart.

DD9 has rejected the loom and the hook, but has made some stuff out of the rubber bands. I need to show her how to see the videos on Youtube of how to use it - haven't done that yet.

i made a set of colored stuffed felt numbers with little button eyes and arms for math-obsessed DS3...that has gone over better than all the expensive stuff, lol.

...I'm not exactly sure why i bothered buying so much other stuff in the first place!

DD8 is very excited about the Snap Circuits Extreme set she received (she played with Snap Circuits, Jr. until she broke it recently). She also LOVES the Lego Friends sets and has been building them, then rebuilding - complete with a pink and purple Mars Rover ("Mom, look! I can make it Curiosity or Sojourner!").

DS5 is busy staging a battle between the Lego X-Wing Fighter and Tie Fighter.

They have also been working nicely together on a large Global Puzzle. Ah, the sounds (or lack thereof) of busy children...

Hits:

DD loves her teepee and a standing art easel and art supplies. She basically only comes out of her teepee to eat and to draw on the easel. The chalk ink pens seem to be the favorite new art medium.

We also upgraded her bath toys and bathrobes.

The squishy human anatomy model is a huge hit with DD. Her father finds it rather disturbing and I must admit, it's a little creepy (both the object and DD's affection for it).

Misses:

She hasn't played with her Goldilocks and the 3 bears dollhouse. I thought it'd be a big hit but I guess she just isn't a dollhouse person.

Books and clothes do not make good Christmas gifts for DD, at least not yet. She wants to choose her own clothes and she "gets" new books from the library almost everyday so not much excitement there.

Overall, we did well this year. We didn't buy any big toys but got her items that are appropriate to her developmental needs. I also got over the fear that other people might walk into her playroom and think that I'm pushing her to grow up too fast and that helped a lot.

For DS2, expected hits:

- 3 Bruder trucks I bought used off Kijiji for $13 each (they usually retail $80+ apiece, and I bought spare parts to refurbish them).

Unexpected hit: a set of Lego from my parents. I honestly didn't think DS had sufficient dexterity to graduate from using Duplo, but apparently it's no problem for his baby hands.

Miss/not played with yet: a magnetic wand, a prism (was summarily slammed on the kitchen floor, to my chagrin)

He's literally been playing non-stop with these four hit objects.

DS3 loves, loves, loves his bozo the clown bop bag.

Setting it near the stairs and doing a leaping kick/tackle is a favorite move.

DD9 has loved her iPad, telescope, and loom band kit (I made out of a plano box - loaded it up with a bunch of bands) and Legos.

The only gift she seems to be disappointed with is some remote control ball that her grandparents got her that does not seem to work as it should.

I spent much of today organizing DS' new toy acquisitions.

Conclusion: He's more interested in modifying the toys to be something else.

Hit or Miss?

Hit for DD (just turned4): "chokeable" legos (as opposed to Duplo), & coloring pens/pencils (metallic)

misses: everything else. She just wanted the legos.

DD(18 mo) hits: a stackable metal xylophone & everything her sister got

Oooh, please review these as you use them. We have MindBlowing Science (pretty good) but I'd like to get DS some science kits for his upcoming birthday. I ALMOST got the triops kit.


DD asked for books, but I didn't get her any for this reason. No one throw things at me. We are totally out of bookshelf space! And our library is great, and we go there a lot. I will selectively buy favorites or sometimes really popular series (I did buy some Warriors books, which were too hard to get in order at the library when she was obsessing over them). And of course we have lots of classics.

My kids are older, but the biggest hits this year:
- Game called "It Was a Dark and Stormy Night". It is a board game where you are given the first line(s) of a book and have to name the title or author.
- String of Tardis lights for dorm room of the college student.

Being totally free from the whole gift culture is a huge hit with us.

DS 8...I can't tell if they are hits or misses...he had a blast all of the few hours yesterday and few hours today that it took him to put together a 100.00 lego kit (Ninjago) and a smaller $40.00 kit (also Ninjago). And the big kit supposedly came with two instruction books and he either misplaced the second one or it wasn't in the box so he calmly took my iPad and followed the directions from the 2nd book loaded online.

He still has the Lego leaning tower of Pisa to put together from the architecture line.

Both boys appear to like everything they got. DS8 is the only one still getting "toys".

DS7 hit: Robosapiens. I saw him hug it. If only it wasn't so loud! Snap Circuits and Risk, also hits. Football helmet and jersey, big hits.

DS3 hits: All sorts of emergency vehicles.

re: the Rainbow Loom. DS HAD to have it and used his own money to get one a few months ago. We both found it very non-intuitive and frustrating at first. I finally found YouTube video that clicked for me, as it did for him. Since then, he's made several bracelets and rings. I told him about a "meet-up" class being held at our local Michael's store for $5. He said "I would rather save the money and watch the YouTube videos."

This was a gift for me, not DD9, but she and I played Forbidden Desert today, and it was great. Very, very tense - we won, but the outcome was in doubt to the very last card, and we would have lost if it had lasted even one more turn (or if we had not started on Novice for our first game). I recommend this one highly!

DD6 usually gets three gifts, one from Mom, one from Dad & one from Santa. And we all had hits! Snap Circuits, the game Rush Hour & a telescope.

Re. Rainbow Loom - this is the first 'normal' thing that my DD has been into and we got one to help her relate to peers about 3 months ago. It was difficult at first with bands snapping and pegs getting missed. YouTube saved the day, the ability to pause/replay has been a godsend. Another cool thing is that many videos are rated by difficulty. After a couple of advanced patterns were mastered DD grew by leaps and bounds - she now makes bands and charms for others that aren't as handy with it and the other week even designed her own charm that looks like a flower in a pot.

It has turned out to be a great device for building self confidence and resilience. The latter because the frustration when the pattern was almost complete and a band snapped or it was realized that a critical peg had been missed was initially felt with extreme intensity. Her self confidence has improved to the point where she is just takes these setbacks in her stride now. Hopefully some of this will transfer into other spheres.

We got that one too, and have enjoyed it a great deal.

We are also having a Scrabble renaissance, so lots of gifts are on hold while DS11 tries to beat me. He's close.

DeeDee

DS4 hits: Magnatiles, wristwatch, SmartLab Contraption Lab, SmartLab Demolition Lab, Gymnic hop ball, camera and Vtech Velociraptor. I don't think we really have any misses.

Risk also seems to be a big hit. He talked me into playing today... that is one frustrating game, for me, that is... he won, of course.

Our family doesn't really observe Christmas, per se, but we do exchange very minor gifts (stocking-stuffer level stuff, really) just to show appreciation for one another.

DD14's favorite of these items was a Doctor Who watch, but she also got a pair of gloves that actually fits her long and very slender hands, new earbuds, the score for Les Mis, and a pocket knife from a friend. I also made her a (stranded) knit hat, which she likes very much, and got her some new sweatpants for walking/running the dog. Stylish rain boots. Electronics textbook. Carbon paper.

This fall/winter she has also enjoyed an entry level classical guitar, a Dremel tool, and a variable temperature soldering iron with a bunch of pyrography tips. Those things would have been Christmas gifts in another kind of household, I suppose. She also is getting a competition target .22, which is a pretty big deal... but it's not a horse, so we're ahead of the game with something that can be locked up and doesn't eat. LOL.

She did not seem to much appreciate the spritz cookie press or the cookbook that I got her recently. I'm not sure when she plans to learn to cook, but it's clearly not in the present.

Rainbow Loom is more of a hit for me, I believe. At least, I'm the only one making bracelets at the moment. I had to order a whole set of colors, as we started out with only the mixed bag and a bag of (creeper-color) green and a bag of pink. DD7 is interested in it, and she's made a couple of single-strand bracelets on her own with only a bit of help from me in getting it facing the right direction and such, but mostly they both want me to make things. I've made a ladybug one, and several rainbow starburst ones, and a 10-pin dragon-scale cuff for DS11. YouTube is a lifesaver!

KNex rollercoaster kit was a hit until we discovered we were missing some pieces, and now we're waiting for the replacements to arrive.

Minecraft creeper backpacks were a huge hit, as well as everything else Minecraft -- calendars, redstone nightlight, gold pickaxe and sword, etc.

Tablets for both DS11 and DD7 were expected to be a hit, and are being used, but not as much as expected. It doesn't help that the Furby Boom doesn't work with DD's tablet, so she's still hooked to my iPad for that, which also makes the highly-coveted Furby Boom less of an attraction. Sigh.

Spirograph is finally getting some attention from both, but not as big a hit as I wanted it to be. Of course, even I haven't had time to start playing with it, so maybe it will grow on them when I start demonstrating my mad skillz. (Which I've undoubtedly forgotten over the years.)

DD's Spirograph knockoff drove us all crazy. They don't make 'em like they used to.

DD already knew the basic Rainbow Loom concepts, but didn't have the loom. Now she does. The first try of a more complex pattern was...rocky (read: FAIL), but we completed one successfully using the video. She wants to do everything herself, except the especially tricky parts at the end.

Perplexus is still going strong here. DD9 is getting close to mastery. DS5 is not, but he's not doing too poorly, either. I'm doing the worst of anyone. I have no patience!

Another new game, Dutch Blitz, is showing strongly as well, but DS5 is challenged by his hand size and slower motor skills (not that he is motor-challenged--just younger and a bit less coordinated). He's so good at games now that it's surprising to see him finishing last.

The Duolingo and Stack the States apps on the iPad minis are a huge hit with DD9 and although DD8 hasn't gotten into the Duolingo as much, she is blazing through Stack the States. Those two apps have seriously taken over and they have not even touched Minecraft, which is unbelievable. All weekend DD9 begged for screen time so she could learn more Spanish and every once in a while I hear the two girls comparing how many states they now have or one asking the other one if she knows where Bunker Hill or something is at. I don't mind giving them extra screen time when they are so excited about something fun that is also educational.

I know there was at least one previous thread about apps. Guess I need to go back through some older threads so I can see what other apps everyone recommended.

They also got a rubber band loom of some sort and from the looks of the other posts on here, maybe we should try that out.

The one I got is very much like the one I had as a kid, except that it's flimsier. I'm afraid someone is going to break the rings getting them out of the tray. Other than that, it has everything I had in the 1967 version, plus a couple of little doohickeys that I don't recall. It's the Spirograph Deluxe Kit, as opposed to the Spirograph Design Kit which looks similar but doesn't have anywhere near the amount of pieces. The one they were selling last year at Christmas was nothing like either of these and I didn't even bother trying it.

Funny! Which cookie press did you get for her? We had recent frustrations with the Wilton press.

I spoke too soon about the Goldilocks and the Three Bears dollhouse. DD has been playing with it non-stop all day yesterday and today. She has retold that story and many variations of it at least 30 times. Thank goodness she doesn't require an audience because that would drive me crazy. Well worth $30 we spent. We might get the other two sets soon (The Three Little Pigs village and Hansel and Gretel house) so she can have a fairy tale village.

It's the NordicWare version-- entirely ABS, except for the piston components. Seems quite sturdy, and completely intuitive if you've ever used a caulking gun.

I used it Christmas day to make pumpkin spice spritz cookies-- it works great.

DD11 loves her iPad - she's been downloading books and making lyric videos. DS9 is pretty happy with his Wii U, and hasn't taken off his new hoodie and slippers... cozy

Thank you 1frugalmom for mentioning Duolingo. I downloaded that today and my DD and I are competing to learn Spanish, which she is starting in January. It's a great app.
Our DD 12 loves her new ipad which she uses for school. They have electronic texts. We also bought a Livescribe pen to use with it. For someone who has trouble with handwriting and sometimes misses what is said in class we are hoping that will make a difference. She loves her Lego Haunted House too!

Thank you! Ah yes, my lack of recent experience with caulking guns was part of the issue. That said, even when DH applied his more current techniques to said press, it still didn't work quite as well as I'd hoped. Will look up the NordicWare version.

Hits:
Aiden (7) - Snap circuits, Minecraft PC Game, Diary of a wimpy kid, Cluedo board game, diving sticks

Nathan (5) - Snap circuits, Minecraft PC Game, Asterix book, Horrid Henry Books, 1000 Animal Facts book, Triceratops Excavation Kit, Ludo Game, diving sticks

Dylan (2) - kid's umbrella (well it was a hit until it nearly sliced off his thumb yesterday.) New early readers, new story books, new puzzles, wooden garage play set, new Leappad game ( I say new as he has gotten all the hand-me-downs and this is the first time he has received these items new just for him.)

Not yet used - They each got their very own stationery and pencil bags, they are all excited about this! Aiden has not opened his fingerprint kit yet as he says he is keeping it for a special project on crime scene investigation/spy techniques when we get back into learning.

Misses were only things given by extended family. So we are gratefully re-gifting them to a children's home (Aiden's idea) where they will be enjoyed a whole lot more.

We use the end of the year to gift things for the next year as all three birthdays fall around Nov - Jan, so there are still a few things to get that caused great consternation at not being available now. Most notably for Aiden was the missing Algebra book, for Nathan was the missing Chemistry kit and the LEGO WeDo sets that they are all sharing as part of our learning/homeschooling year.

DD11 hit: purple uggs, books, memory foam pillow, sewing kit (she is a 40 year old trapped in a preteen body)

DD11 miss: Wi-Fi printer (hey, she NEEDED it!), rainbow loom (her fine motor skills make it difficult to use anything but the hook)

DS5 hits: Wii Skylanders game (until it scared him three days later), Chester Raccoon and Mario stuffies, hockey jersey

DS5 miss: Wii Skylanders game (see above), various race tracks cluttering up our playroom

Kathleen's mum, your DD needs to come work with my DD9, whose fine motor skills make it difficult for her to use the hook (but she does better with her fingers).

DD5 - likes most of her gifts... rainbow loom, IPAD (loves stack the states and where's my water, but need to find some more apps), American Girl doll (the 18 inch one per DD, Othello, playmobil ambulance (so she has some transportation for hew playmobil people)

DD4
Hits: Lego fire station, puzzles, geode kit, art supplies, books.

Misses: The game operation

DD 11 months
Hits: Scraps of paper, random ribbon, boxes, shape blocks (to put in her mouth) dust.

Misses: Anything that is actually a toy.

I'm wondering if you could comment on how well she's liked the LiveScribe pen-- we're considering one for DD.

DS3 hit: magformers

Oh man, is it time to think about this already? Probably. I'll be looking for great new games for my obsessive game hound--preferably ones that can be played by two and in under an hour. Spelling-based and drawing-based games are out because he's too disadvantaged compared to the rest of us, but anything else is fair game--I haven't yet met a strategy game he can't handle.

FTR, Perplexus was the ultimate Xmas hit for us and we now have Epic as well. Still popular!

Smart Games has some interesting stuff - including "Penguins on Ice" which I can best describe as a 2 dimensional version of Rubik's cube with cute penguins ...