5 to 9 Year Old Gift Ideas?

[No-Halo]

If they live in town Hawk I suggest handguns...:)

[Wayward]

Okay folkses, I have these super intelligent 5 to 9 year old grandchildren (boys and girls) I need to get Christmas gifts. It seems they already have everything and I'm at a loss this year for the first time. In the pasts, I've tried to combine educational with fun.

Many of you are prolly facing the same dilemma. Got any fresh ideas?

BTW: need to cap the costs to $200 per child.
Well, I blew my best shot by sending you to Main Street Books last year. :)

Side note: At a recent book signing at Main Street Books I talked with Laurie Parker, the author of The Turtle Saver and some other pretty neat children's books. Very nice lady ...

Does Hawkangle still pick her copy from time to time? My eight year old grand-little-one pulled it out for bedtime reading the other night. She told me she's starting to "get the story" a little better ... now that she's "not a little girl" anymore. :)

[zorro]

Okay folkses, I have these super intelligent 5 to 9 year old grandchildren (boys and girls) I need to get Christmas gifts. . . . Got any fresh ideas?

BTW: need to cap the costs to $200 per child.
Digital camera for the older ones if they seem to have an interest in photography. A very good pair of binoculars if the older ones like to observe birds or wildlife. Or a nice chess set with a few chess books if they want to become fascinated with the king of board games (if interested, PM me for suggestions). It is best to learn chess at an early age. It can become a lifetime love.

[Blondie]

This may be stupid, but my 2nd grader loves coffee (don't even ask). I let her drink the sugar free caffeine free instant Swiss Mocha and she also loves hot chocolate. Anyway, I saw a hot chocolate maker (like a coffee pot) and you add the milk and chocolate or whatever and it mixes it up and heats it. I bought one for my daughter along with a hot chocolate cookbook. She's a little foodie, so I know she will love having her own hot chocolate maker. She loves Rachel Ray, so for her b-day I got her Rachel Ray's cookbook. She likes to cook with me plus it helps her with math and science.

Another idea is a guitar if they are interested in music. That's one thing we got the older daughter this Christmas. She loves music (she's in the band) and she had a cheap guitar. Found a good acoustic one for her at a really decent price. A few years ago we got her an electric one with an amp that we found at a pawn shop that was in really good shape. You may piss off the parents buying this, but our daughter really likes it. Plus it's something she can have for a long time. She is in the youth praise band at our church. It's really come in handy.

I agree, chess set would be good. My husband is teaching our kids to play it now. That's a good idea.

This may be another stupid idea, but I love getting magazine subscriptions as gifts and give them as gifts. If any of them like any magazines, you could give them that as one of their gifts. It's a gift that keeps on giving the entire year.

[fuzzis]

$200 per child? Holy crap. Where does one go but up? Criminey.

If you're spending that kinda money, I like the idea of the digi cam as well.

fuzzis

[Conveyor Belt]

how about a reptile pet if you have a boy to buy for. I'm suprised at how easy it is to care for them, and you just throw some crickets in every day or so and they're happy...

My kid is animal facinated... I'm thinking about getting him a scorpion for Christmas and he's 4.

[Blondie]

With my kids, quanitity is better than quality since they are still young. Had some drama with tears when they counted the presents under the tree and one only had 3 and the other ones had 5 or 6. We spend $400/child. We don't buy big things except Christmas, so it's a big deal. My kids enjoy picking out gifts for everyone. I know it's making Christmas commercial, but my husband was really poor growing up and he doesn't want his kids to feel like he did when he was little.

My parents get them a few $10-15 gifts (books, CDs, and movies). They probably spend about $50 per kid.

And one more idea, which I know you want a big nice gift, but gift cards to The Grande is good. Got my older daughter one of those. She goes to the movies all of the time.

Ok, I'll quit with the ideas. With 4 kids ranging from 6-18 in age, I have quite a long list of gift ideas, especially since they all have different interests.

[fuzzis]

Well, that's like a tops limit. Would, of course, be happy to get by with less. I am leaning toward a starter digi video cam for one, designed for rugged child use. I've found one for less than $100.

My friend and I split the cost of a starter digi cam for her small fuzz. Chloe is 3 1/2, and we found a Fischer Price PINK (most important) digi cam for $60, so that's Chloe's present from Auntie, Mommy, and Daddy.

fuzzis

[No-Halo]

With 4 kids ranging from 6-18 in age, I have quite a long list of gift ideas, especially since they all have different interests.

Ok Blondie you know what causes this right?? :)

[Astra]

Well, that's like a tops limit. Would, of course, be happy to get by with less. I am leaning toward a starter digi video cam for one, designed for rugged child use. I've found one for less than $100.
Rather than get them a "kid" camera, I would invest in a cheaper Canon or Kodak. The kiddie cameras often have lousy software and low resolutions, making them frustrating to use. I would look in the 4-megapixel range - you should find some good quality cameras well within your budget.

[Astra]

how about a reptile pet if you have a boy to buy for. I'm suprised at how easy it is to care for them, and you just throw some crickets in every day or so and they're happy...

My kid is animal facinated... I'm thinking about getting him a scorpion for Christmas and he's 4.
Hey, girls dig the reptiles, too!

Ant farms can be fun for older kids who know better than to do things like pour them out on the living room floor. ThinkGeek has a cool new one that uses a gel medium instead of sand. You can see it here (http://www.thinkgeek.com/geektoys/science/6fd6/).

One of my favorite gifts when I was that age was a Tasco telescope and microscope. Fun AND educational. If I were still a kid (in the way of not getting to play with the real stuff), I'd kill for some of the Discovery Channel and CSI-branded science kits. They have them for everything now, from DNA to facial reconstruction to general chemistry and forensics.

[Blondie]

Ok Blondie you know what causes this right?? :)

I think I know where you are going with this, but I'm not sure. Are you saying they have different daddys?

[No-Halo]

I think I know where you are going with this, but I'm not sure. Are you saying they have different daddys?
Nooooooooooooooo Blondie.
Switch to PM and I'll tell ya...lol

[Astra]

I'm wanting him to use video. Might allow me a peek into his head, better.
Ohh, ok. In that case, just be sure when you are looking at the cameras that they can function on batteries. A few years ago my parents were looking for one for my sister and all the "kid video cameras" that were being advertised had to be plugged into a TV or PC to operate. Kind of makes them pointless for any creativity more than 6 feet away :smt102

[Ande']

On the "animal" line of things, FISH have been brought up quite a bit the last few weeks or so.
Playdoh is at the top of the list as well as art stuff.

[Tully Mars]

One of my favorite sites this Christmas has been www.gifts.com (http://www.gifts.com). I haven't bought anything through the site but it has helped a lot in figuring out what to buy.

You can refine your search based on age, gender, interests, etc.

Give it a shot Hawk, it may help give you some ideas.

There is some cool stuff here. (http://www.gifts.com/recipients/child-boy/educational-toys/ohMr3a847icp?page=-1&sort=&featuredidea=)