Nov. 27, 2006 - 10 Creative and/or Useful Gift Ideas for Kids for Christmas

  
  10 Gift Ideas for Your Children!

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  If you are like me and DIDN'T camp-out in line for 3 days for
  a Playstation III (not mentioning any names, but I do have some
  crazy friends who did!), you may still be thinking about creative
  and useful things you could give your children for Christmas.

  Here are some ideas I thought of... something for every budget!  :-)

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  1.  LeapFrog Super Saver Teaching Bank - Oh, to be a kid again!
  This would have been on my list.  :-)  From the product info:  "Kids
  set a personal saving goal and with every coin they drop into the
  bank they hear the coin name, value, a fun fact and the total savings
  amount. The goal meter on the animated LCD screen lights up as
  they save their way toward their goal. They learn valuable lessons
  about math, money and even early addition and subtraction."  Here
  is a link to the page where LeapFrog.com has it for sale for $17.99:

  http://www.FamilyClassroom.net/LeapFrogBank.html

  2.  Design your own Lego set! -- If you have a creative and inventive
  child, Lego now offers a customized set based on your OWN design!
  Maybe Dad can design something special to surprise a son... or get
  a 'design your own' gift certificate!  Use this link to find out more:

  http://us.factory.lego.com/

  3.  Letterboxing -- How about putting together a starter kit for
  letterboxing?  All you need is a waterproof container, wood for hand-
  carving a stamp, ink pad, some cardstock paper for making a logbook,
  instructions printed from the internet, and maybe even some local
  clues to get started!  (See the links in this issue's 'Helpful Tip'
  from a reader to learn all about letterboxing!)

  4.  Music! -- Season tickets to the local symphony orchestra make
  GREAT gifts!  My boys and I enjoyed attending the Flint Symphony
  Orchestra all last year.  If you have a group, you can usually get a
  decent discount... and it's fun to sit with friends, so share the idea!

  5.  Knit or Crochet?  Here is what I would include in this kit:
  Lesson coupons from mom, grandma, or a friend, colorful yarns,
  crochet hook or knitting needles, and patterns or instructions
  printed off the internet. 

  6.  Got snow?  How about new sleds!!  Each year our children get
  big, colorful new sleds.  We go for the cheap $10 version and give
  them away to a thrift store or just throw them out in the spring.
  It makes a nice, fairly cheap, BIG present and gets the boys out of
  the house to play faster!

  7.  Feed the Birds -- What about a bird feeder kit?  You can put
  together a big box of peanut butter, seeds, fruit, nuts, popped
  popcorn, etc. and some jars and string.  They can build their own
  birdfeeders!

  8.  Family Recipes -- This would be a delight for an older son or
  daughter.  Type up all your family recipes (invite grandparents and
  other family members to contribute too!) and put them in a laminated
  homemade album.  If possible, include photos of the finished dishes!
  You could have space for future photos and blank pages to add more
  as time goes on, too.

  9.  Do you enjoy writing?  Write and illustrate a story with your child
  as the main character!  This is especially fun for young children and
  much better than the 'canned' type of personalized story you can
  order because YOU created it especially for them.  They will want
  you to read it over and over!  For more inspiration and ideas about
  family writing, visit Jill Novak's wonderful "Gift of Family Writing"
  site.  Her book would make a very THOUGHTFUL gift for your favorite
  homeschooling friend, too!   http://www.giftoffamilywriting.com

  10.  Audio Stories -- When asked by the grandparents what to get
  the kids for Christmas, why not suggest audio stories?  If they want
  to add a personal touch, they could even record stories themselves!

  For some really great audio stories, you can visit BelovedBooks.com!
  Audio books make great gifts because the whole family can listen,
  enjoy, and share the story together... and I've gathered some of the
  best-of-the-best together in my online store. :-)

  Just go to:   http://www.BelovedBooks.com

  Thanks for reading!

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