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Need help with a gift idea..

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by maecuff

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I want to find something for my 10 year old son for Christmas. Something that has NOTHING to do with video games or electronics.

I've already gotten him a few things that he'll like..but I want to find something that will surprise him.

And it has to be between $50 - $80.

Found an electric scooter on sale (okay, it's electronic..so sue me). but they were sold out by the time I got there. I'm not even sure that that's what I'm looking for. I dunno. I've been scouring catalogs, but nothing is blowing my skirt up.

So..how about it? Bring on the suggestions..

138 replies

by road-dog

I read the series even though they are technically kids books and enjoyed them thoroughly. They are a teen-age Sci-fi with enough action and some teenage smartassery to make them interesting.

I disagree with some of the environmental themes which are handled in a preachy way, but still a good read.

I'd recommend getting all 4 because if he likes the first, he'll chew up the rest before school starts again in January.

http://tinyurl.com/6rkn2f

by maecuff

Thank you!

He's reading The Talisman by Stephen King and Peter Straub right now. He is a voracious reader, so this truly is a good suggestion.

James Patterson. The Alex Cross James Patterson?

by notsochiguy

Maybe get him the 7 book set for 'The Dark Tower'...since they are directly related??

Or, for that matter, if he likes comics, maybe the Dark Tower Graphic Novelizations from Marvel.

by tink!

when I read road-dog's suggestion of books, I immediately thought of Stephen King's books Eye of the Dragon and The Talisman.

Both favs of mine when I was about 12.

My 10 year old is a girl [i][edit: oops - she's 11 now][/i], so it's a little different. But she too, likes to read, play video games, etc. We're trying to get her a full drum set.

Which brings me to the musical instrument suggestion - a learner's guitar is not too expensive.

Oh, another good book suggestion is Atherton, by Patrick Carman. There's 2, House of Power and Rivers of Fire. I've read the 1st one, now it's just a matter of getting my daughter to find the second one (thank goodness for school libraries :D ).

Does he like trading cards? My daughter has the binder with refill pages to put her pokemon cards in.

Board games are still a good idea - despite the heavy influence of electronics. My daughter likes Mancala - and it's portable - to take to friends' houses, etc.

Will post back if I get more ideas. Good luck!

by road-dog

I hope they don't butcher the stories. They have good, solid characters figuring out what kind of people they want to be. The action is great and the loyalty between the characters is a good message.

by charliespencer

Always my first choice of Sci-Fi gateway drug.

Terry Pratchett's 'Tiffany Aching' series - 'Wee Free Men', 'Hat Full of Sky', 'Wintersmith'. Discworld-lite for 'tweens'; a young witch discovering her powers and herself. Old-school, British-style witchery, not that 'Charmed' stuff.

by tig2

It's the same James Patterson. http://www.jamespatterson.com/books_max.html

He has a new one out that is supposed to be a great read
about a friend's son fighting a mysterious disease. The
book is "Against Medical Advice". I plan to pick up a copy
to read on the drive to CA.

by dadspad

I know it is more expensive, but it could be a gift that could be given as Christmas and paid for over more time. It would happen over next summer.

I know I would have given body parts at that age for an oportunity like that. :)

Ok, not really my body parts, maybe my younger brother's. :D

by maecuff

I would LOVE to give him that. But that's a bit too much over my budget this year.

by maecuff

But I didn't think to suggest them to him. It took forever for me to convince him to read The Talisman. Now that he is, he loves it.

Dunno what it is about a kid that makes him think his mom doesn't know anything. :)

by michael jay

My 10 year old grandson loves this;
Site has sound, sorry road dog my speakers were off.

http://www.vampirates.co.uk/

by maecuff

of Buffy and Angel, so I'm sure he'd like these as well.

Man! I should have started this thread a week ago when I first started fretting about what to get him..

by notsochiguy

Usually, knowing areas of interest will help greatly in determining a gift.

For $50-80, you could get a cheap punching bag or target mitts and bag gloves. Baseball mitt, bat and ball. Skateboard. Backboard to hang onto garage + ball. Introductory martial arts lessons.

I saw in a different post that he does own a guitar, but doesn't know how to play. Guitar lessons would be a good gift, assuming he would be receptive.

If you get a good sale, you could squeeze in an entry level telescope in that price range.

If he has an interest in comics, you could try hunting down some older comics (for instance, I have a young brother-in-law that was grossly misinformed as to the true origin of Spider-man's black symbiote suit...I ordered him up 'Secret Wars' and it went over very well) and/or collectible figures (my niece and daughter have taken to 'Birds of Prey', so Huntress and Black Canary figures are in route now).

You could also use the money to buy a bunch of penny stocks; to use it as a lesson on the current economy.

by maecuff

He doesn't play. Just poses for pictures. :) but he DOES look good.

I'll have to check out Mancala. He likes board games. He's used to collect pokemon cards, but has kind of let that go by the wayside.

thanks for the ideas!

by jdclyde

I can get some links from ThingOne that has the tabliture for just about any style of music. A lot easier to get started if he doesnt' have to learn to read sheet music off the bat.

Does he have any effects for it? A simple distortion peddle can be picked up around the $80 if you catch the sales.

http://www.jr.com/boss/pe/BSS_MT2/

http://guitars.musiciansfriend.com/product/DigiTech-Grunge-Distortion-Effects-Pedal?sku=150834&src=3WFRWXX&ZYXSEM=0&CAWELAID=26018398

echos are fun as well.

http://www.1001hitech.com/bedddidepe.html

Has he ever considered the school band? Once you learn an instrument, the rest come fairly easy, just like getting past your first computer application.

by maecuff

They don't offer than until grade 6, so he has to wait until next year.

Randy has multiple effects peddles, so Joey could always use them. Maybe I'll see if he'd be open to taking some lessons.

by tink!

those RC dragonflies and helicopters they have now are pretty cool. My daughter has the dragonfly and it takes some practice to do maneuvers, but it actually does fly pretty well!

by road-dog

A buddy got one for himself and an "adult" sister for Christmas. We broke out his early and annoyed the cat for hours. It made the Iron Bowl debacle a little less horrible.

Shame to see a cool toy like that wasted on a kid, though....

by charliespencer

If he has any interest in the outdoors at all, you can get an inexpensive bird feeder, a regional field guide, and cheap binoculars, stay within your price range, and have plenty left over for bird seed.

Don't go to a bird feeding specialty store for this; they're good but are going to charge more than is justifiable for a beginning birder. You can get the seed and feeder at the hardware store, the guide at the big box book retailer, and *-mart (Wal or K) has beginner binos under $35.

You can also get a starter aquarium set-up for this range of money. In this case I would go to a specialty aquarium store instead of big box; the level of assistance offered to newbies is worth the extra 10 - 20%

by maecuff

He has a 20 gal tank in his room already. With fish. And another 10 gal tank with a leopard gecko in it.

My husband is in to the birds. We have many feeders in the back yard. maybe I'll get HIM the binoculars and a field guide, though. That's a good idea.

What does the little one like? He LIKES playing video games. And I know he WANTS video games, video game equipment..blah blah blah.. I want something else for him. I've already had to ban the games during the school week as we had some 'homework issues' at the beginning of the year.

Thanks for the suggestions!

by charliespencer

I highly recommend the Sibley field guide to eastern U.S. birds. I have one myself, chosen after several hours reviewing the options.

by michael jay

Just looking at a Target mail add and saw a board game called Blokus, looks kinda cool.
http://www.blokus.com/en/regles_plateau.html

by tony hopkinson

Get's him outside, makes loads of friends to play and you can spend some quality time and supervise as an umpire.

You may need to explain the game to him though.

Seriously you can always find a toy a kid can play with by themselves, they learn more when they play with others though.

by jdclyde

you can get a nice starter kit for 50/80. Small tackle box, a few lures, and a rod.

Depending on what is in the area, an ultralite is a good choice to start with. I got "uglystick" rods for the boys.

$60 will get a starter [b]skateboard[/b], but get it from a skate/bike shop, not the crap they sell in the department stores. They don't hold up.

Can't get a bike, but you could get a set of rollerblades for around the $80. Don't go to fancy as he will only get one year out of them before out-growing them.

Does he like music? If he is interested in playing, a good starter is a drum practice pad. With stand, around $44.
http://www.activemusician.com/Drum-Practice-Pads--c1289
Has about the same "feel" as a drum, but not the volume. They are fairly quiet. (no electricity! :D )

by maecuff

I'm sure he'd like that.

He does like to fish. He used to fish with his grandma before she died. He got all her fishing gear, so he's set there. He really didn't go fishing this year as it made him sad. I'm hoping he'll be ready for it in the Spring. Something him and his big brother can do together.

by charliespencer

If you get the skate board or blades, don't forget the helmet. A reputable shop will insist on it; if they don't, go somewhere else. Elbow and knee pads too.

by jdclyde

Got to have your hat on.

The Things are 16, but still know they can go to the skate park anytime they want, as long as they wear their hat. I caught them ONCE, and they lost the boards for the rest of the summer. They know I am very serious about it.

Also, make sure it is a helmet for skating/boarding, not a bike helmet. Bike helmets don't protect the back of the head/neck.

by tink!

wish I had known of this a year ago. We bought my daughter her starter kit for like $300. Course it had a set of "bells" (small xylophone) along with the drum practice pad, but still...$300.

[i]Thanks for the link - we are still looking for a full drum set.[/i]

by maecuff

I DO appreciate the suggestion.

But being the liberal pinko commie that I am, I'm gonna have to say NO to that one. :)

by hal 9000

With the Target Logo on both Front & Back to be used in conjunction with Mum and her Shot Gun?

Not in any way related to Electronics, massive enthusiasm invoked to get super fit and improve hiding skills to stay alive run extremely fast and never go near computer games again. Stationary Targets are easier to get. :D

Even encourages him to move out of home and give Mum & Dad a break from him. Great thing that. :^0

Tell him if he survives eventually he will have his own Shotgun to do the same thing to the younger sibling or his own children. Works every time. :p

Col

by jdclyde

What I did to make life simpler on ME was to buy it on DVD. That way we didn't have to "make sure we were home in time for the show".... :0

Nothing is as loathsome as scheduling your day around when something is on TV.... X-(

by maecuff

Did you know you can get a big Christmas blow up of the leg lamp for your front yard?

I'm not one to decorate outside for Christmas, but that is one I would consider.

by charliespencer

Google Maps doesn't have any results for 'whereabouts, Ohio' (web-based applications suck!), but if it's near Cleveland, Cincy, or Pittsburgh you can get some nose-bleed sports tickets for bit more than your budget. At age ten, he's going to be excited just to be going and not overly concerned about the view of the field / court / track. Triple-A baseball and non-Sprint Cup auto races are a great entertainment bargain, but basketball is going to be your only winter option.

by charliespencer

The team here charged less than $25 for rink-side. Good seats were less than $20; you could all go and still have money for hot dogs. Regardless of the league level, check the team's web site for discounts and 'give away' nights.

I find discussions like this serve more to remind me of gifts I already knew about but had forgotten, more than they inspire completely new ideas.

by jdclyde

The earlier you start, the quicker you pick it up.

and the babes LOVE a guitar player.... B-)

by cupcake

... he was WAY into Lego's. Still is, he's 13 now. You can get some great sets for your budget. And there fun for Mom and Dad too. Once, the two of us built a whole town - complete with a zoo - over a holiday break.

Another thing my son loves is a telescope. We got one for a decent price that has a built in star finder. Another great bonding opportunity.

We've also done photography (digital cameras are way cheap now), and edit the pics on the computer. We've actually begun to play with making short movies (he has one on youtube) when I got him a great stop-action software title. He made the movie with lego guys!

BTW, I admire the tact of shifting away from electronics or video games. Until my son turned 13, we had a rule that no violent toys and they had to run on boy-power (no battery powered or electronic games). The only exception was his computer and games, which were mostly educational.

It's a challenge, but worth it!

by jdclyde

remember, it is cold inside to keep the ice frozen.

And big tip, eat BEFORE you go in. To just snack isn't bad, but to have a "meal" would cost more than your ticket to get in.

And the players often are trying harder at the lower levels, because they are trying to make a name for themselves.

Our schools even do hockey night, and a whole section is our school. lots of fun for the kids.

by jdclyde

http://www.redriderleglamps.com/

You to can be the proud owner of a leg lamp.... :D

by michael jay

The movie is one thing, but an inflatable anything in the yard is just not gonna happen on my watch.

by tink!

The band starts at 5th grade, but I think they offer lessons for lower grades.

Nice thing with the band is, they don't expect kids to already be proficient in their instruments. Pretty much everyone is a beginner. My daughter started lessons the same year she started band. (We were hoping she'd go with the trumpet - her 2nd choice - but her heart was set on drums. The school normally tries to "encourage" fewer percussionists because they usually have a ton of kids who want to do that. Lucky for her - at the time of signup she was the only one. Now mom and dad have to figure out what corner of the house to stick her and her drums. :) )

If your band doesn't start til 6th grade I'd hope they'd be the same way, and teach the kids as they go. :)

by michael jay

Had not seen it before, looks like a grandkid present coming up.

http://www.knex.com/club/knexpert_vote.php

by tink!

Love Madeline L'Engle. Although I was rather confused with a Wrinkle in Time for a while. Course, I think I read that at like age 8 or 9.

That 'Tiffany Aching' series intrigues me. Will have to check it out. :)

Narnia Chronicles.
Dragons of Pern

by jdclyde

but here goes.

Anyone read "the great brain" books?

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/The-Great-Brain/John-D-Fitzgerald/e/9780142400586/?itm=1

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/The-Great-Brain/John-D-Fitzgerald/e/9780803725904/?itm=9

These would be right up his alley.

My boys also loved the Dragon riders of Pern. As they grew up, they always referred to my dragon tat as "Ruth", even though it is red instead of white.

by tink!

My brother had most of the Great Brain books. I loved them! (I snuck into his room and read his books).

Those were such fun. Especially when the younger brother finally gets his moment. :)

by tig2

If yes, go to the nearest Blicks and load up a cart. There
are always art/craft related toys that I want.

I think you also mentioned that he's into music. Get him
a recorder (flute) and a how to book. Set him off to learn.
If the kid is anything like his mother, he'll be playing
perfectly in no time. Incidentally, it doesn't have to be a
recorder. I just chose that because they are relatively
inexpensive as instruments go.

Any time I want to buy a gift for a child, I head for a store
called The Learning Tree and get them to point me to age
appropriate toys for the personality of the kid I'm buying
for.

by tink!

All my kids learned to play those. Apparently it's curriculum for their elementary music classes.

If he would rather have something a bit more sophisticated than a recorder (they kind of have a negative connotation) get a tin whistle (Irish whistle). Same concept, better rep.

by jdclyde

But if he has a head start, it will be more fun because he will be the one to shine.

First chair is a big deal.

My boys never worked at it hard enough to get more than second.

When he gets to high school, if he is also playing the guitar, he can check if they have a jazz band. That is where the cool kats hang! B-)

by gsg

Think Geek has a science section. There are kits to build trebuchet. That'd be great to build with dad, then have a war, or for $70, there's a hydrodynamic building set. You build this set that moves colored water around.

Otherwise, building sets from the toy store. Remember the old erector sets?

Edited to add: If only I had a desktop trebuchet... I can only dream.

by tink!

A microscope set is cool too.

My daughter got one that came with the little brine shrimp. (I had one as a kid too)

Lots of fun for the curious kid.

by tig2

I have that one as well and like it for its completeness.

There are a bunch out there to choose from. My
recommendation is that you not limit yourself to the big
box book retailers to find the right thing. I found Barnes
and Nobel limited in their selection. Amazon was much
better.

You can generally find good titles at a specialty shop for
birders and then order the book you like best on line.
Cheaper that way.

by tink!

some kids know how to shoot at quite a young age. They had a round just for kids at the Turkey Shoot. Some had to be about 9 years old!

My daughter wants a bow. I told her when she's sixteen...that's how long I had to wait for mine!

by jdclyde

when will the cycle of abuse end? :0

Not sure what your local laws are, but in Michigan she could start hunting with a bow at age 12.

The key to that, she should know how to shoot it well long before she even starts to think about using it for anything.

Just make her take a hunters safety course before she can have it. That, and don't give her the broadheads till she needs them.

Be a good mom and take her out shooting! :D

by the scummy one

was in Scouts -- I think I was 8 or 9. We had an archery range and rangemaster/instructor.

I got my badge for it :D

by jdclyde

Same here, back in the daze of being a cubbymonster.

Later, Dad got into shooting the bow (to fish with) so I started with him.

I dropped out of it for over a decade until the boys were almost old enough to go hunting.

Had to laugh at ThingOne. He and his brother got nice fancy compounds, while I was using my trusty recurve. ThingTwo shot, and the arrow went a few inches into the target (foam). ThingOne shot and it went twice as far in (he is bigger than his twin brother. Dad gets up with the low tech recurve and puts the arrow right through the target.... B-)

Poundage, not pulleys, gives power. He started working out after that so we could up his poundage...... ;\

by shellbot

when i started shooting bow.
Man, used to love it..wasn't so bad at it either..
A couple years back we did this stupid "team building" thing in work and it was outdoorsy stuff.. so when it got to the archery bit i thought heck..its been sooooo long, no way i'll even get close.. surprised myself, AND everyone else when i centered 3/5 right off the bat.. gave myself some aweful bruises on my wrist..geez

by Tammy.Cavadias

..but when mine were around that age - I made them a book - it was filled with coupons that they really enjoyed - Get out of chore day - do anything with Mom day - Don't have to eat my Veggie day, Play hookie from school day, etc.... In between the coupons I also put in notes that told them each what I loved about them and even included pictures.

Was more of a stocking stuffer than an actual gift - it was free outside the paper to make it and the kids enjoyed it - they each still have their books, though the coupons are now long gone.

Everyone else has some wonderful suggestions - I'm not sure what else to add - mine are all so much into either Music (guitars, amps, keyboards) or Video games (not just playing but trying to create their own). For my youngest I plan to get him a Flip Video since he's into creating videos on his computer using robotics (course he turned 15 as of today)

-Tammy :-)

by the scummy one

because I would copy a few of each and then use a few 'extra' ones while convincing my mom that it was one of my brothers that used theirs. :D

by jdclyde

unfortunately it never seemed to work out when you try to use it..... B-)

I guess moms are nicer than wives, huh? :p

by Tammy.Cavadias

as each had their own colors (same as they each had/have their own colored hangers/towels/etc..).. but it sure was worth a try :D

-Tammy :-)

by jellimonsta

My wife and I have done the coupon books for a number of years now. Before we had the house and kids it was keyboard, computers, clothes. Now... coupon book, bag of M&M's and a CD if you're lucky! :p :)

by Tammy.Cavadias

.. never gave Hubby a coupon book - but I have given him a jar full of Hersey kisses where I unwrapped each one, took out that little strip of paper and replaced each one with my own "notes" :D

-Tammy :-)

by shellbot

now thats commitment..
i wouldn't have the patience for that :)

i hope the jar wasn't too big ]:)

by the scummy one

entirely too much time. Maybe I need to start posting some objectionable things to give you something to do :0

by captbilly1eye

I couldn't wait for Christmas and went out and bought myself an early gift of Left 4 Dead. ...been havin' a blast shootin' zombies online ever since!
I then promptly replaced it with FallOut3 on my Christmas Wish List.
:)

If he's at all into PC games, get him Left 4 Dead along with a decent headset with a mic for hours & hours of stress-relieving fun.

Plus... just think of all the private quiet time it'll give you.
;-)

by maecuff

too much.

I want to get him interested in other things as well. He does read a lot and that's good, but I want him to expand a bit more.

Besides, since the ban on video games during the week took place, he needs SOMETHING to occupy his time. :)

And no, I'm not a mean mom. This kid starting reading when he was 3 years old. He's an extremely bright and gifted child. His first interim report this year had him FAILING reading. He freely admitted that it was because he was playing games and not being completely honest about getting his homework done. So..away went the games. And really, it wasn't a punishment. It just needed to be done.

errr...have I justified my actions enough? :)

by captbilly1eye

I guess I shoulda read your original post more carefully. I thought you were looking for something for the hubby.

My bad. Chalk it up to being early in the morning after a night of quelling the Zombie apocalypse.
:)

Now that I have a clearer picture... is he into music? Got an iPod? What about a digital camera? or a new printer?

by jdclyde

I have changed how I deal with computer and xbox time.

They are not something I will punish you with by taking away, but rather they are a privilege you have not earned.

I then made my expectations clear how they can earn the privilege to use the computes, xbox and even to watch tv. I do not make ANY distinction between the three, and add the total time from all three and try to limit that.

ThingTwo recently lost the privilege to all three for a week.

by jdclyde

Did ya tell the macho guys that you are part elf? :D

How did they take getting beat by "a girl"? :^0

We had something like that with one of the cross country parents. To hunt on the property for her husbands work, you have to take a shooting test, but it has always been a "guys club".

They were giving her crap about girls can't shoot, don't want girls out there, blahblahblah. They didn't know that she and her family shoot competition with the bow..... She smoked them hard.... B-)

Chicks that shoot bow ROCK! :x

by maecuff

I already got him an mp3 player for Christmas. This kid has a taste in music that I find to be more sophisticated than most adults I know.

His dad has a very nice digital camara that the he (my son) uses. We've been trying to encourage him to be creative with it. He's somewhat receptive.

Actually, I do need help with suggestions for my husband as well. He wants to start doing podcasts, so I want to get him the equipment he needs for that. Err..starter equipment, not real high end stuff. We just bought a house and we're poor this Christmas. :)

by tink!

my girl. The middle daughter (11 years old).
She's into all the same stuff. Music (has MP3 player), guitar - doesn't play it, video games, reading, and most of all - she's had a bit of a problem with homework this year. Which is disappointing because she's the "good student" of our three. Her older sister is showing her up this year!

by jdclyde

http://www.blow-gun.com/storefront/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=TZSI&Category_Code=Black_Widow

by hal 9000

Buy him the T Shirt and your self that Shot Gun. I know a guy with a 20 Gage and a Sniper Scope which I find kind of confusing. As you just point it in the general direction and pull the trigger you'll hit whatever it was that you wanted to remove off the face of the Planet.

But as JD suggested above maybe start off with a Air Rifle and work up as his fitness improves to something like I don't know how about a 50 MM Machine Gun?

OH and Mae how is your [b]Shovel Throwing[/b] after all a Target is a Target. :D

See it works. :p

Just a word of warning here though when looking at Firearms don't ask the guy behind the counter where the Antidepressants are. They act all funny when you do that. :0

Col

by jdclyde

While purchasing that firearm or even that ammunition, try to avoid crying, laughing real hard over nothing, or talking to yourself...... ;\

by the scummy one

with a bow were a bit over 10 years ago. It was a compound bow (in scouts it was a recurve). The arrow went completely through the target/haystack and stuck into the cliff side behind it. :D

by the scummy one

hit my throat, I realized that yes, it can wake you up before it gets to the bloodstream.
When coffee is too hot to drink, it can wake one up a bit :0

by maecuff

to stick with my 'no gun' policy.

Although, my husband has been bringing up the option of getting a shotgun. I just really don't want a gun in the house. If we were in the middle of nowhere, I might consider it. Or if we lived in a bad part of town, but we don't.