Archive for the ‘Kids’ Category

Dan: One of my favorite toys growing up was a pretend tool kit that my mom gave me one year during the holidays.  Eventually I grew out of the set, but when I was younger, the safer and less dependable tools sparked my imagination.  Not only did the tool kit provide me with the tools I needed but even some materials in which I could meld with the tools.  Fake wood and fake metal would bend and tear allowing me to create things with the tools.  I clearly remember building a model town; it had two log cabins, a school, and a hospital, and I used a green bead spread as the grass.

An imaginary tool kit is an absolutely wonderful gift for a child.  Not only is it safe, but it allows your kids to use their imaginations at a young age, and teaches them about real tools that could be dangerous.  So I say let your child/children immerse themselves in a gift that teaches and not one that only occupies their time.

Grace: This gift idea makes me want to be a kid again!  Although I never had a tool set as a kid, I did have a kitchen set complete with various plastic foods, and I remember it being so much to play with.  It would keep my occupied for hours on end and I remember always inviting my friends over and we’d play with it together.  I would highly recommend buying something like this as a gift for a child because it was such an integral part of my childhood.  As Dan said, it not only keeps kids entertained for hours on end, it also promotes creativity and imagination.

Grace: Even though I’m a math major, I decided this semester that I needed to take something completely different, so I signed up for a painting class.  I used to paint when I was much younger, but I forgot how much fun and how relaxing painting could be.  A great gift idea for someone would be a painting kit.

I remember getting my first watercolor kit when I was still in elementary school and it was such a fun and creative gift!  I used to paint with it all the time and I even used it in high school for school projects.  The nice thing about watercolor is that they aren’t particularly difficult to clean.  A little bit of paint goes a long way with these, so even though I received my set as a gift when I was younger, I still had plenty of paint years later.

For someone who is older, I would recommend an oil paint kit as a unique gift.  I love painting with oils because you can go over them and change your painting if you don’t like it, unlike painting with watercolors.  However, the paints themselves and the paint thinner or turpentine used are all toxic, so this isn’t something I would recommend giving to a young child.  Not to mention, oils stain clothes and skin.

Dan: Unfortunately, I have never been artistically gifted and cannot draw or paint beyond the skill of an elementary school child.  On the other hand, my older sister was/is very into painting and drawing; her artwork is scattered all over our house.  She received a painting kit from parents years ago and she still uses it to this day.  If you really want to express yourself through paint I recommend getting a quality painting kit.  If you know someone artistic or someone who wants to start painting this is a wonderful gift!

Dan: I had an umbrella but I lost it over a year ago.  Today it was raining and I was sitting in class feeling like I just took a swim in the ocean.  If anyone has been in class soaking wet before because they had to walk in the rain, than you know how I feel.  I have a raincoat but it just does not quite do the job like a trusty umbrella would.  A great gift someone could give to me…cough cough…just kidding…would be an umbrella.

Some people may be thinking that an umbrella would not make a great gift.  However, if you know someone that really needs one or has one that does not work very well an umbrella would be a great gift idea.  Not all umbrellas are made equally and the quality range is quite drastic.  Many umbrellas under the $40 limit can be quite flimsy and have too small a diameter.  Therefore, spending a good amount of money on an umbrella is definitely worth the effort.  Not only will you or someone else be drier in the end, but that umbrella will not have to be replaced anytime soon.

Grace: I absolutely hate getting rained on, so having an umbrella is an absolute necessity for me.  There are a lot of really cute umbrellas these days to choose from too.  I definitely agree with Dan on spending a little bit of money on an umbrella because I have had multiple cheap umbrellas that either fall apart, or during heavy rains, the umbrella fails completely and the water drips through.  I really enjoy this gift idea!

Dan: Hi everyone! I just spent the weekend in West Philadelphia helping my sister move into a new apartment. I now return to you with a new gift idea! A lot of people today (at least in the United States) get around in the car. However, if you live in a congested area like my sister does, it costs an arm and a leg to even get a parking space in a garage. Pretty much said, my sister has no good use for having a car. Sometimes this can be a hassle for her since she cannot easily escape the city whenever she wants to. Luckily, there are options for her to get around the city more quickly than just walking.

A great gift idea for her, and many other city dwellers, would be a bicycle. Not only a bike, but long boards, unicycles, etc are also great transportation gift ideas. The bike does not have to be the greatest made, but there are specifications to consider. Different bikes are designed to handle different conditions. You may assume that a “road bike” is the best gift choice for someone like my sister because she is located in a concrete jungle. However, knowing my sister, she may not be comfortable sharing the road with ruckus drivers. Therefore, I would probably get her a mountain bike or combination bike that features road bike comfort and thicker, more sturdy tires and tubes allowing her to venture onto the sidewalk.

I would personally recommend a combination bike because they usually work for most types of terrain no matter your location. They also usually have a wide array of different gears unlike certain “recreational” combination bikes found around beach communities. Give the gift of exercise and transportation! I would personally recommend Schwinn bikes due to my previous experience with them and their durability.

Grace: Dan, this is a really great gift idea! At school there is really no point in having a car because our campus is so small, but at the same time, it’s annoying to have to walk everywhere. A bike would make my life so much easier! This is the case with many college students, and a bike would make a great graduation gift for an incoming freshman. As Dan also mentioned, bikes are useful outside of college too. For example, at home I live close enough to the center of town that it seems a waste to drive there, but it’s too far to walk; a bike would really settle the difference and I’d be getting exercise and helping the environment!

Grace: A couple of days ago I trekked into New York City to go visit the American Museum of Natural History. I hadn’t been there since I was in middle school, and it was nice to go to a place that I remember so fondly.

I am fossilized yet somewhat cute; come visit me!

In addition to checking out the fossils and the planetarium, of course I had to stop by the gift shop. While I was looking around, I found this little science lab kit for kids. I remember having something like this when I was younger and it was SO much fun! Maybe it’s just because I’m a bit of a science nerd (chemistry was one of my favorite classes in high school), but I loved that kit. All the experiments used household items and it wasn’t very dangerous at all, because trust me, if it was dangerous, I would have found a way to blow up the neighborhood; I was “that kid”.

I personally think it’s a great idea to get kids excited about learning and science at a young age, and with this kit, they won’t even know they’re learning!

Dan: I too love the museum of natural history in New York City. My sister lives in Philadelphia and we went museum touring one day and none of them, especially the Franklin Institute could not compare. When I was younger I thought that dinosaurs were the only group of species that predated humans. I was in awe when I saw fossilized saber tooth tigers and giant turtles like the one above. Now that I look back at it, it really was a wonderful and vivid moment of my childhood. Every time I go back there still I feel like a child again. The science kit gift idea from the museum shop is a wonderful one. Who says learning has to be boring? In addition to the science kit, museum shops like the one at the natural history museum, have a large assortment of really great children (and adult) gifts.

Dan: I cannot get enough of the Olympics! Unfortunately, the games are late at night having recorded and live segments between 8 and midnight on the east coast, but I stay up. Sports can either be beneficial or terrible to kids and adults. It can be viewed as something that is an avenue for winning or as something where people can compete and gain confidence and self esteem. I truly believe in the second but I personally feel that the first is a more common viewpoint.

The point of the Olympics is for athletes to represent their countries in honest sport. However, I cannot go anywhere without hearing the Phelps saga and how he does not even know where his gold medals are anymore. I feel as if the media has drawn away from the true competitive nature of the Olympics and why Olympians are truly there.

My gift recommendation to parents are to get your kids involved in sports. Either through lessons or on a local club and please teach them that winning is not the greatest part of sport.

Grace: Hmmm, I’m kind of on the fence about this gift idea. I agree that kids should be encouraged to play sports and learn all about being part of a team and whatnot, but at the same time, I definitely wouldn’t force my child into it. I’ve never really liked playing sports all that much because of their overly competitive nature. Not to mention, sometimes teammates can be very cruel to each other. My parents pushed lots of sports on me when I was younger, but the only one I really took to was one that I’d loved all my life and found on my own, horseback riding (which, ironically, I received as a birthday gift!) Even then there were times where the competition between riders was ridiculous and cruel, such as sabotaging others riding equipment and even horse. For this gift, I would recommend really listening to your child because this could either be a great experience or it could be traumatic.

Grace: As silly as it sounds, one of the most memorable gifts I received recently was from one of my violin students. She didn’t buy me anything expensive or give me a gift certificate, but rather, she gave me something she spent time growing herself; vegetables!

It’s a strange gift, but I remember spending my summers in Yamanashi, Japan when I was younger and my grandma’s neighbor would always come over (always through the window, never the door) to give us freshly grown eggplants. There’s something very sentimental about receiving a gift that someone took time to grown and nurture. Not to mention, it’s delicious!

I realize that it’s not very practical to grow a garden just for the sake of giving a gift, but a cute alternative, especially for children, would be a gardening kit, complete with seeds. I remember how much fun it was to plant my own seeds and watch my vegetables grow. Not to mention, this gift is also eco-friendly and promotes sustainability. These days kids are spending too much time indoors and aren’t getting the health benefits from being outside. This gift encourages kids to go outside and play around in the world in addition to growing beautiful flowers and delicious vegetables!

Dan: What do you mean no video games! Just kidding…this is a wonderful gift idea that is more than just a food item. When I was younger doing the yard work was an order and not a gift. It was…plant those bushes or you cannot go out with your friends instead of something positive. I’ve come to realize that yard work and growing plants is an excellent way to pass the time and is really fun. Planting enables you to not only get outside, but to bring out your creative self. The arrangement and placement of a garden is the most fun part because the finished product will look exactly like you imagined. This is a great gift idea. There is one seed superstore called Burpee that offers all kinds of plant seed including edible vegetables and offers them at fair value.

Dan: I am currently a Junior at the University of Delaware and I must admit that I am an avid UD football fanatic. Joe Flacco…first round pick…Baltimore Ravens…we’re lucky. At a lot of colleges, student life revolves around football every weekend. A game represents more than just a game, it is a bonding experience and a chance to have a really great time before and after the game. I personally exude a yearning to go home once my work really starts to pile up. A gift idea that can be either simple or slightly complicated depending on the university is football tickets. Either from the rest of the family or the student, going to the game brings the family back together for a weekend and really is a great time to be had.

My family came to a game last year and it was the best game/weekend of my fall. Even though it was a mutual gift, it was one of the best gifts that I have ever been a part of. My parents treated me this year on a UD vs. James Madison game and I cannot wait!

Sometimes the best gifts are ones that can be shared. The best gift is not always the newest video game or fashion trend, but quality family time. If this type of gift cannot work for you, go ahead and bend the rules…the tickets don’t have to be to a football game !

Grace: I think this is a really sweet gift idea!  I know my family misses me just as much as I miss them but they don’t want to be too intrusive.  If I went to a bigger school that held large sports events (I’m not sure Hamilton even charges, ever!), I would definitely buy my family tickets.  Even tickets to concert events would be a great idea!  I know that the Hamilton Music Department brings in great orchestras and chamber groups and my family would love to see some of those performances.  I would just check to make sure the dates work out properly before buying the tickets.

Grace: Much to my boyfriend’s chagrin, I have to admit that I am a huge geek. I practically grew up watching Star Wars and reading Lord of the Rings. I remember reading The Hobbit in third grade and loving it so much that I was off the wall ecstatic when I received The Lord of the Rings trilogy a few years later. I still own my original set and I’m surprise they’ve held up over the years since I’ve read those books so many times.

Even if your child doesn’t have a fondness for all things fantasy and science fiction, I would highly recommend buying a Lord of the Rings box set as a gift. I don’t actually like to read science fiction or fantasy novels, but this trilogy is completely different. Written by J.R.R. Tolkien, who was famous for his critical essay on Beowulf (it’s still used today and if you study Beowulf, which you probably will, you’ll end up reading this essay), The Lord of the Rings completely creates a new world. I remember getting lost in Tolkien’s Middle Earth because he was so detail oriented; he even wrote other books and short stories that built up Middle Earth’s history, almost as if it were real.

I know that is is very difficult to get kids to read these days, especially with the temptation of video games and television, but reading is critical to a child’s development. According to the National Institute for Literacy, children ages 9-17 who read for fun could had a much higher literacy and comprehension level than children who did not read outside the classroom.

I would highly recommend The Lord of the Rings trilogy set not only because it was an essential part of my childhood, but because it’s a gift that has longevity. Clothes, toys, and other gadgets are used for maybe a year, but books, especially the classics, can be read and used for years to come.

Dan: I am OBSESSED with Lord of the Rings (LOTR for us fans)! I could not agree more with your gift recommendation. When I was younger, all I did was watch television and really hated reading to be honest. It was not until I was immersed into Lord of the Rings by my older sister that I started to turn the tube off. A lot of people assume that the series is just another mindless science fiction story with monsters and elves and the like; but it really is not. Lord of the Rings is written in a tone of greater difficulty than a beach novel and really provides an array of symbolism and metaphors that can be found in other great classics such as The Great Gatsby and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. I think I am going to go pick up Return of the King right now and immerse myself in the world of Middle Earth for the afternoon!

Grace: As a poor college student, I have a hard time finding gifts for my friends that I think they’d enjoy but won’t leave me broke. The easy way out would be to buy clothing or jewelry, but those gifts can get repetitive and boring.

As a very hands-on person, I love the idea of giving a scrapbook as a gift. Scrapbooking is a fun and easy activity that anyone can partake in; all it takes is a little time and patience. It is a visual form of story telling that was first practiced in ancient Greece. As more people became literate and no longer had to hire scribes to record their thoughts and memories for them, scrapbooks became more popular. Sometime during 15th century England, scrapbooks started appearing as personal journals where recipes, letters, quotes, and other memorable items were placed. Today, scrapbooks are used mainly to preserve memories.

For my friend’s 20th birthday, a bunch of my friends and I decided to buy and start a scrapbook for her, and it was a complete success! We started out with a simple scrapbook, nice and affordable, and started 2 pages. In order to give her a little push, we bought her some stickers, glue, glitter, and other fun crafty things, and printed out a bunch of pictures we thought she would enjoy.

I wasn’t sure if my friend would actually continue scrapbooking, but come finals she’s always sitting in her room cutting paper and pasting pictures. She finds that it’s a great way to relieve stress (and procrastinate). A scrapbook is a great gift for someone who loves arts and crafts and also has the patience and time to actually work on one.

Dan: I have never personally made a scrapbook of my own, but I have received one as a gift. It was a memory capsule of many of the major moments during my four years in high school. I cherish that present more than any other gift I have ever been given. It is so important to me that it has to come to college with me throughout the year so that when I become over-stressed I can open it up and laugh about good times from the past. I am so happy that you gave this gift recommendation, Grace, because it is a very special one. You beat me to it!