Archive for the ‘Outdoor’ Category

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!

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.

I got a question just the other day from someone about summer gift ideas for kids. If you have a pool or have access to a pool, beach, or lake, this is the ultimate gift idea! Imagine cruising on a skateboard underwater, seamlessly gliding as if you were a dolphin. The toy, known as the subskate, is designed for children. Most likely though, if you were to see me at the pool I would be taking it from some helpless kid so that I could play with it.

This toy is perfect for any and all ages and will keep any child (or adult) busy for hours. As a warning, I would not recommend this toy to little children or inexperienced swimmers, as it is a toy made for underwater play. So if your kids are getting bored at the pool and you have run out of ideas check out the subskate. The best deal that I could find for the subskate is at Toys R’ Us.

- Dan