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Educational Gift Ideas - What have your kids loved?


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I'm not sure if I'm posting this in the right forum as it's not exactly "curriculum" related. My girls have birthdays coming up (all three of them) and we're wanting to get some good educational items for them. I've looked briefly on Rainbow Resource but don't even know what to "look" for. It's rather overwhelming as far as the many options.

 

My girls will be turning 9 and 6 (twin 6 year olds), and we plan to homeschool all of them starting this summer/fall. Two in 1st grade, One in 4th. We don't own a globe yet. Does anyone have recommendations for one? We do have a world map and U.S. map. But I'm thinking I'd like to get some things that are more fun "play" items yet still educational. What finds have you all enjoyed? Oh, I already got them a set of Lyra Groove Slim colored pencils (ours always break so easily). Book suggestions would also be welcome! Perhaps a kids encyclopedia or something?

 

Thanks!

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Some things that have been popular for us (although I have a DS7): Magic Schoolbus DVDs, Carmen San Diego DVDs, Box Car Children (the set), a microscope, and an explorer's kit (binoculars, a cheap digital camera, a magnifying glass, a bug net, journal and colored pencils... there may have been a backpack so that he could carry it). Then there are games like Sum Swamp (math facts) and Presto Change-O (money). We like educational gifts around here!

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My girls (8 & 13) got their 300 block set of Citiblocks this week - they are a combo birthday present for them, but I wasn't going to make them wait until June for them! They are LOVING building with them, and the 300 blocks split nicely in plastic shoeboxes, so even though they are for sharing - they can each have a stack that is "theirs" (for now anyway).

 

They want me to dig out the k'nex stuff we have too. Dover coloring books they can copy pictures and color are nice and well loved here, my 8yo was excited I bought her math! LOL!!

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Snap Circuits

 

Games: some are more “educational†than others...

Ticket to Ride

Settlers of Catan

Mastermind

Blokus

Kanoodle

Set

Swish

Qwirkle

Equate (math game)

 

Perplexus balls- we got several of these for Christmas and they were a huge hit

 

My middle son loves to draw, we’ve gotten him some good drawing books and sketchpads.

 

Binoculars/Bird-watching books

 

Model Rockets

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Snap Circuits are a HUGE hit here. We bought them for my now 8 year olds 7th birthday, but all 3 of my kids like to play with them. My middle child loves the GeoPuzzles, the other two just aren't into puzzles. The Liberty Kids DVDs are fantastic if you do screen time, as is the entire Magic Schoolbus series. There are all sorts of mini science kits you can buy too, my ds8 got one a couple years back that was a potato battery, you actually use produce to do things like light up a lightbulb!

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Seconding everyone that said Snap Circuits.

 

Snap Circuits

 

Games: some are more “educational†than others...

Ticket to Ride

Settlers of Catan

Mastermind

Blokus

Kanoodle

Set

Swish

Qwirkle

Equate (math game)

 

Perplexus balls- we got several of these for Christmas and they were a huge hit

 

My middle son loves to draw, we’ve gotten him some good drawing books and sketchpads.

 

Binoculars/Bird-watching books

 

Model Rockets

 

We love the same games as Alice's family.

 

Other hits with DD (8yos) that I would consider educational:

 

Audiobooks - we bought her an iPod to hold all her audiobooks and a player

Liberty Kids DVD series

Horrible Histories book series

 

Not as educational but high in imaginations - Playsilks

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Some of the big hits here include:

 

Geopuzzles

Think Fun style logic puzzles

Art shark

Totally Gross

Number Ninja

Ticket to Ride

Auto blocks

Quadrilla

Audio books

Great States

Quirkle

Widgets

Hive

Quality art supplies

Fun books like Horrible Histories or the You Wouldn't Want To...series

Magic School Bus DVDs

Poetry Collections

Snap Circuits

 

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Thanks everyone!! Any particular Snap Circuits set? Or are they all good? :)

:bigear:

 

We don't have any of them, and maybe it would help ME get over my "fear" of trying to understand anything electrical!! :p

 

And between these and the want for colored Citiblocks, I have stuff for the relatives to do for the upcoming birthdays!! :hurray:

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