Tenaj Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 Part of the problem is that we have a lot of kids so we already have a lot of stuff/toys/etc. that might be a good gift for him and part of the problem is that he has no hobbies. Well, he has an ipod touch but really only plays Clash of Clans on it and doesn't spend any money on that at all. When he purchased the Touch, he also purchased a $20 card for it and I think he still has $15 left almost six months later! He doesn't like to read fiction - mainly non-fiction with some graphic novels about history thrown in for good measure. He has a fairly new bike so that's out. Last year I got him a model and it's still sitting where it's been all year - not finished and he has no interest in finishing it. He's really not very passionate about anything. The last thing he got that he really liked was when he was about 10-11 and he collected a lot of the Playmobile Construction Crew stuff. He's still fascinated by construction equipment but doesn't play much with it anymore (probably feels like he's too old). I'm out of ideas. I hate to buy the kid clothes for his birthday. Does anyone have any really cool suggestions? He needs to be more physically active but I'm not sure how to accomplish that with a birthday gift? We ask him what he wants and he really just shrugs his shoulders. He's not trying to be difficult, just has no clue what to ask for. Any ideas? I apologize in advance because I may have asked the same question last year at about the same time :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 What is your budget? Could you get him a new computer? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Rat Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 Movie tickets?There is a place in my area where you can pay x dollars and really use construction equipment in big dirt pit. Any chance of anything like that in your area? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tenaj Posted August 10, 2014 Author Share Posted August 10, 2014 We usually spend between $75 - $100 for birthdays around here . . . will go a bit higher for a good idea. We talked about a computer . . my dh has the opportunity to by good used systems of desktops for about $80 so that is something we're considering. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MooCow Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 Basketball hoop? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happi duck Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 Movie tickets? There is a place in my area where you can pay x dollars and really use construction equipment in big dirt pit. Any chance of anything like that in your area? This is so awesome!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LostSurprise Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 tool box with real tools fake mustaches bowler or top hat graphic novel set Boxers & Saints bow tie funny boxer shorts crokinole board tetherball bike jumps super cushy blanket or body pillow electronics--arduino sets time at a paintball course miniatures to paint video camera/stop motion software tent or camping gear collectible card game dart board Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happi duck Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 My ds never seems to tire of interesting or funny t-shirts. We find them at Kohl's or online at Think Geek or Mental Floss. A subscription to Mental Floss magazine is another idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SJ. Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 A trip to an arcade/laser tag/bowling/movies/paintball with a friend? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 We usually spend between $75 - $100 for birthdays around here . . . will go a bit higher for a good idea. We talked about a computer . . my dh has the opportunity to by good used systems of desktops for about $80 so that is something we're considering. Wow, something like that would be GREAT! :hurray: It's so much easier when kids have hobbies, collect things, or love a certain sport because there are always new things to buy for them, but when they're not 100% passionate about anything, it can be tough! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest inoubliable Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 Experience over stuff. That's what my kids usually say. And I'm okay with it. I can't stand clutter! LOL.I've got an almost 14 year old (September. Eeek!) He's starting to ask for computer games, computer headset, a new skateboard, and his own computer monitor so he can play in his room (Ahahahahaha, dream on!). Now that we've moved though, and there's so much more to do here....he's starting to ask for day trips to different places around the state, a day at the beach, a movie/bowling night out, etc. Any of that help? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paige Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 My DS's 13th birthday is coming up too. His wish list includes: Youth Digital's 3D game design and anything else like that Books about arduino (a computer thing), programming, and makezine. The complete Bone (graphic novel) series in one book Really big lego sets Piles of junk food Cash He doesn't want anything badly except the youth digital classes, however. We also don't do parties anymore and let the kids go someplace. Maybe your DS would like to plan a field trip? Our kids have gone to Great Wolf Lodge, an overnight trip to a relatively close city with cool museums and zoos, ziplining, horseback riding, fancy grown up tea places, and to an amusement park for their birthday trips in the past. It helps that they all share a birthday month with a sibling so that they can combine their money and do bigger things sometimes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest inoubliable Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 DS13 reminds me that subscriptions are good, too. For an online-game maybe, a magazine about something he's interested in, or a monthly get together? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tenaj Posted August 10, 2014 Author Share Posted August 10, 2014 Wow! Thanks for all the great ideas! You can keep them coming :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFSinIL Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 He liked Playmobile construction stuff....thinks he is too old....why not get him a tool box and a few quality tools to start out with, and access to scrap lumber etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 Larry Gonick's illustrated histories~ These are the ones for World History; he has others on American history, various sciences, etc. Cartoon History of the Universe Volumes 1-7 The Cartoon History of the Universe II, Volumes 8-13: From the Springtime of China to the Fall of Rome (Pt.2) The Cartoon History of the Universe III: From the Rise of Arabia to the Renaissance (Cartoon History of the Earth... Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 One more title: Oh, Yikes!: History's Grossest Wackiest Moments by Joy Masoff "Gross is back and viler than ever! From the author of Oh, Yuck! the perennial bestseller about science with over 610,000 copies in print, comes OH, YIKES!, an illustrated encyclopedia of history’s messiest, dumbest, grossest, wackiest, and weirdest moments.If kids think pus and gas are fun, wait until they hear the lowdown on the real Dracula, samurai, gladiators, guillotines and vomitoriums, pirates, Vikings, witch trials, and the world’s poxiest plagues. Impeccably researched, deliciously wry, and subversively educational (check out the toilet-paper timeline), OH, YIKES! covers people, events, institutions, and really bad ideas, alphabetically from April Fool’s Day to zany Zoos. Here are the Aztecs, sacrificing 250,000 people a year for the gods—and for food. Fearsome Attila the Hun, scourge of the steppes whose spinning eyes terrified his friends and whose mastery of horses terrorized his enemies (how does someone so evil die? Nosebleed!). Saur, the 11th-century dog-king of Norway (and not too bad as kings go). Henry VIII and his marital problems, the story of the Abominable Snowman and the Loch Ness Monster, why sailors in the old days preferred eating in the dark (hint: you can’t see what’s crawling in your food), and the answer to the question, “How did knights in armor go to the bathroom?â€Topped off with hundreds of illustrations and photographs along with hands-on activities that bring the past to life, OH, YIKES! puts the juice in history in a way that makes it irresistible." Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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