Suzy's Holiday Gift Ideas  

   
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  Magazines    
There are lots of good magazines out there for kids. The gift that keeps giving all year! The following are some suggestions:

Cricket (ages 9 - 14) - Click for Cricket 
Highlights - Click for Highlights
Ranger Rick - Click for Ranger Rick
National Geographic Kids - Click for National Geographic Kids
Turtle (preschoolers)  - Click for Turtle
  		 
 
Art & Craft Ideas
 		    
Select-a-map personalized jigsaw puzzle. Select your grandchildren's location and a jigsaw puzzle street map is created for you. Available at Hammacher.

Clue - one of our grandchildren's favorites (ages 9 & 12). Available at most toy and game stores.

The Metmuseum store has some great things for children.
Click for the Metmuseum. I particularly liked:

Vincent’s Colors - matches Van Gogh’s paintings with his own words arranged as a simple rhyme.
 
Can you Hear it?  - introduces children to great music through great works of art. Children will enjoy hearing The Flight of the Bumblebee and the traffic jam in American in Paris among others. Also introduces instruments from the museum's collection.

Peter and the Wolf - a picture book with the music included.
 
 Beginners Origami - birds, beasts, bugs & butterflies.

That’s just the tip of the iceberg. Check out the site for yourself. You’ll find Museum stores are great places for distinctive gifts. All big ones have net sites.

In addition to the Met check out these museums:

MOMA - Click for MOMA.
SFMOMA - Click for SFMOMA.
Boston Museum of Fine Arts -  Click for the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. The de Young Museum - Click for the de Young.

"No One Saw" by Bob Raczka - This is a magical paper back book full of the great artists works. The captions on the pictures read – No one saw stars like Vincent Van Gogh with of course a picture of Starry Night. Or no one saw dancers like Edgar Degas with one of his ballerinas. It is an enchanting look and read experience. There is a list of the paintings and brief biographical notes. Can be ordered from Lerner Books.
Click for Lerner Books.
One of my very favorite presents is the Sun Kit from Lawrence Hall of Science. You can see the results and read all about it in our Kabubble Crafts section. An article in my local newspaper announces a new Deficit Disorder among us – NDD or Nature Deficit Disorder. Our children aren’t experiencing nature! Get a sun kit, collect some of nature’s beautiful things and make a sun print. Off with NDD.

  
   

Kabubble Ideas

    
Suzy’s Posters. Of course I love them, they’re my pets. You can personalize them with your own message. Click for details.

A Pop-up Santa Card. Perfect for Mom or Dad or a favorite friend. Click to print card.
 
For more ideas check out Surprise.com - not a bad gift site. Click for Surprise.com.
 

  
  Our Kabubblers offer their suggestions    
Remy S. - Book suggestions from an eleven year old guy who’s an avid reader.  
The Warrior Series by Erin Hunter. The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall. Lion Boy Series by Zizou Corder. Harry Potter books by J.K. Rowling. The Amulet of Samarkand by Johnathan Stroud. The Golem’s Eye by Johnathan Stroud. Dragon Rider by Cornelia Funke. Following Fake Man by Barbara Ware Holmes. Available at Amazon.

Malia S. - Book suggestions from an 8 year old girl who reads all the time. High School Musical by Zac Efron. The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall. The Schwa was Here by Neil Shusterman. Echohawk by Lynda Durrant. Something Upstairs by Avi. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince by J. K. Rowling and Mary GrendPre'. Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko. The Ballad of Lucy Whipple by Karen Cushman. Because of Winn-DIxie by Kate DiCamillo. The Last Treasure by Janet Anderson. Following Fake Man by Barbara Ware Holmes. Double Fudge by Judy Blume. Black Beauty by Anna Sewell. Available at Amazon.

Sally B. – “What was your favorite birthday present she asked her 11 year old granddaughter.” "The question challenge game" she answered. This is available at the Discovery Store for $39.95. Click for the Discovery Store. Here are several games our family has enjoyed: Battleship, Gobblet, Apples to Apples, Cranium, Charades for Kids, Life, Clue Jr., and Yahtzee. Available at Amazon and other stores.

Carol A. - an electronic organizer for 6th grade on up.

Jan C. - LEGOS: Target has kits.  In Hillsdale shopping center in San Mateo, Ca. there is an enormous store devoted to Legos. These stores exist in different parts of the country.

WALKIE-TALKIE: Can be found at Target in their National Geographic section.  Speaking of National Geographic, they have great educational toys. Check out the National Geographic website.

KLUTZ BOOKS: There are a variety of titles like the Book of Paper Airplanes, or a book on juggling etc. Check the Klutz website and find them at Target or Michaels. Three kits from Orchard Supply Hardware give you an opportunity to watch ants at work, caterpillars becoming butterflies, or little lady bugs. When it is hatching time, you send in a certificate and get your living creatures to put in your enclosed container.

Carol C. - HEIFER FUND. Give an animal ($100) or part of an animal ($10) as a gift to people around the world who need animals to survive. Check out the Heifer Website.

Click here to offer your Holiday Gift Ideas.