What are your 7 and 8 year old ds asking for?

[Feckinlego]

Ds is getting a tablet. He also wants a video camera and a few angry birds. I'm not sure ill get him the video camera. I've ordered the angry birds and tablet. Not sure what else to get. He's had a recent birthday. Any ideas? No more Lego though. Cheers!

[TheOnlyPink]

My 7 year old ds is getting a tablet too. He's also getting new pokemon game for the 3 ds, a sonic screwdriver, settlers of catan junior board game, brain box game, and a toothless pillow pet.

He will also get a pile of books and in his stocking I have some DVD s, fymo, Bertie bots every flavour beans, lucky charms, some playmobil blind packs and a notebook.

Found it a bit harder this year as everything he would like was really expensive. His pile is very small compared to his younger brothers but I've spent more money in him!

[Feckinlego]

Ooh yes I hadn't thought of how to train your dragon great idea! Might get those for him. He's getting really hard to buy for. He really wants angry birds transformers but they're so expensive to import from the usa.
Thanks for your help.

[Morrigu]

7year old ds also getting a tablet, mainly to stop him nicking mine. He's also just after a birthday. He'll get a proper cover for it and head phones that are suitable for kids.

So far stompies slippers, skylanders skateboard and some Minecraft Lego. I'll probably get him a game or two for the 3ds and a board game, other than that I'm stumped. Not sure about books this year as he has a pile of them in his room he hasn't read yet.

Finding it really difficult this year to pick presents for him as he really has everything he needs and his stuff is getting dearer but doesn't look like much compared to his little sisters. Im sick of buying stuff every year to make the pile look decent and then it gathers dust/ gets broken without being played with so refuse to do that this year.

[Feckinlego]

Ha ha morrigu that's what I do every year! Dh is putting his foot down this year, he won't let me buy stuff for the sake of it. I would, just to increase his pile. If I could think of things he would use I'd get them.

Suppose I'll get him a ds game but he rarely uses it, he already has tons.

So much easier when they were smaller!

[mausmaus]

chemistry set
they want to do smelly noisy experiments.

[TheOnlyPink]

Morrigu the exact same thing is happening here! I want to boost the pile and make it look a but better, because 3 year old ds pile is massive due to playmobil sets etc. Spent about €100 less on the younger one tho! but the stuff I bought last year went unopened and unplayed with, so dh is not letting me twitch! What I have will be much loved and well played with, so just sticking to that. My parents are getting him tickets to the panto because he is getting so difficult to buy for. It's a kind of awkward age between playing with toys and the teenager presents!

[Feckinlego]

Maybe not chemistry but you've given me an idea of a magic set. Vaguely remember him talking about one a while back. This is great, thanks all!

[TheKitchenWitch]

As well as some proper toys that he's asked for, my ds always gets a load of what we call "ds-stuff" which he builds and constructs things with. It's things like:
masking tape (which comes off furniture/doors/floor when he's laying down a new "road" :o), fancy sticky tapes (coloured ones, especially anything that looks like it should be on a building site or crime scene!), carabiner clips, velcro strips, those boards on wheels for transporting things (he makes cars and trailers using it, as well as whizzing around on it himself (ALSO: this is the absolute favourite thing to play with for any child that comes over)), clip-on lights, magnets, post-it notes and various other stickers/signs etc etc

I basically go round the DIY shop and pick up loads of things like this instead of plastic tat - he's delighted with it and it all gets used!

[Feckinlego]

Wow that's a brilliant idea! We're constantly making 'cars' from cardboard etc. always trying to make something from nothing iyswim. I'll have to have a good think about that. I'm getting excited now! He would absolutely love this. Thank you so much!

[LittleMissGreen]

I was going to say Lego as DS2 (8) wants the Lego Technic Crane with the additional motors. However, he is also a fan of Hexbugs and Bakugan both of which he uses a lot.
Last year he got a bird watching book and binoculars and they have had a surprisingly large amount of use.

[TheKitchenWitch]

Then a Starter Box (proper tool box would be good) of Random Stuff would probably go down well :o

The board thing i really can't recommend enough - it's a bit like these and cost, I think, about a tenner at our local DIY place.

We've also bought various chains (a metre of each) which he uses for attaching things or blocking areas etc - really, if your kid is into stuff like this, then the DIY shop is the place to go.
I am making him sound very weird - he's really not, he's just really into imaginative, creative play!!

[sunnyrosegarden]

All DS2 wants is an xbox, and I've already had a thread on here about it. Still torn about what to do...

He doesn't need one (plays minecraft on my laptop), has limited screen time anyway, shares a tablet with his older brother. I'm worried that the 360 will be obsolete in a year, and the xbox1 is a lot of money.

He has a january birthday, so minecraft lego for that, but I'm completely torn by the xbox thing.

[Iggi999]

Sunnyrosegarden - why not get a secondhand xbox from Game online, should have a one year warranty I think, much cheaper and could be replaced if they stop making games for them in a year (will that happen?)
My ds has a iPod touch type thingy, and a ds, but the Xbox is his absolute favourite way to play games.

[MeanwhileHighAboveTheField]

sunnyrosegarden - I wouldn't go down the xbox route yet. Doesn't sound like he really needs one.

Some great ideas here. My 8 year old is getting a full suspension mountain bike (Second hand)

[Iggi999]

Minecraft not the same on a laptop (good grief I feel my brain has been taken over by my son!) but really if it is the only thing he wants, and you can afford it, why the big dilemma?

[Feckinlego]

I had thought of an X box but he really doesn't use the ds or wii so I think it would be a waste. App games is really all he plays.

Kitchen witch I love your idea. It does seem strange but I know he'd love it. We're always trying to make stuff from bits of nothing. I try make him use the Lego but it's not strong enough or something. Do you mean proper, as in adult, tools? I think this will appeal to his creative side.

[TheKitchenWitch]

Yes, he does have a proper tool kit, which he usually uses together with his Dad or me. But mostly he makes do with tape and string - we get through miles of string. He did this fab thing with one of those wheel things that slide along rope, he strung up string from the top of his door frame all along the corridor down to the front door and then made a sort of harness using the Velcro belts and sent various toys and teddied whizzing down it! Oh and he makes plans for what he'd like to make (if it's more complicated), then we discuss how to best do it (his dad is usually best at this) and then if necessary they go to the DIY shop to get hinges or whatever. Our flat often looks like a building site. A few weeks ago, he set up very complicated one way system (I've printed and laminated a load of traffic signs for him) so when I came out of the kitchen, I could only do a right turn :D

[Feckinlego]

Lol kitchenwitch that's hilarious! He sounds a right little whizz kid. I showed your idea to dh who got very excited!