Present ideas for old fashioned child

[cbristmasisruined]

My lovely friend's lovely daughter is soon to be 8 and I'm looking for present inspiration. She's a clever, calm sensible girl who likes quite cerebral pursuits. In terms of books she hates Tom Gates/ David Walliams style wackiness- if there's not a consumptive Victorian orphan then she's really not interested! She likes creative pursuits, sport and reading.
Has anyone's similar aged child received anything a bit different that's been a big success?

Airfix models
Jigsaws - particularly the 3d ones
Book token
Sewing or needlecraft kit?

Buy her the book Moondial by Helen Cresswell

Chess set ?

Check out amightygirl.com and www.presentindicative.com for cool and unusual gift ideas.

From the presentindicative site I'm a big fan of the Giant Microbes!

Have a look at the murder and mayhem books by Robin Stevens. Set in the 50s at a girls boarding school, they are like Agatha Christie for kids.

We recently discovered Thinkfun games - I would thoroughly recommend the Laser Maze of is within your price limit. It has been a massive hit round here - DS had spent hours working good way through the puzzles.

Tom’s Midnight Garden by Phillippa Pearce
A Traveller in Time by Alison Uttley

I remember being given some watercolour paints and brushes at about that age and I loved it.

A flower press. Knitting Nancy. Crossstitch sets. Science sets. Chess/draughts.
The traveller in time series is great. Other older books may be worth a look too- Nina Bawden, Mary Stewart, Maybe even the Laura ingals wilder series?

A Traveller In Time is a great book.
Also try Rosemary Sutcliffe.

A subscription to a good magazine - eg The Week Junior?

Ooh... also A Stitch in Time by Penelope Lively (I think).

Scrapbook ( you can add to it with fancy paper / scissors / stationery type stuff if needed)
Flower press
Telescope (probably quite expensive though. What price range?)
Subscription to kids newspaper (first news?), or kids national geographic magazine

@CalamityJane10 oh my word I’d forgotten that book ever existed and I loved it! Will get that to give to the DDs when they’re a bit older. Thank you.

The Children of Green Knowe by Lucy M Boston
The Country Child by Alison Uttley
The Fortunes of Phillipa by Angela Brazil
Gerry goes to School by Elinor M Brent Dyer
Thursdays Child by Noel Streatfield
An hour in the morning by Gordon Cooper
Charlotte Sometimes by Penelope Farmer

Croquet set
Playing cards, beautiful set such as Alice in Wonderland themed.

My similar aged DD has worked her way through Jacqueline Wilson’s Hetty Feather series. She’s also just taken up knitting whilst her friends are arranging disco parties for their birthdays.

I got a sewing machine for my 8th birthday. It was one of those old fashioned powered by turning the handle ones. I sewed many items of clothing on it.

Victorian Dolls House Sticker Book - £4.99 on Amazon
Marble Run
Solitaire

A desk easel, some canvases and brushes + an acrylics paint set. (Wilko surprisingly decent + good prices.)

Those Loom Bands kits.

We got DC2 this slot together theatre last year. It's really sturdy, and easy enough for a DC that age to assemble themselves. You've then got the characters, sets and script for A Midsummer Night's Dream and the Nutcracker.

Cross stitch

TheTurnOfTheScrew
I'd want that for myself, swoon!

I was this age that I got given my first Harry Potter book by my godmother, with a note from her in the inside page. It turned me on to the series forever (hence the username!) Do you know if there are any series she hasn't read yet you think she may be into? HP, His Dark Materials, A Series of Unfortunate Events? Anything you can give her the first book of and then there's a whole world more for her to discover by herself?