What have your 10yo DD's asked for this year?

[vonnyh]

And what are you actually buying them?! Mine has asked for Lego, Playmobil, a pair of High heels(!) for dressing up in, and books. I'm really lacking inspiration re her "big" present. Any ideas?

That's lovely!

I wouldn't worry (unless there are other glaring concerns obviously) as DD1 is still very young. I think it all depends on what children are exposed to. My DD has older cousins and some very um, worldly friends from school but she's still a sweetie at heart and not streetwise at all for the area we live in.

I was also very into Anne of Green Gables / House on the prairie, anything sort of charming, home-made and old-fashioned at that age. In my case it might have been a natural reaction to the pressures of growing up which are more pronounced thirty years on!

I saw the Harumika in various of those little catalogues you get sent but there is so much tat in there I couldn;t tell whether it was worth getting or not.

In the end I bought her a set from ToysrUs as there was a buy 3 get so much off tyoe offer.

She loves it and has played with it loads more than any other arty crafty set. She loves designing clothes.

Art stuff.

How lovely that some of your daughters are still into Sylvanian? DD2 (4) is just starting with it...

What about mystyle craft kits?
They look quite nice.

Have got a few sets for my dds 8 and 10.

Fennel - If you can buying stuff from Yellow Moon - go to Baker Ross instead. Same company (I think) but cheaper.

Those mystyle ones are OK but a bit on the girly side, similarlyI think with the harumaki. my dds like art and craft but resist anything "girly" especially to do with clothes or jewellery. But yes the clay bead making might be good.

10yo has just blown the 50s image by saying yes she would like a laptop of her own. 11yo still pushing for terrapins instead though.

I am contemplating getting dd a very basic child-friendly sewing machine - but it is just a random thought to encourage doing craft......and not something she has expressed an interest in.

Not sure if it is a good idea though.....

DD has been hankering after a sewing machine and typewriter but I am loathe to get either. The bath bomb set was bad enough. I have enough to do at Christmas. Maybe for a birthday...

I had an old-fashioned sewing machine bought in the late seventies or early eighties which was actually hand-driven with a little wheel. I was delighted with the idea but it was crap for actually making things. I also had terrapins and may be distantly related to you Fennel

John Lewis does little sewing machines for £59.

I have not got one myself but was contemplating geting one for dd who will be 10 on Xmas Eve. They come in about 5 different colours.

Still thinking about it as to how much time will they spend on it.

We had a toy sewing machine, it was a bit rubbish, now my 10yo uses a real one we got from a grandparent. I think it's probably worth buying a real sewing machine rather than a toy or tween-model, they are useful things to have around even if you don't end up sewing loads.

I have said a very stern No to the terrapins. Apparently they live up to 40 years and grow to about 30cm across or more. That's all I'll need at 80 or so, giant ever-living terrapins.

at the ever-living terrapins. Mine were the result of a fad in the eighties and very unscrupulously-sold in little open shallow tanks filled with tap water. They had an island with a plastic palm-tree on it though and neither my young self or my parents knew any better so they quickly sickened and passed away

Ah well, it could be worse, F, they could be mithering about a new, younger sibling!