So DD wants 'toys that are surprises' for Christmas. Sigh. Any recommendations?

[Lancelottie]

She's 11. I am jaded parent with a house full of toys, as she's the third child.
And she will not budge from the position of 'I don't mind as long as it's a surprise!'

She's quite a young 11.

Any advice (including 'No, are you mad?') welcome on my vague thoughts of:

K'nex ferris wheel (would it be the right size to be used by the Sylvanian infestation already living with us?)
Hula hoops
Swingball
Bead loom

...errrm... help?

I really don't want any more Sylvanians. I suspect they breed under the bed as it is.

What about arts & crafts stuff or something like the perfume/lip balm/bath bomb making kits.
Baking hamper with lots of lovely cupcake cases/unusual sprinkles/glitters/food colouring etc.
A day out somewhere or theatre tickets or lovefilm type voucher, again could be in a themed hamper. There are some nice buy a gift type vouchers for things like chocolate making day (although not sure how much they are).

Ooh, thanks for ideas (writes list). Theatre and film tickets sound a good plan to theme things round.

We seem to have three soapmaking kits and two bath bomb sets already (are people trying to tell us something?).

My DD 10 has a list that only has Sylvanians on it tbh I'm pleased she still wants to play and isn't demanding an iPad or similar

Get her Gerbils and a cage - grown up sylvanians!

or...

Microcope set ?

Giant Pooh bear from Disney shop?

Gerbils would be catsnacks in this house, sadly (I have fond memories of childhood gerbils though).

Microscope a good thought, as she does grumble about sexist assumptions of science being for boys and then goes back to making dresses for the Sylvanians

I'm sure you can get science 'kits' to make stuff and do experiments.

Sylvanian filled house here too

Dd (9) also wants surprises... So far I've got her a

lava lamp
strictly come dancing annual
Swallows and Amazons (to try to wean her off Enid Blyton!)
a necklace
some sweets

There will be some Sylvanians creeping in too I imagine and Grandad is buying her a chemistry set.

HTH

Whatever you get her, try and get a bit clever with the wrapping up. Put a tiny (but lovely) item in a huge box, or disguise an ordinary looking package by taping on some 'extra' boxes to make handles/funny shapes before you wrap it all up. Or do a giant russian doll type present, with many layers or boxes within boxes.

That way, she won't be able to guess what she is getting before it is unwrapped - and everything will a surprise.

I think you're never to old to be taken to build a bear and given free rein.

Stuff from Claire's accessories? Necklace, bag.

Stationary type stuff from Paperchase?

or wrap up a brick (maybe with the vouchers mentioned above attached).

Nail art set? (if she likes that kind of thing and you let her)

Her favourite films.

Subscription to My Pony magazine or whatever it is little girls read.

iPod shuffle thing

One of these cameras - they are fab! Kids and grown ups would love them uk.shop.lomography.com/cameras

I second the Lomography camera!

GET HER ONE OF THOSE

It'll be a nice hobby for her. It really brings back the excitement of buying film and getting it developed- she can also add to her camera kit with new filters, lenses and flashes, ect.

I recommend this one: uk.shop.lomography.com/cameras/diana-f-camera-buttercup

or the Diana mini is 20 quid cheaper

This ATM was a success with DD last year.

She has fashion stuff this year like this and this along a udraw

It is nice that she wants surprises. Mine is sneakily searching everywhere

Do you have a Home Bargains close by. They have quite interesting, rather random stuff that will surprise and delight without breaking the bank.

Alternatively you could buy her a set of screwdrivers and some kitchen roll. That would surprise her.

You lot are brilliant even though we have an embarrassing number of those things already because I have too many children.

I love the idea of putting things in decreasing sizes of boxes, Piprabbit!

Might combine a few of these ideas into a random pass-the-parcel type combo.

Errm , is the Lomography camera just what I think of as a camera? The sort I have in the drawer upstairs, probably with embarrassing photos from 1983 still on the reel?

I'm fancying this for me DD, but you/DP would need to be crafty to help assemble. It's Sylvanian scale, more or less.

The Knex Ferris wheel is good. I also

Oh wow, Dilys. I want one now!

Right: those sylvanians are getting a castle, then stop-motion animation films of them being invited to a fashion shoot and slowly tortured. Possibly by screwdrivers, or terrorised by a giant bear...

DD is home ill today. Better shut this down for a bit in case she comes to see how my 'work' is going.

Nipping back on here while DD cuddles a guinea pig, to say I've ordered a castle, some paper dragons, a scene-building set and origami for DS2, and some pens from that rather fab site, Dilys. That was fun!

I still want a ferris wheel for me. And maybe a pinhole camera. And a magic set. Suspect this wouldn't pass muster as present for the 16-yr-old (who says 'Hmm. A girlfriend? A clue what to do with my life? A full-size steam engine?' when asked what he'd like).

No a Lomo camera can have a fish eye lens or take eights pics at once or have different coloured flashes... Have a look at the link!