"Main" present for DD?

[StuckInsideofMobile]

Any ideas please for my lovely DD? She will be nearly 8 at Christmas. I have books and ideas for stocking fillers for her but I would like to get something she can play with/ use, ideally independently.

She doesn't need any big items like a bike, and has plenty of art materials etc. She's resolutely uninterested in dolls/ Barbie/ hair/ make-up but loves coding, nature, science, riding her bike (not in need of replacement) and climbing trees.

We have lots of Lego and Gravitrax, both of which get plenty of use, but I am reluctant to buy more as we don't have unlimited space. I'm also not wild about the Galt science kits which are really annoying in my experience.

I thought about this https://www.mulberrybush.co.uk/pyxel-coding-robot-dog but I'm not sure.

My husband has vetoed this https://www.wickeduncle.co.uk/childrens-presents/lets-explore-oceans-vr on the basis that it's too screen-based. Likewise I am not prepared to get a Switch.

DD has no requests and likes surprises.

Any ideas would be great!

My 8 year old daughter (turning 9 in November) has asked for a Disney Bitzee, Stitch Lego set and squishmallows, last Christmas I bought her one of these
Coding mouse

What about membership of a local farm, Woodland Trust or National Trust?

Raspberry pi?

Botley Robot

3D scribe pen, with the plastic and laminator.

Sorry @poppyzbrite4 but that suggestion made me laugh out loud. National Trust membership as a gift to an 8 year old?! It’s the sort of thing I’d buy for my parents who are in their 70s!

How about a telescope or microscope? My DDs had these about that age

OP, I’d suggest a microscope. They are a great present for a child interested in science and nature.

Glad I amused you.

We have a mini-microscope, which gets a lot of use.

@jakesmommy Does your DD still use the coding mouse? Is it fun? My daughter is keen on coding - she makes little games for herself in Scratch, so I want to get her something that will have a bit of longevity.

@poppyzbrite4 We live in London and don't drive, so an NT membership wouldn't get much use, sadly. Hoping someone gets me a membership for Kew Gardens though!

Something for her bedroom, a lava lamp or a star projector light perhaps? Kids Alexa? (Podcasts, music etc..)

Would she enjoy a Yoto player and some cards for it? Lots of audio books for older kids, and you can also make your own playlists and recordings onto blank cards, which she might enjoy.

Is she a reader? National geographic subscription? Day out to fun museum/show?

And there’s nothing wrong with screentime. Will be vital for a lot of jobs! I can understand it might not feel as imaginative though.

My 8 year old loves her switch, books, Alexa and Barbie dream house (appreciate the Barbie dream house isn’t useful to you). For Christmas she’s getting a desk as her main gift. Other things she has that she likes are a big beanbag in her room to sit and read on, her scooter, squishmallows and board games. Next Christmas she’ll get a telly in her room so she can play active switch games on it like just dance and Mario sport. She won’t be allowed YouTube on it though!

My daughter got an instant camera around that she. She absolutely loved it.

Raspberry pi if she enjoys coding.

Magnatiles

Have a biscuit poppy that really made me chuckle

Honestly OP, I think your daughter sounds about the right age to have her own laptop (with supervision of course). Screen time isnt bad as long as its responsible

I'm taking it on tour, wil let you know the deets. Thanks for the biccy, will go with me tea.

At the moment she uses a 2nd hand laptop for her coding - it's not 'hers' as such but no-one else uses it as DH and I have work laptops. I have an iPad which she is allowed to borrow for 30 mins on Saturdays and Sundays for Minecraft. I'm not totally opposed to screen time but try to have reasonable rules around it. I'll happily get her a laptop for secondary school as I assume she will need one then, but ideally I would like to get her something to play with while she is still a kid A laptop to me is primarily a work tool! But I guess it's harder to get "toys" as they get older.

To be honest, I thought the VR ocean explorer headset looked great, but DH wasn't comfortable with the idea.

@Newsenmum She is a voracious reader, and actually she loves National Geographic! That's a good idea.

We got my then 8 and 10 year old dc lava lamps last year that went down really well.

Im planning on getting bubble tea kits this year as they both love bubble tea

What about a sphero if she enjoys coding? Or a Lego spike? Both great wee robots that use block coding (same as scratch). The sphero is practically indestructible and has lots of possibilities to explore. My class love building obstacle courses for it and painting with it. The Lego spike is compatible with all Lego kits and again has lots of possibilities and will grow with her.

They do both require a device to build the code on but I'm assuming she has something if she uses scratch.