Help me find birthday presents ofr soon to be 8yo dd please!

[vwvic]

Well, the title says it all really- I need to find presents for dd1's 8th birthday.

We're completely skint this year, so the total needs to be less than £50 max. As it's her birthday over the bank holiday weekend, were going camping as part of her celebrations- she asked for this. She said she'd like some harry potter lego, but wasn't particularly fussed about anything else.

I was thinking about a pretty dress, or something useful- any ideas?

Mmm, possibly cd's would be good. She usually just nicks mine. She doesn't really go for audio books- when I got her some from the library, she asked me told me she thought they were a bit pointless . But then, she does adore books, and the process of reading....

I'm not sure what HSM is- am I missing a vital part of girliness? (more than likely!)

High School Musical (HSM)
Is she a girlie girl?

Ah, then that would be a no! She's not really girlie or sporty. However, she does like cycling. Hmm, (strokes chin), maybe a bike computer? She likes, and I quote " mud colours, with an accent of pink". We recently cycled coast to coast, and she was very pleased that her bike got a coating of dirt- she won't let me wash it off!

Sorry for dodgy spelling by the way, I'm try to do this covertly. She was insistent on watching Raven and the computer is in the same room!

Whats a bike computer?

DSD likes

Brats (horrid things)
Nintedo DS
Clothes and shoes
Books
Anything girly

Bike computers measures speed, distance covered, time taken etc. They have them in argos for about £15, but I can't put a link up because of ever present small beady eyes!

She hates girly things like brats, and limited funds mean we can't afford a nintendo ds or similar. I might be able to get a game for the pc she'd like.

She has very eclectic, kooky tastes (wonder where she gets that from...), which makes it really hard to predict what she'll think is a great gift.

AARRRRGGGHHH!

Well, I have to say, for the first time ever, I am completely at a loss at what to suggest then! I opened this thread thinking it would be a breeze! 8 year old girls are EASY, but clearly not!

Oh well, thanks for trying!

I guess if all else fails, the wonders of Borders/Waterstones with relatively unlimited use of my credit card will have to suffice...

Pogo stick

A pretty dress is always great. It is a great gift and it means that when it comes to parties/celebrations you don't have to fork out for a dress!

Bike computer sounds the ticket!
How about something for camping - a funky sleeping bag or cushion/pillow?
Or some kind of compass/explorer set?

Add to that a couple of books and it sounds like you have a great selection for what sounds like a fab girl!!

Tamagotchi??
or you can get loads of cool funky making sets- clay sets with paints etc

be careful with the bike computer - just check it would work on her bike. We ate our way through mountains of cornflakes to get a free bike computer and it won't fit dd or ds's bikes because the wheel circumference is too small (so just check that out first).

Dd is about to be 7 - someone bought her a set of watercolour pencils. You colour with them and then go over with a brush (and water) and it makes the shading look all watery and Monet-like. She has used them every day since she got them!