I have 2 kids and 14 nieces and nephews to buy gifts for this holiday season. I like doing my shopping online and early, so that items will get delivered to my doorstep in time for Christmas. This year, I have found a collection of gifts I think are pretty neat… feel free to steal any of them as gift ideas for the little people in your life 
Also, if you have any favorite kid gifts, please send along your favorites so that other readers and I can steal from your list, too!
Some items that made it to my list this year include:
Life Gear Glowstick With Built-In Flashlight & Whistle – combination glowstick, flashlight, and whistle – got one for almost every kid on my list since these will be great for camping, making forts, or reading in bed at night – I got these for $5 each on Ebay including shipping. (I have also seen these at checkout at Lowe’s and Home Depot). One set of batteries will keep it going for 200+ hours, a major plus when you combine kids and flashlights!
Habo Ball Track Construction Set and Marble Stairs – This all wood marble/block set will be the big gift from grandparents for my 5 year old son. It is made in Germany of unpainted wood, and you can build your own marble runs with this set, from very simple to advanced. There are many add-on kits, including the Haba Marble Stairs – a magnetic board that you can adjust pieces for the marbles to fall through the maze that you create. A “smart” toy that I think will be very fun for both of my kids. (We already have the Quadrilla Twist & Rail – also a great marble run – that I plan on combining with the Haba set for super-creative marble runs.)
SnapCircuits 300 – I was excited when my daughter (7) pointed this out in a catalog as something she really wanted for Christmas. Yeah! A traditionally “boy” toy that looks fun for my girl! The SnapCircuits kit gets great reviews on Amazon as an educational toy in electronics. This $40 kit can be used to do 300 different projects ranging from building a fan to creating a working AM/FM radio. I have to admit I am excited to learn about electronics along with her with this toy since as a girl raised in the 70s I was not exposed to .
HyperDash – This toy looks great for rainy o
r cold days when you are stuck inside and your kids are going stir crazy. The game has different settings so you can play by yourself or in a group, and involves running around collecting numbered disks using an electronic handheld device.
Zingo
– This is a bingo-style game for early readers. After reading some of the positive reviews posted about this game on Amazon.com, I was convinced it would be a great toy for 3 of the 5ish year old kids on my list.
Blongo Ball – This set lo
oks like a great set to give to a family, and you can order a carrying bag to keep it all together for trips to the park or beach. You can get this set for $45 on Amazon.com (including shipping), and extra sets of balls can be ordered for about $8 each if you are giving to a larger family.
And what did I sneak on the list for our family this year? The Cuisinart 2 Quart Ice Cream Maker – on sale right now for $55 on Amazon.com. (I also got the Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream Recipe book for $10). I am very excited about the prospects of homemade ice cream every Friday night during family movie night–and I have a feeling our ice cream flavors will become very creative (sometimes gross??) with the help of the young ones in the house
