Not Your Average Birthday Present…
February 2, 2012I’ve been having a run of good luck with my homemade Fun Box.
I start with a Sterilite Snap Box (found at Target) and do the lettering with the help of some painter’s tape to keep me straight. Then I head to my local Craft store (Michael’s, Hobby Lobby, etc) for the innards. The key is to buy in bulk and get into my Costco-size Ziploc bags to do the dividing.
So here are the goodies:
1) Velvet coloring activity I found in the $1 bin; 2) safety scissors; 3) glue stick (you might want to warn the parents about this one); 4) crayons – I like these new Crayola twistables; 5) a bunch of stickers; 6) foam stickers (animals, stars and bells, letters and numbers); 7) colored craft sticks; 8. regular craft sticks; 9) bells; 10) pompoms; 11) googly eyes; 12) pipe cleaners; 13) activity books: dot-to-dot, mazes, etc. (School Zone Publishing has great ones for about $1.40 each and available here:
My dear friend Erika – a teacher – uses books, cute lettering and stickers:
How cute is that??
She also uses these adorable reusable shopping bags for boys:
I also heard an idea a while back about a special playdate (bowling, horseback riding, a trip to the bounce house place, etc) in lieu of a present. I’ve been trying this with mixed results.
Yes, and sometimes, I just grab the LEGO set and go with it!
What are your ideas for birthdays?
Share this post
You might like...
Deer Valley!
Stocking Stuffers! (Giveaways)
Visit to the Pumpkin Patch
Box4Blox (Giveaway)Category: Activities, Toys and Gift Ideas
Cathy
on February 2, 2012 5:10 pmSince we get invited to a lot of Girl Parties – I do something similar with several hair accessories – headbands, barrettes, pony tail holders, mirror. I also watch sale racks at Claires and Justice for jewelry, nail polish, lip gloss, etc – and small purses/bags to put the stuff in. With girls, you can never have too much of that stuff! 🙂
RLR
on February 4, 2012 7:30 amNow that our kids (and therefore their classmates) are reading, I love to give a collection of books (kid classics based on age/gender, if we know the child well) or a gift card to a book store with a bookmark or two. I used to think a gift card was taking the easy way out, and it definitely is a quick and easy choice, but I like the idea of letting kids select a book that’s just right for them – something they are interested in, and at the appropriate level. Also, there are activity books (Klutz, bor example), how-to books, game/puzzle books, and even a toy section with some pretty nice toys (Legos, Story Cubes, Math Dice, etc.) at our chain bookstore.
My go-to gift seems to change from year-to-year, but I have always loved the idea of giving gifts that aren’t just toys, but require some thought or interaction. We did craft bins for a while – so much fun, and usually a quiet activity. As a rule, I try not to give noisy toys as gifts! Plus, the kids loved helping me shop for these. Now that the kids are in school, I usually shop solo. Spending time in the bookstore is a treat!
Love Cathy’s idea of of hair accessories, polish, and a small purse. My daughter’s getting to that age, so I guess we’ll be doing those soon enough!