Thursday, November 2, 2017

Christmas Wishlist - Luke Edition

Y'all know that I'm an early Christmas shopper.  I DESPISE going to the mall and fighting the crowds  during the holidays and pretty much always choose to shop online in my pajamas.  I like to get it done early because with school activities, exams, #allthegrading and everything else going on it's so convenient to have everything already purchased and ready to be wrapped.

Over the next week or so I'll be sharing some "Christmas wishlists" highlighting things my kids either have and love or things that are on my short list for them this year.  



For a little bit of background - Luke is nine, is super inquisitive and loves all things engineering.

You can hover over the images below and click on them to shop!



1, 2 & 8 - Luke loves to read and will pretty much read anything we put in front of him, but  Dog ManCaptain Underpants and  Diary of a Wimpy Kid are three of his favorite series.  In fact, I credit Captain Underpants with really spurring on his love of reading.  If you want other suggestions for elementary-aged readers you can check out my post HERE.

3 - Luke got a  set of Structures Blocks last Christmas and they're one of his "simplest" toys, but honestly, one that he plays with the most.  I love how well-made they are and how he gets to explore architecture and engineering while playing.  They come with a booklet of ideas and these are always one of the first toys that gets pulled out on the weekends.

4 - I can't say enough great things about  Snap Circuits.  Luke has several sets and they are SO COOL!  If you ever watch my Instastories then you've probably seen him creating devices that light up and pulse with the beat of music or launch spinners 15 feet in the air.  If you have a little engineer on your hands I HIGHLY recommend checking out Snap Circuits.  Also - let's talk about how Luke lost a piece and when we went to the Elenco site to purchase a replacement piece we found out that they mail them out for FREE!  I mean - how amazing is that for customer service?!?!  I was so impressed!!!

5 - We have drawers full of "random" Lego pieces from sets that have been played with, rebuilt and taken apart and I love how  this book will give him tons of directions and creative ideas for using pieces he already has.  This is in my cart for him and I also have  this one in there for Mason.  I'm hopeful that these books will inspire a lot of Lego play over Christmas break!

6 - K'Nex sets are another favorite at our house.  We love that they all work together and how they foster a curiosity for geometry and structural engineering.   This set is on my list for Luke this year because it's STEM-based and comes with experiments and directions and has a battery pack and somehow motorizing his little creations makes everything that much more fun.

7 - I bought the boys an  OSMO Genius Kit back on Amazon Prime Day in the summer and it is sooooo impressive!!!  It's a device that works with your iPad (ps - we have the new iPad Air and it works just fine even though OSMO doesn't officially say it works with the newest model) and the boys play with it ALL THE TIME.  It's completely hands on and they practice math, spelling and hand-eye coordination with the different games.  I ordered  the coding game and the pizza game for them for Christmas and it's taking all of my willpower to not pull them out and let them play with them now :) 

It's hard to even explain what OSMO is without seeing it in action so if you're curious check this out...


and if you end up purchasing the OSMO base you need to consider getting the  creative set because OMG it is SO COOL!!!


9 - We haven't introduced Luke to  Meccano yet because it seemed a little "older" and there's nothing worse than getting your kid a gift that's too complex for them to enjoy but I think that this is the year.  He loves to "tinker" with tools and I think that this will engage his love of building and following a set of instructions as well as his desire to know the "how and why" of mechanical things.  I am SO EXCITED about getting him some Meccano for Christmas!

10 - Dave and I vowed a while ago that we weren't going to buy anymore Lego sets for our boys because they have a TON of Legos - but, once again,  the Star Wars sets are on the top of his Christmas list :)  Dave and I probably won't be buying him Legos but that's what grandparents are for, right? :) 

11 - If y'all don't have  Quirkle add it to your Christmas list RIGHT NOW!  It is so much fun and we play it multiple times a week.  Mason and Luke can play together and we can all play as a family as well.  It's one of the best games - promise!

12 - Luke REALLY wants an  over-the-door basketball set (not sure where he got the idea - but it's so fun!) and I can't wait to see his face when he opens it up on Christmas morning.

13 - Luke is really into all things Pokemon and this is one of those  ridiculous little banks where the character pops up and grabs the coin to put it into the bank.  I think he'll get a HUGE kick out of it!

14 - Luke got  this bow and arrow set for his birthday and has enjoyed hours of fun with it since then.  Gram and Papa Mac gave it to him along with  this target block and it's been a blast.  Keep in mind that these are REAL metal-tipped arrows and so you'll want to make sure you're supervising play/practice.  

I hope that this list of Luke's favorites gave you a little bit of inspiration if you have a third grader on your list this year!

PS - this post contained affiliate links - thank you so much for reading and supporting my blog!

23 comments :

  1. Eek!!! This is getting me in the Christmas spirit!

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  2. Thank you for some great ideas! Definitely going to add Quirkle to our list and the structures blocks look right up my boys' alley.

    http://www.lettinginthelightblog.com

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  3. Thanks SO MUCH for this. I've gotten ours a few things this year, but I'm lacking in ideas. I just put a set of Structures Blocks in our Amazon cart.

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  4. Okay, so you just totally made Christmas shopping for Carter so easy! Getting Structures, Snap Circuits, and Quirkle!!! Thanks!

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  5. Thank you!! My 10-year old is nearing impossible to buy for, and I’ve actually looked at a couple of these for his list. Thanks so much!! :)

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  6. Just a tip for the basketball goal - it's SO loud when they are playing, but if you'll put a pillow case laying over the top of the door, and then put the goal on, it "pads" the door somewhat ha!

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    1. Agreed!! There have been many times I have thought my pre-teen was attempting to bust the door down. The pillowcase idea is genius...and will protect the paint.

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  7. How do you store lego sets? This is a big thing at our house too.

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    1. My daughter works at the LEGO store at the Mall of America and has a huge collection herself! When she takes her sets apart, she originally stored them by color in old shoe boxes. Now she has purchased the clear plastic shoe boxes that stack and slide open like drawers. She can see what is inside each box.

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  8. I came across the Meccanos and K'Nex last night on Amazon wondering if Luke had any yet...I can't wait to Christmas shop for the kids!

    Send their lists over soon. :)

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  9. These are such great ideas. My son is now almost 14, but at Luke's age - these are the exact things he would have loved!

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  10. Great ideas! My son is almost 8 (a third grader) and he rarely plays with toys anymore, so I always appreciate seeing your gift ideas.

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  11. What a great list! I like to shop early (and online) too but I'm always worried about buying too early and missing the sales that come later in the season. In reality, when the sales do happen my stuff is either out of stock or I'm not prepared. In a future wishlist post can you share about your strategy for purchasing early and/or keeping items in your cart for a smooth transaction in the future?

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  12. Oh this list is so good! Cooper will be 8 in a couple months & just bought Dog Man at his school's book fair. Super cute!! And we are moving rooms around making room for baby girl & he's asked for a basketball goal in there. We loved the idea!!

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  13. Thank you for posting these. My son is in the 2nd grade and I have considered some of these. They are now in my cart. <3

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  14. OK, we love OSMO, my 9 year old (then 8) got it last year for XMas. I add Quirkle to my list, but if you don't already have BLOKUS, that's an our favorite.

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  15. Thank you SO MUCH for this list! Can't wait to see the other two for help with my 5 and 3 year olds. :)

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  16. So many great ideas for my 8 year old boy! Thanks! Can't wait to see your other lists!

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  17. Love this! Thank you for sharing. Can't wait to see your list for Mason, my boys will be 5 in January so I need TONS of ideas for Christmas and Birthday!

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  18. I LOVE your gift idea posts! We have two boys the same ages as yours (and one is also a Mason!) and your lists have given me so many wonderful ideas over the past couple of years! Such a huge help and I know they take a lot of time to make so, thank you!

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  19. Thanks so much Andrea- this is a life saver as my boys don’t really “need” anymore Legos either and I am always looking for good activities for when they don’t have media time (they earn it and have set blocks so there is often whining about being bored). And props to you for doing boys activities - so much in blog world is just for little girls and we are an all boy house (except for me and the pug, Ella) so thanks!

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  20. I appreciate this list! My son has an October birthday so to turn around and have another gift giving time so close can provide a challenge as to what type of item would be meaningful. I am also doing a MAJOR toy organization/overhaul/donate/trash project right now so I don't want to just bring more stuff into my home. However, the Qwirkle, KNex and Snap Circuits are perfect. He'll also be getting a few new books and some stocking stuffers and we're done!
    Happy Holidays!

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