Gifts for the 8 year old girl who has everything

[Anonymous]

This is not a humble brag I swear. My DD's birthday is close to Christmas and she already got a ton of crafty toys and stuff from her friends, Gramma, and us. She has a bike, a scooter, books, dress up stuff, Legos, too many stuffed animals, dolls, she's already signed up for afterschool enrichment activities for winter/spring and she and her sister share a play kitchen, needs some new furniture but I don't count that as something a kid would want. She's asked for an Ipad or IPhone but we don't "do" video games at our house and I'm against her having those yet (house policy.) I'm also anti Bratz and Monster High.
I want to get her something she'll love and be excited about but in my mind I know there are rubber maid bins full of toys I need to take to the donation center in our basement.
DH wants to get her a nice but kid friendly amp to go with her real microphone. Right now all I can think of is a Twister Game since she asked for that. I just don't want her to have a lame Christmas but I don't want to get her a kitten just because I couldn't think of anything else. HELP

[Anonymous]

Books? DVD's? CDs?

[Anonymous]

Both my DDs did a clover page when they turned 8. They decide on one gift that they want, (I outlawed the tortoise request, btw) and then they pick a charity and a percentage of any money that comes to them goes to their gift, and the other percentage goes to the charity.

So when one DD turned 8, she wanted (that board that looks like a skateboard but it's different) and gave 75% of whatever anyone donated to her skateboard to an organization that distributes malaria nets.

This is nice especially if her birthday is around Christmas and she's having a party. Makes things easy for everyone.

cloverbyclover.org

[Anonymous]

microscope?

[Anonymous]

What books does she like? Tell us and you'll get some recommendations for book gifts.

Cricket and Stone Soup magazines seem to get good reviews here on DCUM.

Tickets to a theater performance.

[Anonymous]

15:15 forgot to add, for presents, over the years their one big present has been….ice skates, an archery set (there's a pink one on amazon.com), a pea coat and boots, that skateboard thingie that I mentioned above (rip stick?), a hair straightener iron.

The hair iron was very funny. My DD was begging for a computer or iPhone (we're also no electronics), the tortoise, and something else--just stuff that would require so much extra monitoring effort and misery from me--then in the midst of this, she says "hair straightening iron" and of course, to me, it's not the same class of gift, and it's only about $20 to boot, but for her, it's equivalent to all those other expensive and/or nightmarish things. So make sure you explore the many things she may like!

[Anonymous]

sorry

cloverbyclover.com

[Anonymous]

Politics and prose has a very cool monthly book club. I have to agree that magazines are pretty cool, I like Cricket, but American Girl has also been pretty popular as a gift. If she has lots of crafting kits then she is not using them, what about a party for using them?

[Anonymous]

You can just get educational apps and books for the iPad. We only allow games on long trips. It isn't buying the device that is the issue but how they use it. You control how they use it.

[Anonymous]

get her a class for christmas (ice skating, art)

do a mom and me date with her. (like tea at American girl? Isn't that a thing?)

[Anonymous]

The amp, twister are great. I think theatre tix are a nice idea, and I would think about more experiential things like wrapping a new muffin tin and muffin mix. Make some muffins Christmas morning.

[Anonymous]

I second American Girl for that age. I got that for a friend's daughter for Christmas last year and she still talks about it.

[Anonymous]

DD is 7, and she still doesn't get that Christmas and birthdays are "big" gift days yet. And I'm fine with that. She really, really wants a stuffed animal that rolls up into a ball. It costs $20. I think she'll be happier getting that than if I got her some expensive gift that she doesn't really want. So, she'll get the ball animal and be thrilled, I'm sure.

[Anonymous]

What about something like scrap booking supplies and a camera? Or horse back riding lessons? A weekend trip to WolfLodge? A really nice watch? Down hill skis or a snow board? Could you get her a small photo session where she gets to get make up and wear whatever she wants? Or a dinner out with friends, were you can rent a limo and she and her friends can go out to dinner and a movie.

[Anonymous]

What about an experience, like tickets to a play, a spa day with mom, pottery painting together?