Name: ICHE Homeschool Conference
Start: 2025-06-05T00:00:00-05:00
End: 2025-06-07T23:59:59-05:00
Location: Bourbonnais, IL

Tagged: gifts, organizing, toys

This topic has 17 replies, 11 voices, and was last updated 13 years, 6 months ago by chocodog.

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November 13, 2011 at 1:26 am
ColoradoMama
Member
We deal with “special toys” similarly. The kids have to decide BEFORE friends come to play – no snatching toys away mid-play – and they are put out of sight before the friend arrives.
This year, we are going to buy a set of playsilks for my girls, and part of the gift will be a dyeing party with Mommy! We also ask family members for consumable gifts, rather than toy clutter. FLYLady has some great ideas here: http://www.flylady.net/d/cruising-through-the-holidays/clutter-free-gift-ideas/  For several years, my parents bought us an annual pass to the local zoo. This year (they don’t have much money), I am encouraging them to combine a gift card with a gift of time – a GC to a local restaurant, where they will take the child out to lunch; a movie pass, where they will take the child to the movies. Even a simple jar mix can be redeemed for a baking party with grandma!
Finally, we do a toy purge every year before Christmas/Hanukah/birthday season. All the toys get dumped into a pile, and we go through each one and decide Throw Away (anything broken, junky, or missing parts), Give Away (still in good working order but not played with), or Put Away. Their toys must fit into their toy shelf. The one time they complained, I reminded them that we only have a certain amount of room, and if they don’t make room for new toys, they won’t be able to get any.
November 13, 2011 at 5:52 am
AprilMayJune75
Participant
The log house and pioneer dolls from Magic Cabin are a great idea!:-) My daughter is a huge Little House on the Prarie fan, and wishes aloud for that set every year when their catalog comes. She’s also really interested in the nativity set, and since she’s outgrowing her Fisher Price Set this year, I just may be saving up my dollars to purchase it next fall.
DD really loves playing with Magna Tiles! The family I babysit for has them, and she and their youngest son (age 3 1/2) play with them for hours at a time!! They build train stations for his Thomas trains, zoos for her Schleich animals (another big favorite here!), and countless other things. They are expensive, but they are a good family gift for all the kids to share!
Also, there are arts and crafts things. DD really wants a loom for Christmas, so she can make a scarf for her friend, potholders for Grandma, purses for her little girl friends, etc. One of her friends had a birthday in Sept, and loves arts and crafts, and headbands, so we got her a Creativity for Kids headband set that allowed her to create her own handbands. She shared with her younger sister, since there are at least 6 or 8 in the set, and they both wear the headbands often.
Love the playsilks idea! 🙂 I’ll have to check those out for a stocking stuffer.
April
November 14, 2011 at 5:22 am
chocodog
Participant
My children like dress up clothes. My 5 yr old loves to play with the shoes.ect… You can get some great deals right now even in the thrift shops on halloween costumes. You can get plenty of dresses, scarves, gloves and shoes… ect.
Yes, my daughter does loose everything it seems like. I am glad I only let her play in her room this way I know where it is . LOL… ( as if it was always that way… 🙂 )