GIFT GUIDE 2008
Second Grade Gifts
Gifts for a 7-Year-Old or 8-Year-Old
From toys that stand the test of time to board games that are anything but boring, we found the best second grade products for a seven-year-old or eight-year-old. Our list of loot is kid-tested, teacher approved, and full of options for any family, so get wrappin'!
Villa Paletti
Hit the road, Jenga. Villa Paletti is the next incarnation of nerve-tingling, risk-taking, balancing fun! Kids will get a rush out of simply removing and replacing the colorful columns, all the while working on concentration, hand-eye coordination, and geometric awareness.
Games to Go
This ingenious collection of six popular games is sure to be a traveling parent's best friend! Games include Checkers, Tic-Tac-Toe, Snakes and Ladders (similar to Hasbro's Chutes and Ladders), Mancala, Backgammon, and Chinese Checkers.
Doodles-n-Art
Kids are crazy about crafts, especially at this age, when skills like drawing, cutting, and gluing are well-established. But it's hard to find the time to get supplies and ideas. Introducing Doodles-n-Art, a subscription service that delivers a new craft kit to your door every month!
Educated Kid
This indie band of three hails from the Bay area, and while they aren't a household name (yet!), we're betting it won't be long. Handpicked to grace the kids' stage at Lollapalooza, it's no surprise that they've got a hip-factor that will keep parents rocking out along with their kids.
Toy Dance Party
This early chapter book is a delightful look into the secret lives of playthings. Lumphy the buffalo, Stingray the stuffed stingray and Plastic the bouncy ball will capture your child's heart, and their silly antics will have your whole family laughing. Great as a read-aloud or a read-alone.
Leather Stamping Collection
What could be cooler than leather? Not much! This kit gives your kid all the tools and materials she needs to experiment with it. She can dye and buff pieces to make a key chain, lace the leather together and craft a unique wallet, or braid strips to make a funky bracelet.
Powerwing Drifting Caster Scooter
This is Razor's newest innovation. Instead of standing on one foot while the other one "pumps," a child puts both feet on colorful red side "wings" equipped with wheels on casters, and shifts weight from one foot to the other to get the scooter rolling. A toy to keep, and enjoy, for years to come!
Ivy and Bean Secret Treasure Box
Bean thought playing with her neighbor Ivy would be like taking the next train to Boring. But she quickly learns that bookworm Ivy is just as feisty a troublemaker as herself! The perfect gift for a second-grader, Ivy and Bean's adventures are sure to keep the pages turning.
Hilltop Castle
This play castle has everything a knight-in-training could ask for. With a wind-up drawbridge complete with portcullis, an elastic catapult that really shoots, and walkways that flip down to imprison wrongdoers, the hilltop fortress promises hours of creative play, day or knight!
You Mix It: Secret Formula Lab
Smart Lab's Secret Formula Lab has projects that let kids create "alien blood," grow their very own fungus, and make invisible ink - all from simple, nontoxic materials. Just beware that instant play may not be possible without a pantry stocked with baking soda and vinegar!
Meerkat Manor
Meerkats have one of the most cooperative and tightly-knit societies in the animal kingdom, and Animal Planet's documentary camera work, expert narration, and a few fun names to keep the animals all straight, add up to equal terrific drama in the animal kingdom!
Deluxe Magic Set
From vanishing coins to entrancing illusions, this all-wooden kit is sure to inspire would-be Houdinis. Forget those cheap plastic tricks you see hanging at the local party store - this set has 54 high quality pieces that are built to last. Plus, your child can practice hand-eye coordination, too!
A Practical Guide to Dragon Riding
A follow up to the runaway hit, "A Practical Guide to Dragons", this delightful tome details everything your child needs to know in order to find, train, and raise a dragon, including in-depth directions for diet and exercise. Enter a fantastical world and set your child's imagination soaring!
Storytelling Game
Storytelling is an important activity for second graders, who are beginning to read more complex chapter books and write their own short stories. This fast-paced memory game is a great way to get the literary juices flowing!
Barn Buddies
This gift-giving, consider giving your child a Barn Buddy Sponsorship, which provides feed, board and medical care to one very special animal, such as Mama, a Bay thoroughbred rescued from a semi-truck accident, or Pepe, a black sheep who was bottle-fed after his mother rejected him.
