Towering Pines Blog
Gifts that Promote the Spirit of Camp!!!
With the holidays just around the corner, I am definitely feeling a time crunch. I really like to enjoy these moments with family and friends, but a lot of my time is spent on thinking of gift ideas!! So much emphasis is put on technology and often times kids feel like they’re missing out if they aren’t part of the technology craze. It can be very challenging to think of gifts that promote education, learning and creativity which are the same concepts that we emphasize and value at camp.
Here’s a list that gives some very helpful information and might be a useful guide for your holiday gift shopping or for future birthday gift ideas!! (Thank you to a North Carolina camp who created and shared this list!!)
Amazon Echo Glow
A smart lamp for kids. Connect this multicolor smart lamp to your Echo device, and you can ask Alexa to change the color, adjust brightness, and create helpful routines.
Hotwheels ID Smart Track Kit
Makeover 20 different unique corses with this smart rack. Track your progress, measure your speed, and plan even better stunts.
Buy it on: Amazon or Target
Harry Potter Coding Kit – Kano
Build a wand. Learn to Code. Make Magic! This is the IT toy of 2019. Learn to code through creative challenges. You can make feathers fly, fire flow, and pumpkins grow. This is a DIY kit that shows you how to build a Bluetooth coding wand. Recommended for ages 6 to 690 (Dumbledore’s age).
Buy it on: Amazon, Kano, or Target
4M Kidzlabs Anti Gravity Magnetic Levitation Science Kit
This science kit teaches kids about magnetic force through several fun, hands-on experiments Experiments include floating a pencil, levitating a screw, building a maglev, and more. This affordable kit that packs a punch of activities in one. With a detailed instruction book, your child will have a head start.
Buy it on: Amazon or Home Science Tools
Thames & Kosmos Kids First: Robot Safari
Ready to build your first robot? Build a sea otter, unicorn, fox, bear, baby llama, and more with this kit. With a full-color manual that reads more like a story than a manual, your child will be hooked. A great intro to STEM learning for your young camper.
As they follow the story, kids can build models of these robots and experiment with them to see how each one uses mechanical parts to move in a different way. (COOL!)
Tinkering Labs Electric Motor
Kid-tested, parent-approved. Build and rebuild a small motor 10 different ways with this gift. Inspire creativity and let your child build! The set comes with challenge cards, challenging the creator to build a machine that draws curvy lines, make a machine that can scramble an egg, and more! A great gift for your young tinkerer. (8+ age recommended)
Buy it on: Tinkering Labs
Cinemood Portable Movie Projector
Need a movie room for your children to watch the most recent Star Wars in? Create your own with the 3″ portable, smart mini projector. Project up to 12-feet in a dark environment.
To Learn More and Buy: Amazon
Smartphone-Controlled Paper Airplane
Fold the plane, attach the Bluetooth device, download the app, and let the amazing flight begin. Smartphone controlled, this paper airplane will fly where you want it to go. Just fold the paper using the included template, attach the deices, download the app to your phone, and go! Start working on those pilot skills early.
Buy it on: UncommonGoods
Glowing Slime Kit
Let the slime-masters create and explore through 15 different experiments! All kids can agree, slime is cool and glow-in-the-dark is even cooler. Follow simple instructions and you will get glowing gel, fizzing eco-foam, slime and more! Adult supervision is recommended. (Ages 10+) Made locally in North Carolina.
Buy it on: UncommonGoods
Long Distance Friendship Lamp
Stay connected with camp friends or extended family! Try these in-sync lamps. When you turn one on with your hand, it will emit and soft ambient glow to the matching lamp – no matter where it is. (The lamps will need Wifi set-up.)
Buy it on: UncommonGoods
A few other gift guides you should check out:
– Tech Gifts for Kids (Business Insider)
– Gifts for Teen Boys (Good House Keeping)
– Tech Gifts for Young Boys (Camp High Rocks)
Thank you for reading our Tech Gift Guide For Boys. We hope you found a few new ideas for this holiday season (or birthdays!).
(Again, thank you to a North Carolina camp who created and shared this list!!)