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JennGM
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We never have any problems choosing toys for our oldest, who is now 8. But younger brother, who will be turning 4, is harder for us.
We have so many existing toys -- we don't need more Playmobil or Legos. We have lots of cars and Thomas trains. He usually plays along with big brother with his toys. He's different in that he loves drawing, coloring and such, and is at a stage where he really loves puzzles. But we have so many right now, that I can't think of getting another one.
Basically he's not lacking, but I do want to give him something unique and special to him.
So what I was thinking is perhaps a wooden marble run. I've been lusting after those for many years. The sound is just so much better than the plastic ones (which we have). But I don't want something too fussy that he will get frustrated. If it knocks over too easily, etc.
Has anyone had the
Haba Ball Track Construction Set?
How about compared to Haba My First Wooden Ball Track Set?
This is basically why I have not bought this. I'm overwhelmed at the prices and the choices. I love Sound Staircase and know he would enjoy that.
So basically, any help with suggestions for gifts, and any input on these specific marble runs would be so helpful!
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Jennifer G. Miller
Wife to  & ds1  '03 & ds2  '07
Family in Feast and Feria
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JennGM
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I should add that December is a double whammy, so I need both birthday and Christmas. I'm thinking getting a big set of marble run for birthday and then add-ons for Christmas.
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Jennifer G. Miller
Wife to & ds1 '03 & ds2 '07
Family in Feast and Feria
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JodieLyn
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hmmm well I'm looking at the blocks with colored panes for my small boys this year.. it won't be a lot more in sheer amount of the blocks.. but it'll add interest in using all the blocks again.
And just for the general idea.. for my little girl's birthday I'm taking a doll house that her sisters had, plain wood that's been marked on some.. and I'm going to paint it with pinks (her absolute favorite color) and get her new dolls for it. So I don't have another doll house but she has a special to her doll house 
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Jodie, wife to Dave
G-18, B-17, G-15, G-14, B-13, B-11, G-9, B-7, B-5, B-4
All men who have turned out worth anything have had the chief hand in their own education.
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CrunchyMom
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No experience with those, but they look really great! I just refuse to add more things with lots of pieces this year. Maybe boy #4 will be so lucky, lol.
I do feel your pain. I'm at a loss for what to get my *third* son, age 3. I have backpacks I snagged on clearance for the older two, but my third got a Brown Bear backpack with his name for his birthday in September. (I've tried to be creative to find gifts that have a "fun" factor when opened like a toy, but aren't toys, and might actually be useful).
I would like some new art supplies, and I'm thinking maybe an art caddy JUST for him with new scissors and pip squeaks?
They are all getting books. I think I'll continue adding some Billy and Blaze for my second (he got Billy and Blaze for his birthday in June) and then start Snipp Snapp Snurr for the 3 year old.
I know that my 3 year old would also DIE of happiness if he got a movie  or his very own flashlight
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Lindsay
Five Boys(6/04) (6/06) (9/08)(3/11),(7/13), and 1 girl (5/16)
My Symphony
[URL=http://mysymphonygarden.blogspot.com/]Lost in the Cosmos[/UR
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stefoodie
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I had the same problem while the boys were younger. But even though they had tons of Lego and Playmobil, his "very own set" always made the Second Son happy no matter what it was :)
Of course at some point the Legos all converted to "the family set" and then they had lots to fight about. 
I've always wanted the marble run as well, but never got it. Looks good! And those colored panes, beautiful! I've had those on my list for a while too. Might get those in a couple of years when the 2-yo is more into our old wooden blocks (right now he uses them as catapults and weapons. )
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stef
mom to five
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JodieLyn
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Lindsay - fisher price wild lights
they make noise but not too loud and they go off if they're not held on.. and are LOVED here by the smaller kids.. I linked the monster but the t-rex and tiger are super cute too.
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Jodie, wife to Dave
G-18, B-17, G-15, G-14, B-13, B-11, G-9, B-7, B-5, B-4
All men who have turned out worth anything have had the chief hand in their own education.
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JennGM
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Ah yes, we have a Tiger one. It has caused quite a chuckle when that was the only flashlight we could find in a state of emergency. It's makes a roaring sound when it gets turned on.
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Jennifer G. Miller
Wife to & ds1 '03 & ds2 '07
Family in Feast and Feria
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lapazfarm
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We have a set of marble track blocks very much like the first set you linked, with a few more blocks. It is a very popular toy. We got it when Sam (16) was a toddler and it has been played with by successive kids ever since. Definitely a worthy investment.
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Theresa
us-schooling in beautiful Fairbanks, Alaska.
LaPaz Home Learning
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ShannonJ
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We have a marble run on our Christmas list this year as well. I look at them every.single.year. But they are pricey! I know that we would get tons of use out of it, so I am going to break down and buy one.
We have lots of toys that my mom held on to until I had kids - lincoln logs, bristle blocks, legos of course, oodles of hot wheels. I'm sure there are some more! These just stand the test of time and become great heirlooms. I remember when I went to look for a small add on set to our huge pile lincoln logs being astounded how expensive they were! At that point I was sooo happy that she had held on to a few things.
Here are a few things I have wishlisted for when I need a gift idea:
Wedgits
Giant Pick Up Sticks
Qwirkle
Hoppers, Jr. - we have this one - the kids really enjoy it!
Spot It game
Castle Logix
Magneatos
Well, anyways that's some of what I have bookmarked just as ideas so I'm not searching at the last minute.
Maybe roller skates? My son got some when he was four. It took him a bit to get used to them (read hanging on Mom for dear life), he recently has asked for rollerblades.
For the past several years my husband has given him the new Hess truck. These are really nice and always parked nicely in his room.
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~Shannon
Mom of dd 12, ds 9, & dd 5
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DominaCaeli
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Art supplies would be a good bet since they are consumable. A special drawing pad, his own clipboard for "nature journaling," maybe waterbrushes and a new pan of watercolors? You probably already have that sort of thing, but I just mean a set of his own age-appropriate supplies.
Other ideas:
:: nature study set (backpack, magnifying glass, binoculars, bug house, specimen containers)
:: musical instruments
:: a new outdoor toy (minimizes clutter since it stays outside )
Love the marble run! It strikes me as a great option and one that I am sure will get lots of use by all ages.
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Celeste
Joyous Lessons
Mommy to six: three boys (8, 4, newborn) and four girls (7, 5, 2, and 1)
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JennGM
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Speaking of totally boy toys, I just found out about this company. We received their catalog, and it is just pure boy:
J M Cremps.
Anyone use them before?
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MaryM
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JennGM wrote:
Speaking of totally boy toys, I just found out about this company. We received their catalog, and it is just pure boy:
J M Cremps.
Anyone use them before?
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No, but we just got the catalog, too. I'd never heard of them.
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Mary M. in Denver
Our Domestic Church
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CrunchyMom
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MaryM wrote:
JennGM wrote:
Speaking of totally boy toys, I just found out about this company. We received their catalog, and it is just pure boy:
J M Cremps.
Anyone use them before?
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No, but we just got the catalog, too. I'd never heard of them. |
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Thanks! Just requested the catalog!
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Lindsay
Five Boys(6/04) (6/06) (9/08)(3/11),(7/13), and 1 girl (5/16)
My Symphony
[URL=http://mysymphonygarden.blogspot.com/]Lost in the Cosmos[/UR
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Mackfam
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CrunchyMom wrote:
MaryM wrote:
JennGM wrote:
Speaking of totally boy toys, I just found out about this company. We received their catalog, and it is just pure boy:
J M Cremps.
Anyone use them before?
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No, but we just got the catalog, too. I'd never heard of them. |
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Thanks! Just requested the catalog! |
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Me too!! I can't believe I don't already get that one!
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Jen Mackintosh
Wife to Rob, mom to dd 19 , ds 16, ds 11, dd 8, and dd 3
Wildflowers and Marbles
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Mackfam
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JennGM wrote:
| So what I was thinking is perhaps a wooden marble run. I've been lusting after those for many years. The sound is just so much better than the plastic ones (which we have). But I don't want something too fussy that he will get frustrated. If it knocks over too easily, etc. |
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We have this marble run set from Lee Valley. It was a gift to the boys a past Christmas and they love it. I'm thinking of asking for another set for them this year so they can expand their building. It is different from the Quadrilla twist and rail sets (which do look so neat). We don't have the room for the Quadrilla one. The Lee Valley run is quite nice in terms of quality. And I like that the pieces are completely open-ended in terms of the structure built. The storage bag makes them easy to pick up and they don't take too much room in storage....but once my boys get rolling, they're quickly run out of pieces and they have long wanted to expand their set!
Hope this is a help in considering marble runs, Jenn!
Along the lines of a marble run, last year we bought all the kids a family Epiphany gift of a large Keva block collection and one of the things we bought with their set was the Contraptions set. It's been one of the most fantastic gifts ever. The balls work like big marbles and the Keva blocks have endless possibilities! If you buy this set with a larger set of Keva (or have a simple blocks set already....I think I remember that you might, Jenn ???) the kids have a number of blocks to build a neat track. Our boys love the Keva planks!!
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Jen Mackintosh
Wife to Rob, mom to dd 19, ds 16, ds 11, dd 8, and dd 3
Wildflowers and Marbles
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JennGM
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Ah, Quadrilla was the other set. I was all set to purchase and now you have given me way too many other possibilities.
Seriously, though, thank you, Jen.
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Jennifer G. Miller
Wife to & ds1 '03 & ds2 '07
Family in Feast and Feria
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JennGM
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ShannonJ wrote:
We have a marble run on our Christmas list this year as well. I look at them every.single.year. But they are pricey! I know that we would get tons of use out of it, so I am going to break down and buy one.
We have lots of toys that my mom held on to until I had kids - lincoln logs, bristle blocks, legos of course, oodles of hot wheels. I'm sure there are some more! These just stand the test of time and become great heirlooms. I remember when I went to look for a small add on set to our huge pile lincoln logs being astounded how expensive they were! At that point I was sooo happy that she had held on to a few things.
Here are a few things I have wishlisted for when I need a gift idea:
Wedgits
Giant Pick Up Sticks
Qwirkle
Hoppers, Jr. - we have this one - the kids really enjoy it!
Spot It game
Castle Logix
Magneatos
Well, anyways that's some of what I have bookmarked just as ideas so I'm not searching at the last minute.
Maybe roller skates? My son got some when he was four. It took him a bit to get used to them (read hanging on Mom for dear life), he recently has asked for rollerblades.
For the past several years my husband has given him the new Hess truck. These are really nice and always parked nicely in his room. |
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Great ideas, thank you, Shannon. Actually, Qwirkle is on the list for this year.
__________________
Jennifer G. Miller
Wife to & ds1 '03 & ds2 '07
Family in Feast and Feria
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Trinity
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My son has the Haba Master Builder Set.
He received it for a birthday present a year and a half ago and loves it. He and his sister spend a lot of time coming up with new tracks. It really is a great toy. Very well made, but then the Germans always seem to have amazing craftsmanship. It is a very open ended toy and I love that it doesn't need batteries.
We buy add on sets for birthdays and Christmas. Honestly the only toy set they play with more is legos. I highly reccomend the Haba marble run sets. 
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Trinity
DS(05/01/03)& DD(03/02/08)
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stacykay
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We got a marble run for our 6th ds, when he was around 4. He did find it frustrating, so I put it away. He and his older brothers brought it out just this past summer (he's 7 now,) and they had a blast.
It is so hard to find each one's niche and the special gift for them! I need all the suggestions I can get, as our house is overrun with Lego!
In Christ,
Stacy in MI
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4Real Forums : Tea and Conversation
Topic: Gifts for the Second Son
