gifts for a smart kid?
August 19, 2011 5:52 PM Subscribe
Presents for a 12-year old boy?
Please suggest presents for a my 12-year old nephew. He is smart and likes computers, gaming, pirates, Legos, and history.
His current favorite computer games are Minecraft and Portal. He loved "The Hunger Games" series.
Last year I got him a Super Mario chess set (the pieces were figurines from the game). I want to get him something tangible, not just software.
He loves American history.
I can spend about $75.
Please suggest presents for a my 12-year old nephew. He is smart and likes computers, gaming, pirates, Legos, and history.
His current favorite computer games are Minecraft and Portal. He loved "The Hunger Games" series.
Last year I got him a Super Mario chess set (the pieces were figurines from the game). I want to get him something tangible, not just software.
He loves American history.
I can spend about $75.
I got my similarly aged nephew a telescope (the Galileoscope) and a rocket kit with some engines. Check with his parents first.
posted by bq at 6:14 PM on August 19, 2011
posted by bq at 6:14 PM on August 19, 2011
Rockets!
Or..the best present I got at that age was from my uncle who gave me enough fishing equipment to last forever, I've still got some of the lures 50 years later!
posted by tomswift at 6:20 PM on August 19, 2011
Or..the best present I got at that age was from my uncle who gave me enough fishing equipment to last forever, I've still got some of the lures 50 years later!
posted by tomswift at 6:20 PM on August 19, 2011
Portal Companion Cube plush toy he'll love it. (I do)
posted by Paul Breeze at 6:21 PM on August 19, 2011
posted by Paul Breeze at 6:21 PM on August 19, 2011
If you have a few months, get him a Raspberry Pi. It's a tiny ARM computer that can run linux.
posted by wayland at 6:25 PM on August 19, 2011
posted by wayland at 6:25 PM on August 19, 2011
Memoir '44 or Battle Cry -- great games and tangible lessons in American / world history.
posted by Monsieur Caution at 6:38 PM on August 19, 2011
posted by Monsieur Caution at 6:38 PM on August 19, 2011
Airzooka! (No, this won't make him smarter, but I know grown men who can't get enough of the thing.)
posted by vecchio at 7:31 PM on August 19, 2011
posted by vecchio at 7:31 PM on August 19, 2011
A $75 gift certificate to www.thinkgeek.com! That place encourages exploration like no place else.
posted by jbickers at 7:43 PM on August 19, 2011
posted by jbickers at 7:43 PM on August 19, 2011
You really can not go wrong with Legos. Oooh, Legos and pirates! 746 glorious pieces! (You can never be too rich or have too many Legos.)
posted by evilmomlady at 7:44 PM on August 19, 2011
posted by evilmomlady at 7:44 PM on August 19, 2011
spyderco knife
posted by cupcake1337 at 8:19 PM on August 19, 2011
posted by cupcake1337 at 8:19 PM on August 19, 2011
How about start buying good quality tools for his (future) tool box? I was always jealous of the kids who had an excellent collection of tools by the time they hit college.
posted by mamabear at 8:36 PM on August 19, 2011
posted by mamabear at 8:36 PM on August 19, 2011
Not sure if it would be too simplistic for a 12 year old, but Snap Circuits. It's like Legos and electronics combined!
posted by nakedandalone at 9:34 PM on August 19, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by nakedandalone at 9:34 PM on August 19, 2011 [1 favorite]
Send him outside with a steerable two line stunt kite.
posted by paulsc at 2:12 AM on August 20, 2011
posted by paulsc at 2:12 AM on August 20, 2011
Scott Westerfeld's steampunk trilogy is very good and would, I think, go over well. Leviathan is the first book.
posted by spindle at 8:01 AM on August 20, 2011
posted by spindle at 8:01 AM on August 20, 2011
You've already said Lego, I remember spending day after day playing with it in the family room till Mom finally made me put it away. $75 will get you some pretty sweet lego I would think.
My other idea was some RPG books: D&D, Pathfinder, something like that. I started playing around grade 6 with my Dad, which I think is about his age, but I'd been reading the books for years before hand, and it is pretty much the only 'toy' from my childhood I still use on a daily basis.
posted by Canageek at 9:43 AM on August 20, 2011
My other idea was some RPG books: D&D, Pathfinder, something like that. I started playing around grade 6 with my Dad, which I think is about his age, but I'd been reading the books for years before hand, and it is pretty much the only 'toy' from my childhood I still use on a daily basis.
posted by Canageek at 9:43 AM on August 20, 2011
Does it have to be something? My girls(aged 10 and 13) love that their uncle (my brother) gives them cash- he has been generous and given them $20, $50 and $100 bills depending on the birthday- and they just love it and think hard about what they will spend it on. They get a lot of stuff they love too from their aunts etc but they rarely get cash from anyone.
posted by momochan at 1:23 PM on August 20, 2011
posted by momochan at 1:23 PM on August 20, 2011
My dad gave me Ender's Game on my 12th. It was great, though it made me wonder what he was thinking...
posted by kaibutsu at 2:31 PM on August 21, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by kaibutsu at 2:31 PM on August 21, 2011 [1 favorite]
Remote control helicopter.
posted by cirrostratus at 9:27 AM on August 22, 2011
posted by cirrostratus at 9:27 AM on August 22, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by lollusc at 6:08 PM on August 19, 2011 [1 favorite]