Gift Guides! Gift Guides! Gift Guides!

Everyone seems to do them these days, so why not. Here’s the DadCAMP 2015 Holiday Gift Guide starring some of the great items that have come into our lives this year.  If you’ve got young boys on your Christmas list, you’ll find something they’ll want, need, or love amongst these items.

(Dont forget to read them all, there’s a contest at the bottom!!)

These are all things we use or my kids want. Straight up.

Peekaboo Beans

I became a Peekaboo Beans Ambassador this fall and the clothes have become an immediate hit with the boys. They wear a school uniform and get changed right after school. They’re always tossing on their beans. They’re comfy, stretchy, sturdy, and built for play. From dance class to swimming lessons to rock climbing, we love them. Perfect for kids under 8, there are so many styles and items to choose from.

(various prices from Peekaboo Beans)

Bluetooth Headphones

We picked up a pair of Skull Candy wireless headphones for Zacharie this summer. They are so awesome. No tangling wires to worry about, the kids can jam to their favorite iDevices without bugging anyone else with beeping games or watch individual movies on long road trips. Love them. ($119.99 at Best Buy)

LEGO

We have enough LEGO to last a lifetime in our house, but Santa might manage to squeeze a few new sets down the chimney.

The boys are all about the Star Wars LEGO, with Rey’s Speeder and the First Order Snowspeeder topping their (reasonable) wish list. Seriously, they’d like it ALL but we’ve already quashed that dream. The LEGO City gear is their jam too, with the Deep Sea Helicopter a favourite.

LEGO Awesome Ideas

When the boys brought home their Scholastic sheets from school last month, I spied a LEGO book to get me out of buying new sets. It’s a book of what to build now that the original sets are broken apart. We have bin upon bin of bricks that Lord Business couldn’t kragl together. This lets the boys dig deep into their imagination again. Charlie is begging for it after spying it in the catalog. ($25 at Chapters Indigo)

Books Books Books Books Books

Actually, a lot of books will be finding their way down the chimney this Christmas. The boys need to read and I’m constantly struggling to find books that are at level and interest them. Zacharie loves animals and we have a big roster of beautiful books from National Geographic, but he ends up mostly looking at the pictures. Still, the books are spectacular. Ultimate Reptileopedia, Why: 1,111 Answers to Everything, and Nature Poetry are all stunning and interesting.

When it comes to reading, we’ve been having success with Encyclopedia Brown, Jack Stalwart, and Zac Power. All 3 series are simple mystery/spy novels with young kids as protagonist. Zacharie has been binge reading Zac Power lately, and it’s a welcome relief.

For Charlie, to get him into reading, we’ve been working through phonics books. We already have the  LEGO DC Super Heroes Phonics
 and I’ve added the Star Wars Phonics
 to toss under the tree this year.

Jamstik

Zacharie is very musically inclined. He loves jamming to songs he writes himself on Garage Band. We’re trying to move to a more formal understanding of music by taking guitar lessons on the Jamstik+. It’s an app enabled device that teaches you how to play guitar. It’s easy for Z to run through self guided lessons on his iPad while jamming out to the Jamstik+. ($299.99 via Jamstik)

Wild Kratts Board Game

The boys are big Wild Kratts fans. They had a chance to meet Chris and Martin this past spring, and our winter escape to Florida in February is all built around Zacharie wanting to see the animals he’s fallen in love with on the show. So in addition to a Florida Panthers tshirt and tickets to a hockey game when we’re away, we’re grabbing the Wild Kratts Board Game. As with many Wild Kratts merchandise, this is targeted young. The online reviews haven’t been good for kids older than 5. Our boys are big fans, however, so we will likely give it a gamble. ($16.99 at Toys R Us)

Sphero Ollie

This one is waiting to go under the tree on Christmas Day. I’ve been spending the past few weeks playing with this iOS controlled robot for 2 reasons. 1) so I can explain it to them Christmas Day 2) so I get all my excitement out before handing it off to them. Sphero Ollie is a great little trickster from the same people that created BB8. ($119.99 at Chapters Indigo)

CONTEST

And as a thank you for scrolling all the way down to the bottom, here’s a chance for you to win a gift. I’m awarding a Nat Geo Kids or Little Kids magazine subscription! Both Zacharie and Charlie love getting mail and these magazines are wonderful to get kids excited about reading and the environment.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Terms: Contest open to US and Canadian mailing addresses. Prize must be accepted as awarded. Void where prohibited.

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