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Let me tell you about my niece. She will be 12 years old this year. But don’t let her age fool you. She acts much more mature than others her age. She talks and acts like she’s 25. She has always been advanced for her age and her interests reflect her maturity. When she was three, she wasn’t into princesses or dolls. She was into dinosaurs. I’m not talking about Barney or Rex from Toy Story. I’m talking about the real scientific ones like Tyrannosaurus Rex, Stegosaurus, Triceratops, and others I can’t pronounce. No Belle, Ariel or Jasmine, at age five. This was the year of Sailor Moon and Japanese anime. At nine, she was into animals. Not just because they are cute and cuddly. She was interested animal habitat and behavior, kind of like a Jane Goodall. A typical 12 year old today is interested in the Jonas Brothers or Miley Cyrus. These acts are too corny and passé for her. Today as a preteen 12 year old, it’s all about Sudoku and puzzles.

My quest every year is to get the perfect birthday gift for my eldest niece. But every year I feel like I have failed miserably in my mission. Why I am I trying so hard to find a silly gift for my 12 year old niece? Because every year I seek to find the prized gift that will exude a gleeful reaction from my niece when she opens it.

Whenever she opens a gift, she takes a quick glance at it, mutters a mandatory “thank you”, and moves onto something else. No smile. No joy. No surprise reaction. Finding the lost city of Atlantis would probably be easier than finding a gift that’ll make her smile.

She’s different from my other niece, her sister. My other niece loves anything given to her. Perhaps that’s why I get a kick out of watching her open presents. Her ecstatic, delighted reaction when she unveils her present makes me feel like I made her day and I feel like the best auntie in the world.

My husband says I shouldn’t stress over a gift to a child. But to me it’s more than a gift. I want it to be something meaningful, something she will love and appreciate. I want her to know that Auntie Michelle knows her and her interests. Perhaps it’s my selfish way of feeling appreciated. Don’t get me wrong. I am not trying to buy her love. We have a great relationship. My husband and I are the aunt and uncle she hangs out with the most with even when her other aunts and uncles are around. I guess for me, gift giving is another way of showing I care. I like to put thought into the gifts I give. So every year when she snubs my gift, I feel rejected and unsuccessful.

Here’s another challenge in my gift quest. I have a large number of gift givers I have to contend with. My niece has six uncles and five aunts and a plethora of cousins and other relatives. And that’s only on her dad’s side. My husband and I are the only aunt and uncle from her mom’s side. So among the mountain of gifts from all of these relatives, I want mine to stand out. I want her to say, “Wow! Look at what Auntie Michelle gave me!” I want her to know I know and care about her. Every year I feel like I am fighting an uphill battle for the perfect gift that will stand out.

Because there are so many relatives, sometimes there are multiples of the same gift. When she was three, I got her the newest Land Before Time movie, however, three other relatives got her the same movie. I have since tried to go the personalized route since her name is unique. I got her a personalized fleece Disney blanket with her name embroidered in the corner with matching pajamas. Those were quickly opened and tossed with the pile of other opened gifts with the mandatory mutter of a “thank you”.
I had a theory that maybe she actually likes the gift but doesn’t show much emotion when she’s opening the gift because she’s shy. I threw that theory out the window when I noticed a bunch of unwrapped, unopened gifts from years past in her closet.

I could possibly throw money at the situation and give her cash or a gift card just to meet the birthday and Christmas obligation. But that is not my style. To me, it’s a cop out and shows you either don’t know the recipient or that you didn’t put much time or thought into the gift. And not to mention, she doesn’t like to spend money. She saves all her money and doesn’t spend it on anything, not even a piece of candy.

She is a thinker and likes to do puzzles like Sudoku, so I figure I’ll get her some kind of Wii puzzle game this year. I had a hard time finding the right game with all those large gaming sites, however, I happened to come across a great Wii game page that had rankings of the top Wii puzzle games. I think I’m going to go with one of the top rated games there. Thank goodness I found this site. Let’s just hope she likes it. I’m keeping my fingers crossed.

Maybe I will actually get the right gift this year.

This is where I went to pick her game: http://top-ten-wii-games.com

Dinosaur Egg
In a shallow bowl mix some flour and water until you get a runny paste. Tear some newspaper into small strips. Place an inflated balloon on top of a cup or a small container so that it doesn’t tip over. Dip and soak newspaper strips in the paste and remove excess paste. Place strips on the balloon. Overlap strips until the whole balloon is completely covered. Apply three of four layers and let dry. When strips are completely dry, let your child paint the egg.

Dinosaur Bones
Spray paint a number of small dog bones white. Place them in a shallow rectangular baking dish and cover with sand or clean dirt. Tell your child to pretend that he/she is a paleontologist and that he/she will be digging for dinosaur fossils. Because dinosaurs are now extinct, he/she must examine and study these fossils to understand the history of this fascinating group of animals. Explain that the bones and the ground around the dinosaurs let us know when the dinosaurs died and what the climate was like when they lived. Just digging up the fossils could take years! Provide children with digging tools such as small toy shovels, paintbrushes, sticks, etc.

Dinosaur Activity
Make two identical sets of dinosaur pictures. (You can find great dinosaur templates on our site or in coloring books.) Place the pictures face down on a table or on the floor and mix them up. Have your child turn over a picture. Then have him/her turn over another picture to try to find its match. If the two pictures don’t match, have your child turn the pictures over and try again. Play until all the pictures are matched. 

Fossil Dinosaur Craft
Have children make imprints in playdough using pennies or leaves. Explain how this is very similar to how dinosaur fossils were made. Bones made imprints in the mud. This mud hardened and became a rock or stone. When this rock or stone is broken the imprint is still in place. Explain that we can learn about dinosaurs through fossils.

Dino, Dino, Who Has Your Bone?
Have your child close his/her eyes. Hide the dino bone. (A dog’s chew toy bone makes a good dino bone.) Say, “Dino, Dino, who has your bone, somebody stole it from your home. Guess who!” Have your child try to find the bone.

Dinosaur Salad
Explain that many dinosaurs were plant eaters. Discuss with your child that fruits and vegetables are parts of plants. Provide a variety of fruits and vegetables. Peel and slice the fruits/vegetables and place in a bowl. Mix together. Serve on a paper plate. Ask your child to eat his/her fruit or vegetable salad just as dinosaurs might have—without hands. Some suggested fruits and vegetables: bananas, apples, grapes, oranges, cantaloupe, watermelon, strawberries, lettuce, carrots, broccoli, and cauliflower.

Dinosaur Dancing
Discuss different ways the dinosaurs moved. Walk slowly like a Triceratops, run fast like a Compsognathus, etc. Play some instrumental music and let your child move or dance around like a dinosaur.

Aside from these, “Electronics and the Internet. That’s what kids are obsessed about today,” said Jim Silver, editor and co-publisher of Toy Wishes magazine. “They have an iPod, they are on Facebook and some are e-mailing by age five.”

1. Web Connected Toys

IToysWe all know and love Webkinz, the pioneer of the “virtual toy” revolution. Webkinz is still doing very well and now has been joined by several other toy manufacturers. Russ’s Shining Stars, TY Girlz, Barbie and now even TY’s Beanie Babies. Aside from dolls and plush toys, there’s a brand new preschool game which nicely incorporates play and technology. It’s called Me2 from IToys. Also worth noting is Clickables, a wonderful line of toys from Technosource. Clickables integrates the virtual world of Disney Fairies with toys for girls. There are a lot of other web connected toys and dolls. My collegue, the Doll Collecting guide, has a great article up on the virtual doll trend.

2. Dinosaur Toys
Dinosaurs have been around for a while now, (remember the very recent Pleo?), but they certainly made their presence felt at the Toy Fair! Here is one dinosaur which was hard to miss – Kota the Triceratops from Playskool. This friendly creature is pretty tall at approximately 40 feet and is equipped with sensors, which when activated, make him move his head, tail and horns. Kids will enjoy sitting on this playful (and very pricey) creature. Another dino in the spotlight comes to use from Mattel. D-Rex, a remote controlled dinosaur with a lot of different sounds and realistic motions aims to fascinate kids this year.

3. Indiana Jones Toys

HasbroIndiana Jones is really something to look forward to this year. The movie Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is slated to be one of the hot movies of 2008. It’s no wonder then, that Lego, Hasbro and the rest have jumped onto Indy’s bandwagon! The plot of the movie isn’t yet revealed fully. Still, Lego had some wonderful sets based on Indiana Jones. The Indiana Jones LEGO sets include Indiana Jones Temple Escape, Indiana Jones Race for the Stolen Treasure, Indiana Jones and the Lost Tomb and Indiana Jones Motorcycle Chase. Some of Hasbro’s Indiana Jones offerings include Mr Potato Head: Taters of the Lost Ark, Indiana Jones Sound FX Whip and of course Indiana Jones action figures.

4. Science and Nature Related Toys

Jakks PacificI noticed a large variety of Science Kits and nature themed toys at this year’s Toy Fair. Elmers (the glue company) had some really cool science kits represented by Bill Nye, the science guy. Scientific Explorer had a lot of fun kits to offer where kids can experiment with fascinating stuff like bubbles, perfumes, volcanoes and more. The biggie in the science category is none other than EyeClops from Jakks Pacific, which has updated versions(read night vision and higher magnification) available. Also, Uncle Milton of the Ant Farm fame had some cool Indiana Jones based products to show.

5. Batman – The Dark Knight Toys

MattelThe new Batman movie, The Dark Knight is slated to be released later this year. Mattel has a host of Batman related toys and action figures up their sleeve. The Stealth Batmobile and the Wayne Tech Tri Fire Blaster are must haves. Apart from those two, there are a lot of pretend play options and Batman action figures from Mattel. Lego also has some great Batman themed construction sets for release this year.

6. Speed Racer Toys

MattelSpeed Racer is another big movie franchise on which Mattel has a great lineup of toys. I know that Hot Wheels has a Morph Mach 6 vehicle and an interactive helmet to offer as well as the Speed Racer Sky Jump Track Set among other toy vehicles. The movie should spark off a craze for racing and toy cars which is going to be huge. Lego also had some great Speed Racer kits on display at Toy Fair. Personally, I think this is THE franchise to watch out for.

7. Animated Toys/Robots

Fisher-PriceOk, so by now everyone must have heard of Elmo Live, right? Well, the animated toy trend seems to be very prevalent this year with Elmo Live, Hasbro’s Biscuit, Playskool’s Kota the Triceratops, Tomy’s ISobot and more. While I’m on the topic, let me mention that I just previewed an adorable duckling from Hasbro’s Furreal Friends line – it’s too cute for words. Just like me, it seems like everyone enjoys seeing animated animals nowadays!

8. Iron Man Toys

HasbroHasbro has a fantastic line of action figures based on the Iron Man. This is another movie franchise for this year which is going to be popular with Marvel fans.

9. Green Toys

It’s no wonder that everyone is focusing on healthy and safe play this year. The “green” theme is predominant with many toy firms promoting their eco-friendly products. One toy manufacturer which I really liked was Plan toys from Indonesia which had a wonderful lineup of natural wooden toys. There were some toys made out of recycled milk bottles from a company called Green Toys. They had tea sets, gardening sets and beach sand sets on display which looked very appealing. I also noticed the Kapla line of wooden construction planks which falls into the “green” category as well. 12. Classic Toys – Lots of Anniversaries!

10. The Incredible Hulk Toys

HasbroThe Hulk was at a lot of places at Toy Fair 2008. I specially loved the Kid Designs line of Hulk laptops and learning toys. Hasbro has a fantastic lineup of Hulk toys including the much awaited Hulk Smash Hands, a plush animated Hulk toy, conventional Hulk action figures, a Hulk power glow electronic mask, a Hulk dart blaster and much more. Looks like “green” is popular in more ways than one!

11. Musical Toys

KID Designs For the last couple of years, toys based on musical instruments have really grown in popularity. Remember Piano Wizard, Piano Made Easy, I Can Play Guitar, Guitar Hero and the other toys on similar lines? This, along with musical toys based on celebrities like Hannah Montana and hit TV shows like American Idol practically dominated the musical toy scene. This year, the trend continues with some more Hannah Montana toys, new DVD games based on American Idol (KIDDesigns has an awesome American Idol DVD game) and much more. Stay tuned. (pun not intended)

12. Keyboard for toddlers, Wallcrawler Spiderman

The portable DVD player is made to withstand a kid’s abuse. It features a 3.2-inch color TFT screen, rechargeable batteries with a two-hour lifespan, an anti-skip buffer, grip handles and a stand for hands-free viewing. The player, which plays DVDs and CDs, comes with a battery charger and wall power unit, a video output jack, and a headphone jack.

13. Wall Crawler Spider-Man

“Wall Crawler Spider-Man” is a standout innovation from Hasbro. The remote-controlled Spider-Man toy, which incorporates vacuum-pump technology, actually crawls ups and down walls.

Last, but not the least, classic toys are very much in the forefront. This year, many classics were celebrating their anniversaries. Hasbro’s My Little Pony celebrated their 25th anniversary with a lovely birthday party at the Hasbro showroom, complete with a cake cutting! Cabbage Patch Kids celebrates it’s 25th anniversary as well. The LEGO brick celebrates its 50th anniversary with a commemorative gold brick. Other brands celebrating this year include Scholastic’s Clifford, the big red dog, the Toy Company’s Wham-O and Mary Meyer (who is turning 75 this year). We’ll wind up with congratulating Hasbro’s Mr Potato Head who is turning 80 this year. Way to go!

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One of the things that makes dinosaurs so popular is their sheer size. Their size is just one of many things that grabs a child’s attention immediately. Take for example the well known largest meat-eating Tyrannosaurus Rex (or T. Rex) – it measured up to 43 feet in length, up to 13 feet tall and weighed a whopping 7 or 8 tons! Dinosaurs plush are a great replica of these huge animals, right down to their life-like frightening faces. Other popular dinosaurs include the Stegosaurus and the Triceratops, and are also available as dinosaurs plush.

We all remember the ever popular television show The Flintstones. It has been so pervasive in our culture, that generations of children and adults have tuned in to watch it. While the cartoon’s humor was aimed at adults, it was filled with plenty of other things to keep kids interested. Set in the Stone Age era, dinosaurs were prevalent in the show, which appealed to children.  And every one of them was turned into some kind of dinosaur plush; a baby woolly mammoth was used as a vacuum cleaner. An adult woolly mammoth was used as the shower when its trunk sprayed water. Brontosaurs were used as parts of tractors in the rock quarry where Fred Flintstone worked. But the most famous dinosaur portrayed on the show was Dino, Fred’s beloved pet. It was never specified what type of dinosaur Dino represented, but he had a long neck, a small head, and very short arms and legs. His best features were his purple color and long, ever-wagging tail. Many Dinosaur plush have been made in Dino’s likeness and are considered a collectable item.

Dinosaurs plush were made even more popular after the release of the movie Jurassic Park in 1993. For the first time, children were able to see what real dinosaurs looked like after seeing the incredible special effects used in the film. The dinosaur park depicted in the movie leaves nothing to the imagination. As was the case, anything a child could get their hands on to remind them of the experience, was in demand. This included any and all dinosaurs plush. Subsequently, an additional four films have been released due to their extreme popularity.

With dinosaurs plush, children get to experience the next best thing to a real dinosaur. After all, children are also fascinated by these animals because of the fear they instill. They are nothing if not scary! Using dinosaurs plush, children can go on whatever dangerous adventure they can imagine and still come home safe and sound.

There are some superb tech gifts on the market to thrill and enthrall the whole family. The big ones this year include the incredible Playstation 3, the portable and engrossing Nintendo DS Lite, Apple’s latest version of the iPod nano (now with skew and augmented shuffle functions) and a wide range of home theater ideas such as widescreen HD TVs, Blu Ray players and fantastic new sound systems. For the gamer who has everything, how about a gaming chair? That way the lengthy periods spent sat at the controls won’t harm their bodies so much.

There’s some great items out for the girls, including the My Life Virtual Console, pink laptops, pink guitars and more. Traditional girls’ toys include the adorable baby Born with Magic Potty doll, the Chou Chou My First Tooth doll, some great merchandise from the High School Musical films and the wonderful Girl Gourmet Cupcake maker, that the whole family will be able to enjoy.

For the boys, some of the most wanted toys this Christmas include the Ben 10 Omnitrix replica, the Power Rangers Operation Overdrive Tracker, the hugely popular Star Wars Clone Trooper Voice Changer helmet, the Indiana Jones Whip and Hat set and the fun Catcha Beats game too.

For fans of animal toys there are some brilliant ideas on the market this year. There’s the huge Kota the Triceratops for starters, and there is a wide range of interactive animal toys from the makers of the Furreal range, with The Furreal Biscuit, My Lovin’ pup being the most popular. There are lots of other animal friends to choose from in the FurReal range too. There’s also the cute Honey, My Pony toy horse.

For younger kids, the most popular toy by far is the wonderful Elmo Live toy by Fisher price, an all singing, all dancing Elmo that will become your childrens’ best friend with his stories, songs and dances.

For the family, how about a fun board game? there are some excellent new games out there now such as Pictureka or 20q, but the old favourites are back with a vengeance New editions of Monopoly (Monopoly Here and Now World edition), Scrabble, Cluedo, Etch a Sketch and the legendary Rubik’s Cube are all available to keep everyone entertained while Christmas dinner settles. There really is something out there for everyone, so don’t delay in seeking out the best toys and gifts for Christmas. All the very best season’s greetings to you, and have a prosperous new year!