Holiday Gift Guide for Tweens and Teens 2009

My Secret Circle-Safe Social Networking for Tween Girls

Elizabeth — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 02:18:34 +0000

Kids are more tech savvy than ever these days. As kids in the tween age range see older brothers, sisters and relatives getting on social networking sites, like Facebook and MySpace, they want to get into the craze. But, most parents won’t allow it – for good reason. Finally, there’s a safe, fun new alternative that makes everyone happy.

World renowned game and toymaker, Senario, has created the first-ever secure social networking world specifically for girls ages 8-12. My Secret Circle is a new plug-‘n-play product that allows girlfriends – not strangers – to hang out online, chat, share pictures and play games.

My Secret Circle uses online access keys (USB keys) featuring proprietary technology with embedded browsers and unique ID codes. Only friends can connect on My Secret Circle by exchanging private codes. Even better, girls never need to upload personal information online, further enhancing the security of the network. My Secret Circle is SO HOT, you have to place an order NOW on Target.com to get shipping in a few weeks! Price at Target.com: $24.99 plus shipping

ChicoBag Messenger Bags

Elizabeth — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 01:41:05 +0000

Andy Keller founded ChicoBag™ in 2004 after seeing the number of plastic bags littering a local landfill. His goal was to make a reusable bag that was easy to carry and use, and made use of recycled materials. ChicoBag’s mission is to reduce single-use bag waste by offering compact reusable bags and packs that are “designed to be unforgettable”. The Messenger rePETe™ is made of 80% recycled fabric and features an integrated zipper pouch. This lightweight bag unstuffs into a full-size messenger pack, featuring two separate zipper pockets, flexible lycra bottle pockets, an adjustable strap, and a sleek magnetized closure system. Price: $17.99

Lunchbox Love for Teens & Tweens

Elizabeth — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 01:34:00 +0000

Say Please believes words are important, especially positive words. The tween and teen years can be difficult, and Lunchbox Love cards from Say Please make it easy to tell your child you are sorry, tell them how much you care about them, share love and encouragement. I’m especially thrilled to find their Lunchbox Love for Teens & Tweens set, with 12 credit-card sized cards in a slim plastic case.

Each card has a thoughtful message on the front like “I’m sorry I was so cranky. I love you!”, and an inspirational quote on the back like “In the middle of every difficulty lies opportunity”-Albert Einstein. The cards are packaged in a slim plastic case that’s easy to keep in your purse or car glovebox for those times when you want them to know how you feel. Slip one in a backpack or lunch bag for a boost of positive feelings any time. See the complete collection at www.sayplease.com. Price: $3.99

What’s Tappening? Water Bottles

Elizabeth — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 16:39:47 +0000

Eric Yaverbaum and Mark DiMassimo had an idea-start a campaign and website to educate people about the environmental impact of bottled water. They called it Tappening, and to finance the campaign, they created a line of BPA-free, reusable water bottles. Their first production run of 39,000 reusable bottles sold out in 36 hours after they launched their website! If your tween and/or teen is concerned about the environment and likes to carry a water bottle like mine do, here’s why you should include a Tappening water bottle in their holiday gifts:

# The 100% BPA-free plastic bottles are available in green or in blue. The Green bottle says “Think Global, Drink Local”; the Blue bottle says “What’s Tappening?” ( $14.95 plus $3 s&h).
# The stainless steel bottles are available in Silver, Blue, Gold and Red ($18.95 plus $3 s&h).
# ABCs ‘Good Morning America’ cited the Tappening bottle as being “one of the hottest products of the year,” calling it a “hip new reusable water bottle.”
# Trend Central’s Jane Buckingham said “The water bottle gives customers a simple way to do good, as well as a conduit to broadcast their beliefs.”

Purchase Tappening bottles from the Shop page at Tappening.com.

Tooks Hats With HeadPhones

Elizabeth — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 15:33:29 +0000

Combine a warm winter cap with a built-in pair of headphones and you’ve got the perfect winter accessory for tweens and teens! Tooks Hats combine stylish designs in a variety of colors and patterns with a pair of headphones attached on the inside with Velcro. The cord runs out a small hole in the back and then plugs into a standard MP3 player. Perfect for winter sports as well as for kids like mine who listen to their MP3 players while walking to and riding on the school bus. Tooks Hats come in beanie, visor, and bomber styles as well as in a sport headband. There are colors to suit both men and women, including a camouflage hat whose purchase benefits military families. Price: $19.99-$29.99

Blurt! Board Game

Elizabeth — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 16:13:36 +0000

Blurt! would make a great gift for a tween or to give as a family gift! In this fast-paced game of word recall, players take turns rolling a die and reading the definition to a word from a card (for example, what word means “a partially dried grape?”) All players blurt out their word guesses, the first player to blurt out the correct answer moves ahead on the board. The first player to circle the game board wins! Blurt is a great vocabulary builder for kids, a hilarious addition to adult parties, and a must for family game night. Comes with 300 cards containing 1800 clues, jumbo Blurt game board, 6 game pieces, die, and guide. Price (on Amazon.com):$20.95

FaceChipz-Safe Social Networking for Tweens

Elizabeth — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 23:48:06 +0000

FaceChipz were created by George Zaloom, a father of four girls who wanted to help them find a safe way to interact with friends online. They were too old for sites like Club Penguin or Webkinz, but not old enough for MySpace or Facebook. So, they put their heads together and came up with FaceChipz! FaceChipz are sold in packs of five for $4.99, making them a great stocking stuffer or gift for kids to give their friends for Christmas!

The tokens are meant to be physically exchanged between friends. The code on the back of the chip (pictured here) is entered both on the giver’s page and the receiver’s page. Once this is done, FaceChipz.com connects the two friends and they can communicate together, share photos and much more. Once the code is used by two friends the code becomes invalid so if it is lost or passed on it cannot be entered at FaceChipz.com. Also, kids are only allowed to connect online with friends whom they have exchanged chipz with. They cannot see or connect with any “fringe” friends like Facebook or MySpace might allow. It’s all about safety but with the fun features of an adult social networking site! Price: $4.99 at Toys “R” Us.

Crocodile Tears: An Alex Rider Adventure

Elizabeth — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 21:12:51 +0000

Crocodile Tears: An Alex Rider Novel (#8) feels ripped from the headlines, with a charity broker con artist raising millions of dollars in donations, only to invest them in a form of genetically modified wheat that has the power to release an airborne strain of virus so powerful, it can knock out an entire country in one windy day – a catastrophe so far-reaching that it would raise millions of dollars more in charitable donations, all of which would be embezzled by one man. The antidote? Alex Rider, of course, who survives gunfire, explosions, and hand-to-combat with mercenaries – just another day in the life of an average teen super-spy kid.

The Alex Rider Adventures by Anthony Horowitz have already spent over a year on the New York Times best seller list and sold 12 million copies in English alone, with sales of over 5 million in the US. This past July, Nicholas Kristof of the New York Times included the Alex Rider Adventures on his “The Best Kids’ Books Ever” list. List price is $17.99, but get it through this Amazon link for only $9.71 plus shipping!

You’ve Been Sentenced!

Elizabeth — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:52:21 +0000

You’ve Been Sentenced! by McNeill Designs for Brighter Minds is the first game to take cards with words on them and turn it into a funny, challenging game for players of all ages! Using a deck of pentagon-shaped cards with conjugations of words, famous names, familiar places, and wild cards, players race to form real sentences from the words and them read them out loud. The other players vote on whether or not the sentence makes sense! 540 cards with over 2,500 words insure billions of possible sentences so the game is never repetitive and can be played over and over.

The McNeill Designs for Brighter Minds website has printable rules for the game as well as variations for more ways to play, and also downloads for teachers to use with grades 6-12. The game comes with the starter card deck, and additional decks are available in categories like Sports, Sci Fi and Fantasy, and Pop Culture. It’s an affordable gift choice for tweens, teens, and entire families!
Price: $24.95

Herculittles-The Tiny Little Magnet with the Herculean Hold

Elizabeth — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 23:07:26 +0000

Why are Herculittles a great stocking stuffer gift for teens? Because they are the perfect way for teens to display photos or reminders on the inside of their locker door, or to hang up artwork or a paper with a terrific grade on the refrigerator at home. Herculittles are tiny yet mighty-each one is strong enough to hold 10-12 sheets of paper. They come in four different shapes and are affordably priced at $7.99 for a box of 8. Get some for yourself to use at home, at the office, or for a perfect teacher gift! Shop online at www.herculittles.com.