5. Sponsor a third world child

I've done this with a few of my godchildren as a way to teach them about living conditions that some children have to live with in other countries.  One of the best things about the sponsorship program (there are various organizations that you can go to but I used Plan Canada) is all the information that you get about who exactly you are helping.  Upon the commencement of the sponsorship, you get a photo of the child you are sponsoring and a package of information about the village in which they live, and details about their specific living environment.  Periodically you may likely also receive letters and drawings from that child as well.

4. Membership to an interesting place

First of all, I have to give my sincerest apologies for not posting in the last three years!  Goodness where has the time gone?!?!!  With the new year (and Chinese new year too) my resolution is to revive this blog and start posting again!

So this post is about the idea of giving the gift of a membership to a place like the aquarium, Science World, or an equivalent place where the kids can go again and again, and each time have a different learning experience.  Various museums will offer membership packages too.  It's a great option for the kids on a rainy day when outdoor activities may be tricky. 

3. Host a Sleepover

This is another idea from my friend Andrea.  She is a SUPER-MOM of three kids and it never ceases to amaze me where she gets all her never-ending energy from.  The idea is to host a fun sleepover for the kids as a gift.  Plan a fun dinner of their favourite foods, a night of cool movies, and let the kids stay up late and as an extra treat they can munch on their favourite junk snacks!  Works best if the gift giver has kids too so that they can all play and stay up together.  An added bonus is that it gives the other parents a night off without the kids, so they will be thanking you too!

2. The gift of an investment

This idea comes from my friend Andrea and is similar to something I've done for my god-sons.  The kids may not be jumping up and down for joy for this gift, but they will thank you later on when they realize how the money has grown!  The idea is to give the child an investment that will mature or be available to them when he or she is 19 (or whatever age you want to set).  I've set up a trust fund in the past for my god-sons, and instead of buying toys at Christmas and birthdays, I would deposit money into the trust funds.  The money is meant for them when they reach 19 and to be used for university or whatever they want to spend it on when the time comes.

1. Lessons

I thought I would follow up my introductory posting with another post sharing my first idea. I am huge on giving the gift of an experience (for anyone at any age, actually).  For a child, there is nothing that feels better than introducing them to something new especially if it turns out to be something they really enjoy and continue learning and doing.
There are lots of lessons that are in a reasonable price range.  Sometimes it can be a one-time lesson, or a series of lessons that span over weeks.  Some ideas include:

• Skiing at Cypress
• Art classes at 4 Cat Studios or Arts Umbrella
• Swimming lessons through your local community centre
• Dance lessons at a local dance school
• Tennis camp in the summer
• Skating lessons through your local community centre

And to step it up even one more notch, you can spend quality time with the child by taking them to the lesson!

My very first blog!

Hi everyone!  This is my first blog so you'll have to bear with me as I learn all about designing and maintaining blogs.  This is an idea I've had for a long time and I guess a couple things have recently re-invigorated my desire to do this.  We are all getting to an age where it seems like everyone around is having kids.  A couple Christmases ago, I realized that on my gifts list I had 17 kids to buy for, none of whom were my own.!  I have four beautiful and beloved god-children, and many close friends with children.  And for each of them, of course, I always wanted to get the 'perfect' gift.

I don't know about the rest of you but I have spent hours wandering aimlessly around Toys R Us, Carters, and Gymboree looking for that great gift, wondering if that educational book, Thomas the Train accessory, or the cute dress would really be treasured or loved by the child.   

I started thinking how great it could be if we could all share great gift ideas that didn't involve toys.  I heard from a few parents that it was very overwhelming for their kids to get 20-30 gifts all at once at Christmas and then again for their birthdays.  I think we all want to teach the children in our lives that there is more to life than just toys, and so this blog is specifically for sharing NON-TOY ideas.

I am looking into ways to allow others to post on my blog.  For now, if you leave a comment on my post with any gift ideas, I will make sure your suggestion makes its way into an individual posting.  I want ALL ideas to be shared!  Secondly, I think I can make it so that I have multiple authors on one blog so if anyone wants to co-author with me, I can add them to the permitted authors list.

Thanks for reading and I hope all of you share your great ideas!