oh crap! last minute kid bday invite

[desertpenguin]

so what exactly does a 9 yo boy want for his birthday? we just got the invitation a couple minutes ago and the party is on Thursday evening. fwiw the invitation is a Transformers one. i'm in strange territory and totally clueless. it needs to be something quick and cheap as we're practically broke. help me please!!!!

[vbactivist]

when my son was 9 he would have loved to get $9.

[desertpenguin]

hahaha that's actually a really good idea!

[annekevdbroek]

Yeah, I was gonna say - money is quite appreciated by that age group. Or a giftcard to Target, et. all. Recently I've been giving giftcards to the local movie theater, enough for 2 matinee tickets. Other ideas would be McDonalds, a video game store, etc.

[eepster]

When my nephew was that age I usually went with sports equipment.

[californiajenn]

Bionicless are very popular with that age set in the NW.

[homewithtwinsmama]

Originally Posted by californiajenn

Bionicless are very popular with that age set in the NW.

I was going to say that. My son was a bionicles freak at that age and still loves them at 11.

[Wilhemina]

gift card to Target or a new beach towel for swimming this summer.

[onlyzombiecat]

art supplies
money
book

[chel]

Originally Posted by Wilhemina

gift card to Target or a new beach towel for swimming this summer.

my dd got a beach towel for her 8th birthday. I thought it was an unusual gift. dd was so excited and it's her favorite towel even a year later.

[4evermom]

$10 in a card. My ds will be turning 8 and loves Transformers and that gift would make him happy. It's a hard age if you don't know the kid (and what he already has) very well. IME, they have pretty developed tastes and preferences, already have half the bionicles (or whatever) created, etc. Also what they are into varies by group of kids (peer influenced) so what one 9 yo boy likes isn't going to necessarily translate into something boys in another group would like.

[sunnmama]

Does he swim? This time of year, we often give swim toys (cool googles, diving sticks, etc).

[Mirzam]

Lego.

[bestjob]

The greatest gift in the world is "cold hard cash". Freeze $10 in loose change in a giant ice cube. I'm not kidding, he'll think it is fantastic.

[delphine]

I love the swim gear ideas - my son loves things like new beach towels, pool toys, yard today.

ditto for sports gear and $$$$.

My son is slightly younger but he really likes the Bakugan. I think he got 4 sets for his birthday.

[desertpenguin]

thanks everyone for the great ideas! i will let you all know what we decide to go with.

[hollyvangogh]

If you do give $ I once saw (as a kid at a bday party) where someone had unrolled a roll of TP then rolled it up with a bunch of singles slipped in through-out. It was fun to watch the bday girl unravel it.

[1growingsprout]

Gift card to Target or a book store....

[pinksprklybarefoot]

Originally Posted by bestjob

The greatest gift in the world is "cold hard cash". Freeze $10 in loose change in a giant ice cube. I'm not kidding, he'll think it is fantastic.

That is awesome. I am so doing this someday!

[darcytrue]

Originally Posted by californiajenn

Bionicless are very popular with that age set in the NW.

yep, and costs less than $9 I believe.