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Ladies and Gentlemen, Off topic, but hey I'm a Moderator so I can do anything I want.  In preparation for our upcoming safari in ZIM, I had contacted Swainson's about the PH, Kevin du Boil. Kevin doesn't have an email, so I sent Swainson's an email introducing myself and ask them to pass it on to Kevin. Julie, at Swainson's was to pass the email along to Kevin. I asked her a little bit about Kevin and if she could suggest a gift that I could bring for Kevin. She replied, "If you want to make his day, bring him something for his 6 year old son upon whom he dotes!" So any suggestions about a gift or gifts for a 6 year old boy. Budget of $100 to $120? Regards, Terry P.S. I don't have children, so I am flying blind on this one.  Msasi haogopi mwiba [A hunter is not afraid of thorns] | ||
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Since you're a Texan (displaced), something cowboyish would be in order....he'll outgrow hats and boots pretty quick so....spurs? Texas Ranger badge? Belt and Holster? | |||
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How about a Henry .22 LR bolt gun with those cool fiber optic sights? | |||
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A ball and glove. ALLEN W. JOHNSON - DRSS Into my heart on air that kills From yon far country blows: What are those blue remembered hills, What spires, what farms are those? That is the land of lost content, I see it shining plain, The happy highways where I went And cannot come again. A. E. Housman | |||
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I would have to agree with Joel...anything cowboish that he can keep for a while. I would also suggest virtually anything from my old employer (Disney)in as much as it relates to the old Disney before all this crap tha.....sorry getting off topic...May I suggest a couple of Davy Crockett DVD's and a coon skin cap? (Hell my Daughter loved it!) | |||
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Terry, Our grandson turns 6 this Friday and one of the things we bought him was a real nice fishing vest with all kinds of cool fishing lures and etc. He will think he is Joe Cool wearing it. | |||
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Are there any hand-held electronic games for 6 year olds? Regards, Terry Msasi haogopi mwiba [A hunter is not afraid of thorns] | |||
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My 4 yr old is really into the Power Rangers. Fisher Price has GeoTrax: it's a train set system, but a 6 yr old might be on the outer edge of interest. Caleb | |||
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6 year olds attention span isnt very long. I think you are on the right track Terry in regards to a hand held game of some sort. There has to be something with mutiple games on it in your price range. Go to your local Wal- Mart or K-mart and ask them. The kid behind the counter will know, they speak the same language. Charlie | |||
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All my great nieces and nephews have handheld games.The pretty much act fine untill the batteries die.You can also find some fair remote control planes and vehicle in that price range. Cry 'Havoc,' and let slip the dogs of war; That this foul deed shall smell above the earth With carrion men, groaning for burial. | |||
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Terry, if you are thinking "electronic" - versus say a soccer ball & pump, your favorite teams shirt in maybe a boys size 7, an action figure or two (so they can fight of course), and other stuff "uniquely American" as mentioned - how about a GameBoy Advanced SP for about $80 (w/rechargeable battery), then eBay or Amazon a bunch of cartridges (it plays the older GB games too, plus the new ones which are probably more realistic). My 7-year old was playing w/her brothers GB's at 5, never got into it (thankfully), just get age-appropriate games. And it wouldn't take up much space. The boys especially love these things. | |||
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Wal-Mart has a terrific selection of scale model cars, trucks, motorcycles, HOT-WHEELS, tractors, construction equipment - none of which require batteries. For $100 the kid will be in heaven and have months if not years of fun! "What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value." -Thomas Paine, "American Crisis" | |||
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A very nice spinning combo from cabelas Mike Legistine actu quod scripsi? Never under estimate the internet community's ability to reply to your post with their personal rant about their tangentially related, single occurrence issue.  What I have learned on AR, since 2001: 1. The proper answer to: Where is the best place in town to get a steak dinner? is…You should go to Mel's Diner and get the fried chicken. 2. Big game animals can tell the difference between .015 of an inch in diameter, 15 grains of bullet weight, and 150 fps. 3. There is a difference in the performance of two identical projectiles launched at the same velocity if they came from different cartridges. 4. While a double rifle is the perfect DGR, every 375HH bolt gun needs to be modified to carry at least 5 down. 5. While a floor plate and detachable box magazine both use a mechanical latch, only the floor plate latch is reliable. Disregard the fact that every modern military rifle uses a detachable box magazine. 6. The Remington 700 is unreliable regardless of the fact it is the basis of the USMC M40 sniper rifle for 40+ years with no changes to the receiver or extractor and is the choice of more military and law enforcement sniper units than any other rifle. 7. PF actions are not suitable for a DGR and it is irrelevant that the M1, M14, M16, & AK47 which were designed for hunting men that can shoot back are all PF actions. 8. 95 deg F in Africa is different than 95 deg F in TX or CA and that is why you must worry about ammunition temperature in Africa (even though most safaris take place in winter) but not in TX or in CA. 9. The size of a ding in a gun's finish doesn't matter, what matters is whether it’s a safe ding or not. 10. 1 in a row is a trend, 2 in a row is statistically significant, and 3 in a row is an irrefutable fact. 11. Never buy a WSM or RCM cartridge for a safari rifle or your go to rifle in the USA because if they lose your ammo you can't find replacement ammo but don't worry 280 Rem, 338-06, 35 Whelen, and all Weatherby cartridges abound in Africa and back country stores. 12. A well hit animal can run 75 yds. in the open and suddenly drop with no initial blood trail, but the one I shot from 200 yds. away that ran 10 yds. and disappeared into a thicket and was not found was lost because the bullet penciled thru. I am 100% certain of this even though I have no physical evidence. 13. A 300 Win Mag is a 500 yard elk cartridge but a 308 Win is not a 300 yard elk cartridge even though the same bullet is travelling at the same velocity at those respective distances. | |||
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A book of course....get him a kids book about a youngster very far away.....like a Navajo youngster from Arizona.....you know the one.....it has a lot of pics of pinion trees and silver and turquoise jewelry and of course a mountain lion. /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// "Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery." Winston Churchill | |||
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A fishing rig sounds good to me. Something he can do with his Dad. | |||
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A jersey from your faverite NBA team. I have yet to travel anywhere and not see some kid walking around with an NBA jersey on. | |||
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Get a copy of Ruark's "The Old Man and The Boy". Sit with him, read it to him, and then let him read it time and time again as he grows up. My dad gave me a copy in the 1950's, and I read it, and read it, and it instilled in me the love of the hunt and outdoors beyond the kill. I still have the somewhat ragged but still revered book and I treasure it. Reading the works of Ruark, Capstick, and others can take you there, and teach you more about the life we love as hunters than you can learn from anyplace else. IMHO 1115 | |||
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How about a Game Boy, DVD's of Sponge Bob, Transformers... Jeff When catapults are outlawed, only outlaws will have catapults! | |||
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Gentlemen, Thank you for your assistance. I'll head over to the local stores and do some shopping in the toy department and then over to Bass Pro. You have given me some very good ideas. Regards, Terry Msasi haogopi mwiba [A hunter is not afraid of thorns] | |||
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Terry, I am going to be with my children tomorrow morning kindergarten and 1st graders will have an answer in the late morning.. Mike | |||
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Terry, For gods sake please do not corrupt this future ph with power rangers , spongebob dvds(you must be kidding!!!) or transformers!! Hell I still have nightmares from my kids going through the Barney phase years ago..damn purple dinosaurs! While the western world has much to offer some of the things we spoil our kids with should stay here! This is a ph's kid! Go with the fishing tackle, some good books, HIS FIRST POCKET KNIFE!!!! Something "manly" if you will. | |||
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Good idea. A nice Swiss Army pocket knife. With some but not too many gadgets. It would be very expensive or impossible to get in Zim. He may keep it for a lifetime. | |||
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I'd get him a genuine boy scout pocket knife, that has to have some coolness factor. Here is the Cub scout version:  And also a "forever flashlight" that has an LED and no battery, you shake it to charge it up:  Probably as close to kid proof as you can get, plus can be helpful where batteries are sometimes difficult to come by. Also a pair of cheapie compact binoculars, I'd look for some 6X30's or even lower magnification if they have any. Maybe even opera glass style as I think they are low magnification. Not so he can see in great detail but so he gets used to looking through them. Probably best to just google them yourself to find a seller. for every hour in front of the computer you should have 3 hours outside | |||
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Here ya go on the opera glasses: http://www.greatoutdoors.com/barska/operaglasses/3x25fixedfocuswithnecklace.html  Maybe give them the camo tape treatment first. I like these because they are fixed focus and wide angle, so a 6 year old can actually see through them and not just mash them to their face and try to look. for every hour in front of the computer you should have 3 hours outside | |||
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Terry, Can't go wrong with fishing tackle. Spend half on the rod/reel, and the other half on lures for tigerfish, bream, and Nile perch. Nothing like a huge rapala to inspire a kids imagination. Minkman | |||
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Forget dvd's and videos as they will not work there.Also, electrical stuff run on a different voltage. As above, go with sporting stuff. | |||
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Terry, how about a pair of binos? - He'll feel 'just like Dad' when he uses them and as he probably spends a reasonable time in the bush they'll be useful as well. Your budget will allow you a good enough pair to ensure he won't break them too easily. | |||
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Geez, Terry, don't corrupt the kid with electronic toys!! Get him something outdoorsy. My stepkids play a lot outside, but they also have those damned gameboys, and it's a real chore getting them off it at dinner, or whenever we go somewhere. It always takes them 5 minutes to "save" their game.  I finally made a rule that when we get somewhere, or they get called for dinner, the game goes OFF, and if they have to start over, then too bad, they'll already have the experience to get back to the same spot. On an up note, we got possession of our new house in the country the other day. It needs a LOT of renovations (a couple of 95 year old ladies have been living in it for 40 years), but we brought the kids by, just so they could run around the property. Within 5 minutes, they found a garter snake down by the creek and a robin with 3 babies nesting on the downspout. Being as the 9 yr. old is an aspiring biologist, he's now pretty hooked on the place.  His sister (8) seemed pretty happy, too, though she's worried about being able to see her friends still. It's only 5 min. from our old place, but in the country. | |||
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Go with a Game Boy. It can grow with him as he gets older... | |||
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Thanks again everyone. Yes, the outdoors stuff is what I will get and a book or two. Regards, Terry Msasi haogopi mwiba [A hunter is not afraid of thorns] | |||
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Having grown up in South Africa (farm kid) myself, I think you have the following options in the order which a PH's boy would like it most: 1. .22LR as suggested; 2. Pocket knife - good quality as in pic; 3. Binocular - geniune field type - and lastly 4. The flash light - without batteries as was suggested. If any comes to less than the budget you plan, add a belt and holster - always a boy's dream! Wish I was still 6!!! - geniune field type - Added in edit: OWLS My Africa, with which I will never be able to live without! | |||
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I would get him a Playstation PSP or a Nintendo DS, along with a couple of games, as they will be impossible to get in Zim. The fishing rods etc is a good idea aswell, these are much more readily available so I'd go with a Nintendo DS. | |||
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We were in the same situation on a trip to RSA. The owner had three sons, ages 2,7,9. We took sling shots with an extra supply of marbles and surgical tubing for the bands. We also took blow guns. Within three days, they could hit anything and had killed a bunch of birds. We also took Indian headdresses as we are from Oklahoma. | |||
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Terry- There are some really great and economical bow and arrow sets that will pack in your luggage and not add too much weight.There are both traditional style and compond.I gave a little long bow to my son when he was 6(2 years ago). He lit up like a Christmas tree.Mathews makes a nice adjustable youth compond. | |||
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I would stay away from electronic games ( i see what it does for my kids ) I'd pick up some books, a nice swiss army knife, a combo spining reel fishing rod from cabelas, and a bunch of lures, all can be had for $120.00 or less. | |||
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Thanks guys. I just bought him a kid-size backpack on sale at LL Bean (it said for ages 7 and up, so I think it should be OK). I'm going to get him some outdoor stuff, some books and a couple of action figures. Regards, Terry Msasi haogopi mwiba [A hunter is not afraid of thorns] | |||
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There is a new flashlight that if you shake it for a few minutes it will give you 20 minutes of pretty decent light ----- no batteries and no bulb....all done using magnetic fields. For a 6-year old boy that has to be pretty cool and you can be sure no one else will have one. DB Bill aka Bill George | |||
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Thanks to Mark and DB Bill, I just ordered him a Micro Fore Ever flashlight (similar to the one pictured in Mark's post above). Regards, Terry Msasi haogopi mwiba [A hunter is not afraid of thorns] | |||
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Terry, I agree with your selection of the outdoor stuff. I believe something like a North American guide to animals or game animals, mammals, snakes whatever would be of interest to his son. Or something like a book of the indiginous (American indians, inuit, eskimos..etc) peoples of North America. This kind of thing really sparks the interest of most young boys. At least it did with my son and a few nephews. BigBullet BigBullet "Half the FUN of the travel is the esthetic of LOSTNESS" Ray Bradbury https://www.facebook.com/Natal...443607135825/?ref=hl | |||
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At six he's probably not reading or just starting . Something American would be good .So I agree with a well illustrated book about american animals or hunting. | |||
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