Activity for a 12-year-old?

[lgiltmier]

Our family is taking our first WDW trip in June! Woo-Hoo!

I'm making character autograph books for my 2 younger children (6 and 4), and they will love it! But, my 12-year-old son will not think that's cool for him to do at all...but i keep thinking he needs a similar activity/keepsake. Any thoughts?

 

[bcinohio]

How about getting him a disposable camera and let him take whatever pictures he wants. You can see Disney through his eyes. Then make a book when you get home to put them in.

 

[jenn-n-okla]

My soon to be 12yr old is looking forward to collecting the pressed pennies when we go this month. They sell books to keep them in and is a thread on the boards somewhere about all the locations. I printed them off for my DD and she has them on index cards ready to go for each park.
Another idea is to collect pins on the laynards. That can get expensive though if you don't watch it.

 

[JoJo's Mom]

I have a 12 year old daughter and for her, she actually likes the autograph books. I didn't get her one in advance on our last trip (Dec) and she was upset. We ended up buying one there. You're never too old!

Also, like the other comment says, a disposable camera is a great idea! We have been to WDW twice and each time I buy one for my daughter. This way she can take pictures of what excites her. She has also put together scrap books after each trip. If a scrap book isn't your son's thing...maybe just a regular photo album?

A fun trick we do....we buy a post card at WDW that states the year and we put that in with our scrap books/photo album. Then there is never a question as to which trip that book is from.

 

[tina_la]

for your son I would think pins too. You can pick some up on ebay to trade if looking for some cheaper ones before you get to the park. Both mine enjoyed it but I refused to buy a bunch of expensive ones at the park. So they got some to trade this year off ebay.

 

[dylanlogan]

I think the camera idea is great! Also, what about taking the list of best kept secrets(or parts of it) and hunting for some of them- take photos of the ones he finds.

 

[Taja]

How about getting him a disposable camera and let him take whatever pictures he wants. You can see Disney through his eyes. Then make a book when you get home to put them in.

You might want to consider an inexpensive digital camera for him. The disposable cameras are fairly cheap, the the developing! *eek* Well, not quite that bad, but very expensive!

He won't be able to produce professional photographs with an inexpensive digital, but the same is true for a disposable camera. And he'll be able to edit the photos he chooses to keep and print only the meaningful ones.

 

[dananbethany]

At 9, my daughter didn't care for the autographs either but we took index cards and put them in our scrapbook when we got home. This year she's 12 and we'll be doing the same. Of course, a boy may not be as interested in scrapbooking as a girl...

 

[newtowdw1]

I think a digital camera is the way to go. My DD11 used mine last year at a church picnic and her pics are better than mine! Don't buy him his own, necessarily, but make him the official photographer. This is a great way to start a hobby for him as he gets older, too.

Pins are popular, but can get wicked expensive.

 

[PrincessKsMom]

Maybe he would like to collect autographs, but instead of a book, what about a white hat or t-shirt with different color markers? My daughter also enjoyed collecting name/ride tags after each ride but they are, I feel, very expensive. I think they were $5 each when we went 2 years ago.

 

[MichelleinMaine]

Took my 12 year old DS last month- he wanted NOT A THING to do with any character in any way shape or form. He's even "young" for his age, but he was adament about it. My mom took his autograph book for him a couple times to get signed- he really didn't care. My mom got him in the pic with Eeyore (her favorite) only because 1. it was her asking, not me and 2. she wanted all the grand kids in it. I finally (literally, last 1/2 hour of the trip) got him in a picture with his sister and Mickey. (I begged, honestly.)

He did do pressed pennies (we have a folder for them from a previous trip.) Our goal was to get them for all the roller coasters/new rides he'd tried. (This was his first big "ride" trip.) Didn't quite get all of them, but he did like that.

No interest in pins.

Oh yes, one thing he was very much into was the Hidden Mickeys (he'd look at the book in every gift shop. Didn't want to buy one cause he'd have to carry it around, lol.) Maybe that, and a camera for him to snap pics of his favorite hidden ones?

 

[McKelly]

How about the Epcot passort? Just get one for him, don't let the younger two get one, just let the younger two do the masks at the all of the Kidcot stops. Of course, this would only work in Epcot............

 

[lgiltmier]

Great ideas...thank you!

 

[Couturier]

You can see Disney through his eyes. .

I totally agree with this! My daughter was 9 ALMOST 10 when we went last, and she took her digital camera with her. Those are some of the most precious pics, since you can see what was important to her in places. She took pics of things that I didnt even remember seeing and she had to tell me where they were!

I think he will like the autograph book when he gets there, but the camera would be a nice "big kid only" thing for him.

Have a BLAST!
Dana

 

[bzzymom]

DS is almost 11 and he only did pics with the characters when his around when DD (4) was with a character. Usually he is riding something with DH when I do the characters. He wasn't enthused about character meals, but he participated with his sister. He liked to be behind the camera, a he took a few of the pics. He would be thrilled to have a camera to himself.

He likes pressed pennies, but they are kind of costly. He has 2 or 3 of them. He likes pins, not pin trading, but he collects a couple each trip. He has a pin for every resort we have stayed out, and then he gets to pic a pin of his choice. Last time he choose a Mickey as Indiana Jones.

I let him choose a restaurant he wants to eat at. Last trip it was in Japan, but when he was torn between that and whispering canyon cafe.

He also wanted a temporary tatoo, so we got one on our first day there, and it lasted until the last day there. He thought that was cool.