Little things for teen goodie bags?

[GEM]

I am taking a group of teens (7th-12th graders) to Disney in June for a special 8 night trip. They will be participating in the Youth Education Theater Program.

I am making special tote bags to give them the morning we leave. I got a great design off the Creative DISigns board (thanks, Julia and Nick's Mom!!) and I'm going to iorn it on totebags. It says "Watch Out Disney World, Here We Come!" and it has a cute graphic of Mikcey and Minnie in a little red plane flying over the map of Disney World.

Now, I'm looking for some neat little (inexpensive) things to put in the bags. Any suggestions for kids this age? I'm looking for things for the flights down, and things they might be able to use/enjoy while we're there - a mix of fun and practical things.

I should mention that they are a mix of boys and girls. None have ever been to Disney World before. They are NOT typical teenagers in that they are very excited about meeting characters, eating with Pooh and Cinderella, wearing Mouse Ears hats, etc. They definately aren't too "cool" to be silly and have some Disney fun!

Here is what I have so far:
-snacks for the plane and trip (granola bars, Disney fruit snacks, etc.)
-autograph book and pen
-a waterproof ID holder and lanyard to carry park passes, room keys, Fast Pass, etc.
-personalized Guest of Honor badges
-hand sanitizer
-a few disposable ponchos
-a travel pack of Kleenex
-Disney park maps

Any other great ideas??

 

[Lisa AF]

I've made personized Chocolate bars for my DDs and friends. I make a label with Disney clipart and the date and a special message and wrap it around the candy bar.

 

[Dale-n-Chip]

This takes some effort, but watch Target, Wal-Mart and Disney Store for markdowns and clearance items.

In November, I caught a GREAT clearance sale at the Disney Store and got lots of little stuff (battery-op light-up fans, t-shirts, caps, light-chasers)--some for as little as 99 cents! I've also been watching all the merchandise lines with W-M and Target.

I loved the "magic towel" washcloths as neat little gifts. Especially when there are lots of people sharing a room, having each person with a different character washcloth keeps things separate! They also make great cool off cloths at the park.

One more place to check is your local dollar stores. I found neat 8.5x11 plastic envelopes in several different Disney characters and colors at an off-brand (not Dollar Tree/Dollar General) dollar store. Those made great places to put maps, iteneraries, flat souvies and such.

Half.com sometimes carries cheap Disney activity books. They are geared more for my kid's age, but they can be fun for any age, given the right attitude.

I'd also throw in a few disposable cameras, since someone in the group will INVARIABLY forget or lose their camera. I have found them at Big Lots for less than $4 WITH flash.

What else?

 

[UP Disney]

I just got some Sudoku puzzle books for a dollar at the Target Dollar Spot. This is the latest puzzle craze. At least one of my DD's has really gotten into it. I'll be giving them to them the morning we fly out so they have them for the plane trip. They got Disney word search puzzles in their stockings at Christmas (I found them at our dollar store). All of these are something to keep them occupied on the flight.

I'm thinking about buying a couple of Disney coloring books and crayons as well. I have one of my own that I've had since I was a teen that is just mine. I thought I would do the same for them. I'm thinking about bringing mine.

Also, the glow in the dark necklaces and bracelets. I got mine at the dollar store but you can also order them from Oriental Trading. My DH even enjoyed these at the Spectromagic parade. We had extras to pass out to little ones around us that didn't have any of the "Disney" merchandise. My kids enjoyed spreading the magic almost more than wearing them so we bought extras to hand out again this year.

If I think of more that you didn't have on your list, I'll post them later.

 

[Feralpeg]

I am taking a group of teens (7th-12th graders) to Disney in June for a special 8 night trip. They will be participating in the Youth Education Theater Program.

I am making special tote bags to give them the morning we leave. I got a great design off the Creative DISigns board (thanks, Julia and Nick's Mom!!) and I'm going to iorn it on totebags. It says "Watch Out Disney World, Here We Come!" and it has a cute graphic of Mikcey and Minnie in a little red plane flying over the map of Disney World.

Now, I'm looking for some neat little (inexpensive) things to put in the bags. Any suggestions for kids this age? I'm looking for things for the flights down, and things they might be able to use/enjoy while we're there - a mix of fun and practical things.

I should mention that they are a mix of boys and girls. None have ever been to Disney World before. They are NOT typical teenagers in that they are very excited about meeting characters, eating with Pooh and Cinderella, wearing Mouse Ears hats, etc. They definately aren't too "cool" to be silly and have some Disney fun!

Here is what I have so far:
-snacks for the plane and trip (granola bars, Disney fruit snacks, etc.)
-autograph book and pen
-a waterproof ID holder and lanyard to carry park passes, room keys, Fast Pass, etc.
-personalized Guest of Honor badges
-hand sanitizer
-a few disposable ponchos
-a travel pack of Kleenex
-Disney park maps

Any other great ideas??

Ginny,

I will have a pair of Mouse Ears waiting for each of the kids when you check in.

Peggy

 

[JAM'S MOM]

How about lipgloss and chapstick for protection from the sun. Also, the dollar bin at Target/Walmart offer travel toothbrush and travel size toothpaste.

 

[mickeyholic]

I found cute Mickey & other disney character key chains at our local dollar general.

 

[bbump]

I 2nd checking out a dollar store
(The Dollar Tree is our local one)

I have seen Disney hard-covered notebooks (can also be used for Journals).
I would also pick up some glow necklaces or bracelets that they can wear in the parks at night.
(Dollar Stores have 4-packs of bracelets, or 2 packs of necklaces for $1 each)

How about a water bottle for each person?
Target and Dollar stores have the plastic colorful bottles with a screw-on lid for $1 each. They will be very useful in the parks and will help them save $$ if they don't have to purchase water and pop at the parks.

Hope you all have a wonderful and magical time!!!!!!

 

[vicb]

Definitely glow stuff, like sticks, necklaces, flashing rings etc... That stuff is outrageously expensive at WDW.

 

[GEM]

Thanks for the great ideas, everybody!! I picked up some glow stuff at the Dolalr Tree this afternoon. I'll have to wait till we head to the big city to check Target. We don't have one here. Lots of great ideas, though!!

And, Peg, THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! That is the most incredible thing ever! They will just literally pass out when they see those! And, I know they'll want to wear them. They've already been talking about wanting to get Mouse Ears. What a great surprise! Our pictures will be so cute!! You are the coolest person in the world - even sick as a dog.

 

[lucyanna girl]

Gum? They don't sell it at WDW or MCO. Maybe some of the little mints that come in tins (can't think of the name right now). Disney Dollars - maybe you could get some local business' to help. Along the line of your tote bags, you can get a small laundry bag for around two dollars at the Dollar Store made out of domestic type material and iron-on something cute from the design board for them to keep up with their dirty clothes.
Have fun! I wish I had enough money to make a trip and take all of my DD's "group", all six of them. It would be so much fun. It was on my to-do list if I had won the PowerBall last week. Oh well, maybe someday.

 

[Idroveallnight]

I always make travel tunes cd's for my kids (even DD17). We do lots of Disney songs and "travel" themed stuff - King of the Road, On the road again... I build the play list on the computer and then burn the cds. You can personalize the case with a paint pen.

 

[Ilovestitch]

What about those little hand held battery operated fans? Those are nice while waiting in line in the heat. I've seen them at Walmart for $1 and Bed Bath and Beyond for maybe $3.

 

[GEM]

Here are some things I picked up today:

Glow necklaces at Dollar Tree

Coloring/Activity Books (Princess for the girls and Mickey for the boys) at Dollar Tree

Cinderella Crayons for the girls and Mickey crayons for the boys at Dollar Tree (they came in a pack of 4, so only 25 cents each!)

Battery operated fans with a cord to hang them around your neck ($1 each at Fred's)

Photo Albums at Family Dollar (Princesses for the girls and Mickey for the boys, $1 each)


I know some of those sound a little "young" for them, but I think they'll have a good time with them anyway. They love that sort of stuff!

Any other fun suggestions??

 

[Amy&Dan]

Maybe some postcard stamps so they can mail cards home to friends and family. What a fun trip you will have, be sure and post a trip report when you return, have a great time!

 

[BlindTyldak]

Collapsable cups. Perfect for a fanny pack, saves a fortune on bottled water as the can just open the cup, fill at a bubbler, and walk around. When they're done they can just collapse the cup again. I've seen them in packs of 6 at department stores in the camping section for about $3-$5 a pack, they just pull up and fold down again to something slightly smaller than a hockey puck.

 

[Quinn222]

Sunscreen is a must, maybe you could find some small bottles of it.

 

[TeamMMouse]

Disney trivia book or trivial pursuit cards? deck of cards? fanny pouch? Disney magazine? glow pop candy rings? candy necklaces? Mad Lib books? good luck!

 

[Lorelai]

Ginny,

I will have a pair of Mouse Ears waiting for each of the kids when you check in.

Peggy

Feralpeg - I always see you spreading the pixie dust. You must be related to Tink - I'm convinced! There should be more people (or fairies) like you!

 

[disgram]

These are such great ideas! You Dis people rock!!! I am taking my DGDs friend and family for their first trip to the World in August and I think this is a great idea!!!! I found drawstring backpacks at the Dollar Store and think I will do an iron-on or decal on them for each. I had already picked up the glo-in-the-dark bracelet and necklaces but will have to look for the rings. At least for the girls!!!! How about tossing in a few lollipops and lifesavers? I know that my "too cool to be caught dead with lollipops" suddenly become "uncool" when it comes to amusement parks!!! I also like the idea of the "Ears" waiting at the resort for them.
Keep the ideas coming!!!! They are great!!!