Mama Divas

Giftventure - Giftgiving with a twist (and some puzzles)

By Kristina | March 5, 2008

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Presents are great. I love giving them and I love getting them. Personally, I’ve always told myself I would do something new and different and unique next time I give a gift to my 7 year old goddaughter, something she’d remember for years and something she’d appreciate as much as or even more so than the actual present itself….

Enter, GiftVenture - a service I recently had the chance to test that allows you to give your child or any child you’re giving a gift to with a wonderful, memorable experience. The way it works is, you choose a theme, enter details about the recipient, enter where the present will be hidden, and then a series of customized letters will be sent to the recipient (or all at once to you/the recipient’s parent) based on a theme you’ve chosen. Now these letters… they’re from you, but they’re not from you.. they’re from a pirate, the Easter Bunny, a fairy princess, Cupid, etc…. it all depends on the adventure (or GIFTventure) you choose. Each letter will contain age appropriate puzzles that your child can complete himself or with assistance that related to the theme. It will definitely draw your child in, building a sense of mystery and suspense (and appreciation!) for the present to come. The puzzles will lead your child to the spot where you specified you hid the present, and “finding” it is definitely going to give them a sense of accomplishment and triumph after having to figure everything out.

littleQ is just a tiny bit too young at just past his 2nd birthday to fully appreciate a Giftventure, but my 7 year old goddaughter and her 3 1/2 year old brother aren’t too young, so instead of just having 2 Kid Tough digital cameras sent to their home, I ordered a Treasure Map Adventure GiftVenture for them as well. According to their mother, they loved it! My goddaughter was skeptical that the letters could have come from anyone other than a real person (asking her mom, “who sent this?” as soon as she found the first one), but she certainly enjoyed figuring out the puzzles. Her little brother was simply excited about the whole experience and was happy to be able to take part in something his older sister was doing. By the time they got to their presents, they were bursting with excitement.

GiftVenture definitely provides a wonderful way to spice up any present, and your children will not only enjoy it, but they’re sure to appreciate the entire experience. You can be sure that once I’m confident littleQ will be able to figure out puzzles (with my or mrQ’s help), I’ll be using GiftVenture to add a little adventure and excitement to the gift.

*****For Easter, you can take 10% off your order by using the code momcentral at checkout! Also, sign up by March 14, and get reduced shipping on your order