One of my favorite things about being on an airplane is reading the SkyMall magazine. I like to pretend I have a big house and copious amounts of money and then I pick out all of the completely unnecessary things that make up SkyMall.

I also look through it and every time think, ‘Oh man what an awesome idea’. This past weekend was no exception as I found one of the coolest inventions EVER!

A pen that has a recorder, an FM radio, a flash drive and can play MP3s! I would feel like James Bond with that thing!

Here is what SkyMall says about it:

“These multifunction pens digitally record up to 64 hours using a built in microphone. They can also transfer 2 GB of data and play up to 1000 songs in MP3 or WMA format. The CompuFlash mo0del is also an FM radio.”

The pen will only run you $89.99! This would make a great gift for a college student, a co-worker, the salesman in your life or anyone interested in gadgets.

Luxist reported in November that the Beckhams gave their three boys an out of the ordinary tree fort, costing around $50,000!!!

The ‘TreeTent‘ from Neiman Marcus is a 13-foot tall pseudo-building boasting a 9-foot diameter, hardwood floors and a round mattress inside. That’s a pretty big tent/tree-fort/whatever it is!

While most of us can’t afford to buy our kids glorified tents costing $50k, we can explore other options.

Build Your own

There are a ton of places on the internet that have free plans and drawings available. All you need is a visit to your home depot and a few friends who know what they are doing. Heck, my dad nailed a few pieces of plywood to the tree in my backyard and called it a tree fort - I was perfectly happy with that.

Hire Someone To Build It

This will certainly cost you more than nailing some boards to a tree but there are some really cool designs available out there. Check out Tree Top Builders or The Living Tree House.

Buy a Pre-Made TreeHouse or PlayHouse

This is probably the easiest option and probably the best in terms of value. There are a number of places out there where you can get a cool tree house/fortfor relatively cheap and you don’t have to build it.

Whatever you choose if you have the tree or the yard for it, I guarantee your kids will love having a tree house. Or if you have an extra $50k, a tree tent!

Last week we ran a poll asking “how much should you spend on a kid’s birthday present (not your own child)?”. Of those who responded 51% said that the appropriate amount was $20-$29.

I wasn’t particularly surprised by this response as it’s right in the middle but it did make me wonder what types of gifts you could get for that price.

Here are some pretty cool gift ideas for both boys and girls in the $20-$29 price range:

Gifts for Boys:

Outdoor Shark Tent - This shark tent is just awesome! It fits two children (made for ages 3-6), comes with fiberglass poles that are easy to assemble and really looks like a fun time. It measures 35Hx60Wx84″L so it could be used indoors OR outdoors and can be found at Target. Price: $24.99

Mini RC Indoor Airplane - A mini remote control airplane is fun for a boy (or heck even man) of any age. It has easy to fly controls, comes with a rechargeable battery and is made of foam so it won’t break anything (hopefully). The Hobby Tron site has a great page on it including a demo video. Price: $29.95

Trunk O’ Tricks Joke Set - While magic and joke kits probably aren’t as cool as they used to be, I still think they’d make a pretty exciting gift for someone. This trunk o’ tricks comes with tricks, jokes and props with some unusual names: Monkey Bar Monkey Tunnel Stop-N-Go, Mac-N-Lewis 2-Bit Fez Los Bananas Fantastico! Six Sense Shrunken Head Ape Escape. Price: $22.00

Whack A Mouse Game - If anyone can look me in the eye and tell me that (aside from skee-ball) Whack-a-Mole wasn’t the best game at Chuck E. Cheese, they are crazy. This one isn’t quite as cool but for a small game to have at home it would be pretty fun. Plus, it teaches kids hand-eye coordination. Price: $24.95

Gifts for Girls:

Cool Bracelets/Jeweley - I think jewelry is an underrated gift for kids and teens. I mean come one, one of the essential parts of playing dress-up is your mom’s jewelry! There are a ton of great places to get jewelry but My Fancy Princess has some really great pieces at affordable prices. The bracelet pictured here is a white pearl bracelet featuring Swarovski crystals. Price: $20.00

Magnetic Dress Up Dolls - I have seen these on a few sites around the internet and they are adorable. I loved paper dolls when I was younger but man what a pain. The little flap would rip off or a piece would blow away and you’d lose your favorite outfit. These dolls are magnetic so you won’t be losing any pieces to the wind. Price: $14.99* *Doesn’t fit the $20-$29 but you can always pair it with something smaller

Mani/Pedi Gift Basket - I love painting my nails. I love having my nails painted. I have loved both of these things since I can remember. Some of my favorite Christmas stocking gifts were nail polish and nail files. Put together a small gift basket for a girl of any age. Things you’ll need: Nail polish, nail files, nail buffer, lotion (peppermint is the best), foot file, toe spreaders and anything else you can think of. Price: Your Discretion

Barbie Karaoke BoomBox - The Barbie theme certainly makes this for a younger crowd but the idea is that most KIDS love music and singing. This boombox is so cute and is designed to play an iPod nano. It comes with a microphone, ear buds and a shoulder strap. Price: $29.99

I know there are many, many, many other kids gifts out there that fall into this price range but I thought these were great. What other kinds of gifts are kids asking for these days?