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It can be hard to come up with cool Christmas gifts for tween boys that don’t involve video games or electronics, but we’ve found one that my 10 yr old loves — a Daisy Red Ryder BB gun.
Nate learned to shoot in the military, and it has been one of his hobbies every since.  He goes to the gun range a few times a year for fun and to keep his skills up.  We have been discussing when we should introduce our children to guns and learning to shoot. We have always felt it was important for them to learn gun safety.  When the opportunity to get a Daisy Red Ryder BB gun came up, we decided this was a great way to get Mr. E acclimated to gun safety.
Daisy educates roughly one million of America’s youth a year through their Ten Lesson Shooting Curriculum about BB gun use and safety (found here).  Nate has been going through this course with Mr E to teach him all about guns and safety.  He always makes Mr E repeat this rule whenever he is giving him the gun to shoot — Always point the muzzle in a safe direction.Â
Daisy’s educational curriculum has been around since 1948.  Daisy educates through its partnership with leading conservation and youth training organizations such as NRA, JROTC units, scouting, and more. Daisy has engaged the masses with portable, inflatable BB gun ranges that can be found at major outdoor sporting goods retailers and leading conservation organizations. The majority of those who attend an outdoor or store event and shoot at the ranges are first-time shooters.
We turned this into a little bit of a craft project, too. Â Mr E and I made “fluff balls” (as we like to call them). Fluff balls are corn starch and shaving cream with some food coloring added. Â I use two boxes of corn starch and 1 to 1 1/2 cans of shaving cream. Â Then, I add 30 drops of food coloring and mix with my hands.
This is a very messy thing to make, so my son loved it. I made about half the balls, and he finished up the rest. We made them pretty big — about softball size. These are fun to make and fun to shoot because they puff up in the air when you hit one.  It’s great target practice! Nate had to get in on the action and shoot a few fluff balls, too.
I was lucky enough to get a shot of a Fluff Ball Explosion!
Here is one of the Fluff Ball Explosions on video! Â It’s quick, but it’s very satisfying when you hit one!
47 comments
I think of A Christmas Story every time I hear about a BB gun. It sounds fun.
Oh my heart those fluff balls are so much fun! I have to make some next time we go shooting with our Daisy BB guns! #client
My brother always wanted one when we were growing up but never got one. He envied our cousins that had them.
I am not a huge fan of these toys, but i do like to see things explode.. lol
I’d pick one up for my daughter. Her sister has one and she’s getting to the right age!
The fluff balls are a great idea, and I can picture them come in handy for other activities and projects. I don’t think a BB gun is one of those toys I’d consider for my son, though, even as he gets older.
I think it is important for kids to learn the safety aspect of using any kind of gun and learn about them. That way they have more of an understanding of what they are and what they can do. I love the fluff balls. Those are perfect for shooting at.
I am glad to see that your son is wearing safety goggles. We don’t do guns, I’m always afraid that they will hurt them.
I don’t allow my son to play with guns for now. Maybe when he gets older… or maybe not. Haha!
I would love to gift a Daisy to my nephew this holiday season. He would love this so much.
I would love to give this to my niece.
The fluff ball was cute, though the kids I know don’t care for guns; it’s all about those video games lol.
That fluff ball is cute. I would gift this to my daughter, she’d love it. 🙂
this would be for my teen and she would love it!
Wish there were a place where my son could learn to shoot here, too. It’s a useful skill to have.
My son would love to receive this Daisy BB gun
Sounds like an awesome product for granite clean. I haven’t heard about of this kind of product. Will have to check this out. Love the parties too.
Oh boy, I feel very uncomfortable around guns, even toy guns. I would feel curious if this does not trigger any fear for you?
I would give one to my son.
My brother would love this!
My niece would love this.
I would love to gift this to my son for Christmas!
I would gift this to my nephew.
My preteen son would love this!
I would gift a Daisy to my son. He would really enjoy learning to shoot with this!
I would give it to my youngest son. He is into all things hunting. He has a bow and a few arrows. And is begging a friend’s dad to take him hunting. Target practice sounds fun.
My 10 year old would love this.
I would gift a Daisy to my only grandson.
I would gift this to my oldest son!
I would love to gift a Daisy to each of my older girls.
I would gift it to my older daughter.
My girls would get this.. WE have one already but we could use 2.. Especially since we have 3 girls.
My cousins would love a Daisy!
I know a few kids, girls included that would love this!
This looks fun! I’ve only shot a BB gun once, and that was this August for our fantasy football draft LOL. There were balloons lined up on the fence and they were filled with numbers. Needless to say I didn’t hit a balloon on the first try HAHA.
My daughter has been asking for a BB gun.
I’m so scared of BB guns- maybe because I witnessed my cousin getting shot in the head with one accidentally but I’m sure this would be the perfect gift for my teen.
I would give a Daisy to my nephew.
I would give a daisy to my grandson
My son would lOVE this! I would definitely give it to him
I’d give one to my older son.
My oldest son Hunter
Do you have to let these dry out? I think perhaps we got carried away with shaving cream on ours!
They were not wet for me. It was more like the consistency of snow, but not cold, if that makes sense. I also found it was better to mix it all up with just your hands versus trying to do with a spoon or something. I was worried about it getting too wet, so I added less than I thought I needed and then when it seemed too crumbly, I’d squirt some more shaving cream in to get it back to the consistency I needed. I was able to compact them down into balls and then rounded them with my hands as best as I could. As I made them, I let them sit on the cookie sheet, so some probably sat for 10-15 minutes, while others were used immediately.
Do these dry or do you use them immediately? Can I make a bunch of these for later use is what I guess I’m getting at.
Find a local 4H club with a shooting Sports program and begin the process. It a great way to learn the proper skills in a well regulated environment. Both of my Children have shot for 5 years and one is differently abled from a stroke suffered before birth. These types of programs have introduced many Olympic athletes to sports Like Competitive
10, 25 and 50 meter Air Pistol,
10, and 50 meter and 3 position Air Rifle,
Winter sports Biathlon,
Trap ,
Skeet,
And it all Starts with a BB gun and one to Two evening per week competing for the county fair. From the city to the country your children will be exposed to everything from BB guns to firearms in other peoples homes at least prepare them to know how to behave when that happened through Scouting programs , 4-H , or any one of other great nation programs with proven records for keeping you children safe and learning the skills that will serve them will for years to come.
I applaud you both for meeting this challenge and creating something to hold a young persons attentions while creating memories and sense of accomplishment.
Our 2 boys (14&11) have had an arsenal of bb rifles and pistols for years now. I have NEVER thought of having “exploding” targets!! They are going to absolutely love this!! Thank you for sharing!