As May quickly approaches, your mind is likely turning to that ever important subject of Graduation gifts.  There is probably no graduate more difficult to shop for than the 8th grade graduate.  8th grade graduation is a time of huge transitions, often going from a single classroom setting to high school and a multiple class setting as well as dating and all the responsibilities that come with being older and more mature.  At this age, young people are usually very techno savvy and Keeping that in mind, here are three gifts your 8th grade graduate are sure to love.

Music on the go

First, any student would love an MP3 or better still an MP4 player.  There are several brands on the market today, but by far the favorite is still the IPod by Apple, which comes in styles from Shuffle to Video with capacities ranging from 2 gigabytes to 240 gigabytes guaranteeing that there is usually space for the next must have song.  With an MP4 player, your special graduate can take her or his favorite music, pictures, and videos along wherever she or he travels.  It allows instant access without having to tote around stacks of CDs or DVDs while on the go.

Talk and Talk

Second, as the social calendar as well as the school calendar will be much fuller in the year to come, now is a terrific time for a cell phone.  There are many available options here as well from a monthly service which can get costly if not well monitored to pay as you go services such as GO Phone and Virgin Mobile.  A cell phone allows you to stay in contact with your busy graduate even as she or he hangs out at the mall or a friend’s house.

Cash is the best 
Third and the one gift sure to be on every graduate’s wish list is cash.  It may seem like an impersonal or a thoughtless gift, but to a young person there is no better fit.  A gift of cash allows them a movie night with friends, a new track from their favorite artist, or even the chance to start saving for the next big ticket item she or he has already got an eye on.

Whether you go with technology like cell phones or MP3 players or just good old fashioned cash, your graduate is sure to recall this transition as an exciting time.  8th grade graduation is a special time regardless of the gifts because it signifies the entry into high school and the once in a lifetime experiences that are part of those magical 4 years that no one ever forgets.

When your child graduates from high school, you will probably want to celebrate with a party. Whether this is a large event involving many friends, or a small occasion with just immediate family you will be looking for high school graduation cake ideas.

There are so many options available and not all require huge catering skills to achieve an impressive result.

One simple idea involves two 9 x 13″ cakes and one round 6″ cake.
The overall look will be of two schoolbooks, on top of each other and set at an angle, with the round cake placed on top. This will become the graduation cap.
For the books, you make up your butter cream and separate into two bowls. You then choose the colors you desire, which could incorporate the school colors, and tint each bowl with a little food coloring. It is probably best to have contrasting colors for the best result.

Leave three edges of the books plain at this stage, as you will later fill these in with white butter cream whilst also writing the subject of the books down one side. It may be nice to add your child’s two favorite subjects at this point.
For the cap, you simply cut a cake board to the exact size of the round cake. Decorate the cake with chocolate icing and add licorice strands for the tassels. These can be attached using a little more chocolate icing.
Then gently place the cake on top of the pile of books.

If you are concerned about your skills when icing then there is an even easier option.

Choose the size of cake that you will need and ice simply and plainly in whatever color you like.
You can then take a recent photograph of your child and have it printed onto edible frosting sheets. You then decide where on the cake you want to place the picture and gently put into position.

For an added touch, you may like to make a copy of the school logo, enlarge it and then trace the image onto the cake with cake decorating pens.
There are many accessories available, even two piece graduation caps, which you can buy in advance and maybe put a little gift inside for your child to keep as a memento of the occasion.

Wafer paper, cake decorating pens and highlighting dust are all easily available so it really is a case of experimenting and coming up with your own variation of one of these ideas.

Image Credit : For Cupcakes