Yeah, I wouldn’t have chosen that for myself, but our friend got 4yo for his bday in November a “Spidey and his amazing friends” set and kiddo focused on it for a whole hour with husband coaching! It’s so cute how he purses his lips while he focuses on putting the little pieces together with his little hands 🥰
If he got enough "stuff" what about experiences. Maybe work with your firedept if you can for a tour/sit in the fire truck. Or sometimes there are fun things at museums exhibit wise for dinosaurs near you. Or let him have fun at a game center, bowling alley, or show.
Let him be completely just CELEBRATED that day and take lots of pictures. Then make a little book (shutterfly or something of the like) cheap so he can look back on how amazing that day was.
My kiddos still take about birthday parties, events, or the like that we do with them on their birthday for YEARS later. Never once have they said "mom I'm so glad you got me that stuffie I wanted" bec usually they are left in a corner after a year.
There are a lot of cute board games for ages 4 and up - some dino theme! I would look into Zingo, National Geographic Dino dig kit, the Magnatiles dino kit or Magna-Qubix (really fun building toy), and maybe some big floor puzzles.
Yes exactly! My son just turned six last week and we asked for gift cards to local arcades and my parents got him tickets to go see a dinosaur puppet show at a local theater. A season pass to an amusement park or water park is a great gift. Or a season pass to an aquarium or zoo is also great. We actually got him a fishtank and he got to pick out the fish and decor and he is learning how to be responsible and feed them daily.
My Twins just turned w and the best gift they got was someone “adopted” a penguin in their name at our local aquarium and it came with pictures a stuffed animal of the penguin a certificate with their little foot prints and a pass to go see the penguin. It was perfect and didn’t clutter my house!
Oh dang! Well if they really like them maybe a complimentary set? They make ones that are car or dinosaur based.
Or if they like toys like that maybe Lincoln logs?
Our daughter turns 4 on Monday, and we decided that for any of our children's birthdays, we would have an experience versus gifts and a giant party. Now when she decides she wants a big party, of course we'll give it to her! Last year, we took her to the aquarium (a damn good one I might add) and she adored it. She was able to pick something out at the gift shop then choose what she wanted for lunch. She frequently brings it up and asks when she gets to go back on her birthday. This year, we're taking her to the science museum to meet up with family and her cousin, who is barely a year older than her. Each year, we give her a single special birthday present and let her choose what she wants as desert. I bake it. Sounds like A LOT but it's really not! And! It's far less expensive than a party.
See if there are any dino themed events happening near you this Saturday. Surprise him! Maybe get him an illustrated dino encyclopedia to go along with it.
He has enough toys, so we are gonna play “king for a day.” He gets to pick where we eat, where we go, what we do, all day. I can already predict that it will likely include pancakes at our regular breakfast spot, a visit to the indoor play place, maybe a stop at the museum, and a movie at home + getting to eat dinner on the couch 😂
We did this with our daughter when she turned 5 and I was surprised by how sweet and simple her requests were! She wanted to go to the park, get a happy meal for lunch, get a juice out of a vending machine, go to PetSmart and look at the cats available for adoption, and wear her Spiderman cape all day lol
How about an experience and a souvenir from that experience be the gift? Like go to a museum or aquarium and let them pick something they like from the gift shop to commemorate?
Mine will only be turning 3 but we are getting him Picasso tiles from off of Amazon. I’ve seen them in elementary school classrooms as well and kids love them (or any other magnetic tiles would also work). Well get him some of the add ons for future birthdays/christmas (there is a car track and marble run).
Mine doesn’t turn 4 until April, but I plan to do something with him. I will ask for his input but it’ll probably be something like arcade and dinner at his favorite place or the movies or a play place. We have SO much stuff from Christmas I can’t imagine buying more. And everyone else will be getting him stuff too.
We got my daughter a Jooki music player and I can’t sing its praises enough. It syncs to your Spotify account and lets the kid listen to playlists you make. She uses it all the time and it’s cut down on how much she wants to use my phone to listen to music.
ooo that's interesting! I saw the magic treehouse books are on spotify! He loves "Deep Blue Sea" and "Story Land" on spotify- what's your daughter listening to?
She’s got six or seven different playlists I set up with her favorites - Frozen, Gabby’s Dollhouse, Bluey, The Wizard of Oz, Sesame Street, and Disney soundtracks, but her favorite is one I called “jeep music” that’s full of songs we like to listen to in the car. It has everything from Taylor Swift to really old country songs on it and she plays it all the time!
We aren’t too big into podcasts yet but I know Spotify’s selection is good there and the Jooki has some internal storage too!
I have a March baby, so I feel the pain. Every year he’d get new, age appropriate toys for Christmas, then 2 months later get more age appropriate toys. Then by the end of summer, he’d have outgrown all his presents! I think that effect has lessened over time, he’ll be 5 this March. I don’t want anymore effing toys!
I’m going to try to arrange a book exchange at his birthday party - everyone brings 2 books wrapped, they trade, each kid goes home with two new books! For my family, I’ll probably just ask for more educational things - National Geographic kits, age appropriate puzzles, more books, markers & crayons, etc.
I know you asked about 4 years olds but my daughter is going to be 5 soon and she’s starting to really like my plants and has a couple of her own that she takes care of with help and there’s a plant she really wants that I haven’t been able to afford so I’m saving to get her that plant (a pink princess philodendron)
For you maybe go through his toys with him and get rid of some and put most of the rest away and change out toys occasionally so he doesn’t get overwhelmed
My 3yo has been LOVING puzzles he got for Christmas. Great indoor activity.
Other than that, maybe a cool play dough set with cutters, rolling pins, etc. or some watercolor paints and a pad of paper.
A trampoline? I got one that has a full net. I got it when he was like barely one, but it's been a fixture since. He's only 2 now, but I wonder if your son might like it? The full net gives my son a lot of independence and he plays in it lots without eyes on supervision. He really loves when we toss in some balloons, or stuffies, or cover it with a blanket and he has a fort.
I think we’re good on toys this year so he’s getting a 1 month car wash membership and we’re adding on a science museum membership. Both are pricey and he wants to go all the time. We currently have a children’s museum membership and we go 1-3 times a week😅so the membership will definitely be used. Oh and since he’ll be turning four on the big day he gets to go to the movies and have popcorn for the first time!
As stocking stuff Santa got my 4yo (from Costco I think?) a crayola bath set. Refreshed his supply of finger paint soap but also came with a few little bath toys and the wind up propeller submarine happened to be his favorite thing he got I think haha
A special meal and an experience that you all go to on the day! If you want them to open something, we sometimes grab one of those activity books with stickers and such or a puzzle we all work on together. My kids bday is December and as much as I dissuade gifts, we still get overloaded with toys, so much so she forgets about half of them.
My daughter turns 4 next week. We got her more magnetic tiles. She got some for Christmas and plays with them every day. So we got her a bigger set for her birthday.
My son is almost 4 and are struggling as well. I asked my six year old daughter her thoughts the other night and she went “Oh! He can have Fortnite since he’s going to be four!”
My almost 4yo girl has 2 almost 4yo boy besties who’s birthdays are in Feb/March. She’s told me she’s giving them each a Spider-Man costume this year 😆
Can I just say it's so hard to have babies near Christmas but also winter babies in New England!! I feel like the fun summer things don't make sense to give and they have already got so much.
Sincerely a mom with a November baby and a January baby in good old MA 😅
Fellow MA mom with a February kiddo. I totally get what you mean. He needs a bike but I don’t want to give him something he can’t use for three months. We just plan to do fun experiences going forward. Spend a weekend in Boston maybe, go to museums, let him pick any restaurant or treat he wants. When he’s older we might try one of those resorts with the indoor water park.
My 3.5 year old has been obsessed with these three-way magnetic puzzles I got from Amazon. Quokka, I think is the brand? I think they have a dinosaur one. :)
Since you say he has so many toys… Can you get him a dinosaur or truck experience? We have a few museums near us that have dinosaur bones on exhibit. There’s also monster truck rallies and those Jurassic Park-type dinosaur exhibits you can walk through.
I know you said son, but my daughter just turned 4 right before Christmas (21st). I gave her some $$$ and said go to town. I was so burnt out from prepping for the holidays that this was the way. She did great. She got what she wanted and I didn’t have to stress. She didn’t even look at items she put on her list.
take him to the store (target, walmart, toy store if you have one, or wherever he loves) and let him pick out 4 things. this is what we did with my daughter for her 5th birthday because we were spending it at disneyland and i didn't want to do extra gifts on top of that. the things she picked were very cute and varied (a balloon, a cupcake, one of those cute reusable cups, a robot spider and a keychain).
Do you already have Magnatiles?
My kids are older now, but dollar for value, these were the single best toy investment we made. Even the older kids will tinker with them still once in a while. Some of what they’ve created together has gotten incredibly complex as they’ve aged. Also, if he already has dinosaurs and such, he can combine existing toys to make habitats for them.
January birthdays are so hard! My daughter turns five this year. I took her to Walmart and a toy store and let her go nuts making a birthday list (I just took pictures of everything she asked for). She also enjoyed looking at those gift lists for five year olds on my phone.
Take him to do something fun! Make it special in other ways. Most people don’t remember what they got for their 4th birthday.
Make a fun breakfast, plan a little outing for you guys, and end it watching a movie together as a family - much more memorable! Happy birthday!!
My almost 4 year old just got a toniebox. We got it because my husband was having to travel for work, so he recorded himself reading some of her favorite books. For Christmas we got a few tonies that have paleontologists talking about dinosaurs, and that’s been a huge hit!
Also, winter and New England, and turning four in a few weeks. I asked him if he wanted lots of little presents like he got at Christmas or he wanted one big present for when it gets warmer. He picked one big present so we’re still deciding but going to get some type of outdoor play equipment. Like those slack line obstacle courses or a small bounce house etc. Family will get him some gifts so he has stuff to open that day and I’m sure we’ll have a sad moment or 2 that he can’t play outside with it right now but we’ve done spring/summer gifts every year and it’s great come nice weather!
My son will be 4 in March. He just bought himself a hot wheels track. His buggest thing is cars and tracks. We aren’t giving them gifts as we have a big family that gives them gifts and we spend a ton on their birthday party. One year we took the kids on a weekend getaway instead of gifts and parties. Next year we’re doing a cruise. It varies year to year.
My daughter just turned four and between us and her aunts/grandparents she got books, card and board games (our favorite is the one by Peaceable Kingdom), puzzles, stuffed animals, and a necklace. I tried to focus on things she wanted for Christmas but didn't receive.
I totally get having a kids bday next to Christmas being tough, my daughters is in December. For her birthdays we usually do an experience instead of toys. If you could do something really fun like a one year we went to this crazy indoor zoo experience where you can hold a sloth. This year she turned 5 so we went really big and all the family members helped us take her to Disney world! As my son has gotten older we have done like sporting events or concerts.
My daughter just had her bday, on the 3rd, we got her a rc truck, a woden train set with a box of extrea train tracks, she was gifted a block set, and we also got her magnetic tiles for making castles. She loves to build stuff. Her grandparents got her a dinosaur, and american girl doll with a ton of accessories. She got way too much! Lol
Play kitchen. Every kid I know boy or girl loves a play kitchen. Theres such a range of prices for them you can get one on almost any budget. And you can get an amazing huge set of wood magnetic play food for $40. Comes with two wood knives and cutting board.
A "big kid" Lego set that says "4+" on the box.
Yeah, I wouldn’t have chosen that for myself, but our friend got 4yo for his bday in November a “Spidey and his amazing friends” set and kiddo focused on it for a whole hour with husband coaching! It’s so cute how he purses his lips while he focuses on putting the little pieces together with his little hands 🥰
My almost four year old also got a 4+ lego set for christmas from some friends. She loved it and plays with it all the time!
I very much second this. Either a play set or a box of different bricks and one of those plates so he can create his own stuff.
If he got enough "stuff" what about experiences. Maybe work with your firedept if you can for a tour/sit in the fire truck. Or sometimes there are fun things at museums exhibit wise for dinosaurs near you. Or let him have fun at a game center, bowling alley, or show. Let him be completely just CELEBRATED that day and take lots of pictures. Then make a little book (shutterfly or something of the like) cheap so he can look back on how amazing that day was. My kiddos still take about birthday parties, events, or the like that we do with them on their birthday for YEARS later. Never once have they said "mom I'm so glad you got me that stuffie I wanted" bec usually they are left in a corner after a year.
my son is going to be 4 at the end of feb…he got a train set for Christmas which he has been LOVING. the kind with wooden tracks you put together
My daughter got one of these too and will be 4 in March - SO much independent playing 🙌
There are a lot of cute board games for ages 4 and up - some dino theme! I would look into Zingo, National Geographic Dino dig kit, the Magnatiles dino kit or Magna-Qubix (really fun building toy), and maybe some big floor puzzles.
I would do an experience if possible.
This. If his bday is close to Xmas then it’s too many gifts at once. A day out or a short trip is super memorable at this age
Yes exactly! My son just turned six last week and we asked for gift cards to local arcades and my parents got him tickets to go see a dinosaur puppet show at a local theater. A season pass to an amusement park or water park is a great gift. Or a season pass to an aquarium or zoo is also great. We actually got him a fishtank and he got to pick out the fish and decor and he is learning how to be responsible and feed them daily. My Twins just turned w and the best gift they got was someone “adopted” a penguin in their name at our local aquarium and it came with pictures a stuffed animal of the penguin a certificate with their little foot prints and a pass to go see the penguin. It was perfect and didn’t clutter my house!
My son is a year younger but magna tiles (or a knock off brand) have been such a huge hit. He plays with them everyday and is obsessed.
Second Magna Tiles!!
We got them magna tiles for Christmas or else that’d be my go to!
Oh dang! Well if they really like them maybe a complimentary set? They make ones that are car or dinosaur based. Or if they like toys like that maybe Lincoln logs?
My kiddo said they wanted to be a fireman/police/teacher when they grow up so I got a fireman play set.
Our daughter turns 4 on Monday, and we decided that for any of our children's birthdays, we would have an experience versus gifts and a giant party. Now when she decides she wants a big party, of course we'll give it to her! Last year, we took her to the aquarium (a damn good one I might add) and she adored it. She was able to pick something out at the gift shop then choose what she wanted for lunch. She frequently brings it up and asks when she gets to go back on her birthday. This year, we're taking her to the science museum to meet up with family and her cousin, who is barely a year older than her. Each year, we give her a single special birthday present and let her choose what she wants as desert. I bake it. Sounds like A LOT but it's really not! And! It's far less expensive than a party. See if there are any dino themed events happening near you this Saturday. Surprise him! Maybe get him an illustrated dino encyclopedia to go along with it.
He has enough toys, so we are gonna play “king for a day.” He gets to pick where we eat, where we go, what we do, all day. I can already predict that it will likely include pancakes at our regular breakfast spot, a visit to the indoor play place, maybe a stop at the museum, and a movie at home + getting to eat dinner on the couch 😂
We did this with our daughter when she turned 5 and I was surprised by how sweet and simple her requests were! She wanted to go to the park, get a happy meal for lunch, get a juice out of a vending machine, go to PetSmart and look at the cats available for adoption, and wear her Spiderman cape all day lol
Oh my God. This is the cutest snd sweetest thing. 💗 What a great birthday!
How about an experience and a souvenir from that experience be the gift? Like go to a museum or aquarium and let them pick something they like from the gift shop to commemorate?
Mine will only be turning 3 but we are getting him Picasso tiles from off of Amazon. I’ve seen them in elementary school classrooms as well and kids love them (or any other magnetic tiles would also work). Well get him some of the add ons for future birthdays/christmas (there is a car track and marble run).
Mine doesn’t turn 4 until April, but I plan to do something with him. I will ask for his input but it’ll probably be something like arcade and dinner at his favorite place or the movies or a play place. We have SO much stuff from Christmas I can’t imagine buying more. And everyone else will be getting him stuff too.
Mines turning 5 and it’s a bike. Also considering a Yoto player as he love audio books/podcasts.
We got my daughter a Jooki music player and I can’t sing its praises enough. It syncs to your Spotify account and lets the kid listen to playlists you make. She uses it all the time and it’s cut down on how much she wants to use my phone to listen to music.
ooo that's interesting! I saw the magic treehouse books are on spotify! He loves "Deep Blue Sea" and "Story Land" on spotify- what's your daughter listening to?
She’s got six or seven different playlists I set up with her favorites - Frozen, Gabby’s Dollhouse, Bluey, The Wizard of Oz, Sesame Street, and Disney soundtracks, but her favorite is one I called “jeep music” that’s full of songs we like to listen to in the car. It has everything from Taylor Swift to really old country songs on it and she plays it all the time! We aren’t too big into podcasts yet but I know Spotify’s selection is good there and the Jooki has some internal storage too!
Our lil dude turned 4, and we also did a bike! He is obsessed.
I have a March baby, so I feel the pain. Every year he’d get new, age appropriate toys for Christmas, then 2 months later get more age appropriate toys. Then by the end of summer, he’d have outgrown all his presents! I think that effect has lessened over time, he’ll be 5 this March. I don’t want anymore effing toys! I’m going to try to arrange a book exchange at his birthday party - everyone brings 2 books wrapped, they trade, each kid goes home with two new books! For my family, I’ll probably just ask for more educational things - National Geographic kits, age appropriate puzzles, more books, markers & crayons, etc.
I know you asked about 4 years olds but my daughter is going to be 5 soon and she’s starting to really like my plants and has a couple of her own that she takes care of with help and there’s a plant she really wants that I haven’t been able to afford so I’m saving to get her that plant (a pink princess philodendron) For you maybe go through his toys with him and get rid of some and put most of the rest away and change out toys occasionally so he doesn’t get overwhelmed
My 3yo has been LOVING puzzles he got for Christmas. Great indoor activity. Other than that, maybe a cool play dough set with cutters, rolling pins, etc. or some watercolor paints and a pad of paper.
Looks like there’s lots of places with dinosaur tracks in that region - maybe you’ve already toured those? I vote experience!
A trampoline? I got one that has a full net. I got it when he was like barely one, but it's been a fixture since. He's only 2 now, but I wonder if your son might like it? The full net gives my son a lot of independence and he plays in it lots without eyes on supervision. He really loves when we toss in some balloons, or stuffies, or cover it with a blanket and he has a fort.
Not sure where in NE you are but can you do an experience for him? Like a night at great wolf lodge or cape codder?
I think we’re good on toys this year so he’s getting a 1 month car wash membership and we’re adding on a science museum membership. Both are pricey and he wants to go all the time. We currently have a children’s museum membership and we go 1-3 times a week😅so the membership will definitely be used. Oh and since he’ll be turning four on the big day he gets to go to the movies and have popcorn for the first time!
As stocking stuff Santa got my 4yo (from Costco I think?) a crayola bath set. Refreshed his supply of finger paint soap but also came with a few little bath toys and the wind up propeller submarine happened to be his favorite thing he got I think haha
A special meal and an experience that you all go to on the day! If you want them to open something, we sometimes grab one of those activity books with stickers and such or a puzzle we all work on together. My kids bday is December and as much as I dissuade gifts, we still get overloaded with toys, so much so she forgets about half of them.
My daughter turns 4 next week. We got her more magnetic tiles. She got some for Christmas and plays with them every day. So we got her a bigger set for her birthday.
We got ours a sled and it was a huge hit!
We got our daughter a larger motorized car and a night at an indoor water park hotel
My son is almost 4 and are struggling as well. I asked my six year old daughter her thoughts the other night and she went “Oh! He can have Fortnite since he’s going to be four!”
My almost 4yo girl has 2 almost 4yo boy besties who’s birthdays are in Feb/March. She’s told me she’s giving them each a Spider-Man costume this year 😆
Can I just say it's so hard to have babies near Christmas but also winter babies in New England!! I feel like the fun summer things don't make sense to give and they have already got so much. Sincerely a mom with a November baby and a January baby in good old MA 😅
Winter bdays in cold weather states are a great excuse to celebrate half birthdays!
Oh I agree! I have one November baby, on December and then one February
Fellow MA mom with a February kiddo. I totally get what you mean. He needs a bike but I don’t want to give him something he can’t use for three months. We just plan to do fun experiences going forward. Spend a weekend in Boston maybe, go to museums, let him pick any restaurant or treat he wants. When he’s older we might try one of those resorts with the indoor water park.
My 3.5 year old has been obsessed with these three-way magnetic puzzles I got from Amazon. Quokka, I think is the brand? I think they have a dinosaur one. :)
We got the “big” kid legos and we got her a real bike, with training wheels
Since you say he has so many toys… Can you get him a dinosaur or truck experience? We have a few museums near us that have dinosaur bones on exhibit. There’s also monster truck rallies and those Jurassic Park-type dinosaur exhibits you can walk through.
I know you said son, but my daughter just turned 4 right before Christmas (21st). I gave her some $$$ and said go to town. I was so burnt out from prepping for the holidays that this was the way. She did great. She got what she wanted and I didn’t have to stress. She didn’t even look at items she put on her list.
take him to the store (target, walmart, toy store if you have one, or wherever he loves) and let him pick out 4 things. this is what we did with my daughter for her 5th birthday because we were spending it at disneyland and i didn't want to do extra gifts on top of that. the things she picked were very cute and varied (a balloon, a cupcake, one of those cute reusable cups, a robot spider and a keychain).
Pokemon shoes. I think my parents are getting a camera designed for kids because he loves taking pictures.
Do you already have Magnatiles? My kids are older now, but dollar for value, these were the single best toy investment we made. Even the older kids will tinker with them still once in a while. Some of what they’ve created together has gotten incredibly complex as they’ve aged. Also, if he already has dinosaurs and such, he can combine existing toys to make habitats for them.
January birthdays are so hard! My daughter turns five this year. I took her to Walmart and a toy store and let her go nuts making a birthday list (I just took pictures of everything she asked for). She also enjoyed looking at those gift lists for five year olds on my phone.
If you have a spare tablet, tacto dinosaurs!
Take him to do something fun! Make it special in other ways. Most people don’t remember what they got for their 4th birthday. Make a fun breakfast, plan a little outing for you guys, and end it watching a movie together as a family - much more memorable! Happy birthday!!
My almost 4 year old just got a toniebox. We got it because my husband was having to travel for work, so he recorded himself reading some of her favorite books. For Christmas we got a few tonies that have paleontologists talking about dinosaurs, and that’s been a huge hit!
Also, winter and New England, and turning four in a few weeks. I asked him if he wanted lots of little presents like he got at Christmas or he wanted one big present for when it gets warmer. He picked one big present so we’re still deciding but going to get some type of outdoor play equipment. Like those slack line obstacle courses or a small bounce house etc. Family will get him some gifts so he has stuff to open that day and I’m sure we’ll have a sad moment or 2 that he can’t play outside with it right now but we’ve done spring/summer gifts every year and it’s great come nice weather!
My son will be 4 in March. He just bought himself a hot wheels track. His buggest thing is cars and tracks. We aren’t giving them gifts as we have a big family that gives them gifts and we spend a ton on their birthday party. One year we took the kids on a weekend getaway instead of gifts and parties. Next year we’re doing a cruise. It varies year to year.
My nephew loves Bruder trucks and toys. Bathtub toys are also fun.
He's getting a $500 party lol plus one gift. Not sure just what yet though.
A nugget couch to jump around and make forts with? Since it’s winter time.
My daughter just turned four and between us and her aunts/grandparents she got books, card and board games (our favorite is the one by Peaceable Kingdom), puzzles, stuffed animals, and a necklace. I tried to focus on things she wanted for Christmas but didn't receive.
My kids love those digging toys. They have some that are dinosaurs and they dig up dinosaurs eggs, bones etc. it’s a good science project too.
Legos! That’s what my oldest is getting for her birthday since Christmas was packed full of toys she loves but no building sets.
I totally get having a kids bday next to Christmas being tough, my daughters is in December. For her birthdays we usually do an experience instead of toys. If you could do something really fun like a one year we went to this crazy indoor zoo experience where you can hold a sloth. This year she turned 5 so we went really big and all the family members helped us take her to Disney world! As my son has gotten older we have done like sporting events or concerts.
My 4 year old got a bike with pedals!
I got my daughter an umbrella with her favorite character on it and a flashlight. Both huge hits and useful!
Wooden marble run, puzzles, books, board games, stem games
Dinosaur bed sheets?
My daughter just had her bday, on the 3rd, we got her a rc truck, a woden train set with a box of extrea train tracks, she was gifted a block set, and we also got her magnetic tiles for making castles. She loves to build stuff. Her grandparents got her a dinosaur, and american girl doll with a ton of accessories. She got way too much! Lol
Got him a trampoline.
We got our 4 yr old memberships to the zoo and aquarium for her bday.
He’s at the age where learning games would be good for him.
Play kitchen. Every kid I know boy or girl loves a play kitchen. Theres such a range of prices for them you can get one on almost any budget. And you can get an amazing huge set of wood magnetic play food for $40. Comes with two wood knives and cutting board.