As part of the DigInVT Holiday Gift Guide, our team has come up with some great local gift options for the children in your life! Find books, experiences, sweet treats, and more from Vermont and teach your little ones about the importance of buying local from a young age.
Farm Memberships
Gift your family a membership to Billings Farm & Museum in Woodstock, Shelburne Farms in Shelburne, or Retreat Farm in Brattleboro so they can enjoy fun on the farm all year long. Membership is a little different for each one, but typically it includes admission for an entire year and lots of other perks! Children can explore the farm, interact with the animals, and learn about growing food and raising livestock - it's fun, educational, and will allow them to create lasting memories right here in Vermont.
Gingerbread House Kit
New Vermont Fresh Network member Sweet Sarah's makes it so easy to construct and decorate your own gingerbread house this holiday season. The Gingerbread House Kit includes homemade gingerbread pieces, icing, candy, and sprinkles! They even have options for folks with dietary restrictions - dairy free, gluten free, and vegan. Check out the Sugar Cookie Kit, as well as all the delicious-looking prepared desserts. They're sure to get you in the holiday spirit.
Books
Get the little ones in your life a book at their reading level about maple sugaring! Sugaring by Jessie Haas and Sugar on Snow by Nan Parson Rossiter are a couple favorites. Order from the Hidden Springs Maple online shop! Add some maple candy too for an extra sweet gift. Huck's Way Home by Kristina Rodanas is another great kids' book, and it comes with a Huck stuffed toy! Based on a true story of bravery, the book follows the journey of a week old steer who ran away within minutes of his arrival at Billings Farm.
Baking Box
Surprise your little baker with a Baking Box from King Arthur Baking Company. This is a fun activity to do together! King Arthur ships a box right to your doorstep, including a detailed recipe with step by step instructions, any special tools you'll need, and all the pre-measured dry ingredients. You just need to supply your own dairy, eggs (may we suggest local?), and oils. They couldn't make it any easier to have a fun baking day and create some tasty treats! Check out their online shop to add on some matching aprons.
DIY Lip Balm Kit
Gift the child(ren) in your life a DIY Lip Balm Kit from Railyard Apothecary in Burlington! This is another fun project you can do together. The kit includes every single thing you need to make your own lip balm, including the tubes, labels, ingredients, and more. Bonus - it makes 13 tubes of lip balm for just $25! Do it over December vacation or save it for a rainy day.
Fun with Llamas
Book a Fun at the Farm Package with Agape Hill Farm! It's great for all ages and you're sure to have a day to remember. The package includes walking a llama through an obstacle course, meeting and feeding farm animals, a felting class, and a photo scavenger hunt. There's also space to have a picnic lunch and kids can play farm games and check out the antique tractors (perfect photo opp!). Email [email protected] or call 802-472-3711 to book!
Sprout Jar Lid & Seeds
Help your little one become a little farmer! Pick up a wide mouth Mason jar, order the Sprout Jar Lid and sprouting seeds from High Mowing Seeds, and you're good to grow!
Apparel
We can't get enough of Vermont's cutest baby and kids' clothes. From the Big Picture Farm's Super Soft Goat Onesies and handmade Toddler Goat Dresses to the UVM Bookstore's Toddler Catamount Hockey Jersey and Youth Vermont Sweatpants, you really can't go wrong. There are lots more options, as well. Visit your favorite farm, restaurant, or food/beverage producer's website (using the Places feature on DigInVT.com), and see if the have any childrens' merch options!
Hot Chocolate Party
What's better than a cup of hot chocolate? A hot chocolate party! Gather local hot chocolate fixins and throw a little party for the kids in your family! We recommend the hot chocolate mix from Lake Champlain Chocolates and fancy hand-crafted marshmallows from Nomadic Kitchen. Mix it up with some local dairy, and top it off with Cabot's whipped cream. Gift each child a fun mug to sip it out of - check out the offerings from the UVM Bookstore. Our favorite is the Vermont Cow mug!
Mushroom Grow Kit
This is such a fun gift idea! Vermont's FUNJ Shrooming Co. offers a variety of grow kits in their online shop, which include blocks of substrate inoculated with mushroom mycelium. Kids can mist their blocks and watch the mushrooms grow, and then harvest and eat them! And these are no ordinary mushrooms - Pink Oyster, Lion's Mane, and Blue Oyster are all very cool looking and delicious. Hint - this also makes a great gift for a mushroom-loving adult!
DIY Wool Crafting
Pick out some yarn or needle felting crafting kits from Nova Natural Toys & Crafts, based in Shelburne! Each kit comes with a kid-friendly needle or loom and fiber material for one project! Pick out a skein of local yarn (or a few) in their favorite colors from Cloverworks Farm, Green Mountain Spinnery, or Knoll Farm so they can continue crafting once the initial starter material is used up.
This DigInVT Holiday Gift Guide was made possible by support from the new UVM Office of Engagement. The office is the University’s “front door” for private, public, and non-profit entities looking to partner with UVM to address community needs.
