Gift Guide For Children This Christmas
The consistency of demands by kids for gifts at Christmas is one thing you can depend on. Be you a bearded Scandinavian gent squeezing himself down chimneys, or a long-suffering parent/relative/friend, the pressure to find something exciting and unique reaches fever pitch around this time of year. But never fear, Belle is here with some eco, ethical, educational and exciting ideas for items little ones can open up this Christmas Day. Before they start playing with the box.
- Living Nature Polar Bear – Each Living Nature toy is designed to look just like the real thing and comes in an ‘animal lovers’ gift box packed full of facts about your chosen creature. Their soft faux fur, huggable body and friendly faces make these toys a wonderful gift for kids to love. £58.98 from the Living Nature website.
2. Art Lab Pouring Art – this range is a unique, fun way to let budding artists explore their eye for colour and design in one. Mixing colour palettes and using tools provide a completely unique mini masterpiece which can be displayed on the miniature easels. £20 from Argos.
3. Frugi festive outfits – With 1% of all turnover being donated to charity, and made using only organic cotton, Frugi is the ethic and eco choice when it comes to clothing this Christmas. There’s a full Christmas range of dresses, jumpers and accessories as well as school supplies and backpacks, all in cute, traditional design. Shop the range at WeLoveFrugi.com and get your gift wrapped free for all orders over £30.
4. Gruffalo and Friends Pop-Out scene – See the much-loved story of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s ‘The Gruffalo’ come to life with this new and exciting interactive playset. Consisting of 44 pop-out pieces made from sturdy and sustainable materials, the charming characters have been lovingly realised to be played with again and again along with the deep dark wood backdrop, creating many opportunities for fun imaginative and constructive play. Suitable for age 4+ – buy for £15 from Ethical Shop.
5. Gravitrax – A step up from marble runs, Gravitrax from Ravensburger offers hours of entertainment as players to design and build tracks, whilst experimenting with gravity, magnetism and kinetics to explore endless possibilities and infinite creativity. Available from John Lewis and Smyths Toys, as well as on Amazon and other online retailers.
6. Circuit Science Experiments – With a range of educational experiment kits, Circuit Science is a great gift for budding scientists. Kids can earn all about electric current in the electronic set, and how it powers different devices. There are 18 experiments including the FLYING FAN and glow in the dark disc, it’s a fantastic kit for kids who are starting to learn about circuit science. Buy for £27.99 from Toys&Bears.
7. Build Your Own – Forget origami, these impressive insects are constructed using a step-by-step guide with the end result being a larger-than-life eco-insect, accompanied by a fact book. Designed by award-winning Build Your Own, the Mini Builds are made from 100% sustainable cardboard and paper, and once assembled, deliver maximum fun. Promoting less tech and more family time, the Mini Builds are designed for children aged 8+ but are ideal as a family activity with younger children. Priced from £9.99 from www.buildyourownkits.com.
8. Gourmet Popcorn-Making Kit – Joe & Seph have set the bar with this pop your own corn gourmet set featuring flavours including chocolate orange and salted caramel. Buy from Lakeland for £24.99.
9. Child’s Farm Cracker – The baby sleep cracker contains a dream duo to help children drift off with ease into the land of nod. Both baby bedtime bubbles and baby bedtime pillow spray are formulated with organic tangerine oil – shown to have naturally calming properties similar to lavender. Every Childs Farm product is packaged in recycled materials and is 100% recyclable, each cracker contains 100ml baby bedtime pillow spray and 50ml baby bedtime bubbles organic tangerine. Buy for £10 from the Child’s Farm website.
10. Storytime subscription – Sharing the love of reading with children can never be underrated. Give a Christmas Gift that lasts all year. Each issue of Storytime magazine is packed with fairy tales, animal stories, myths and legends, modern tales, funny poems, and much more – beautifully illustrated, with games and activities too. Each issue arrives in a special envelope for the child to open so they have the excitement of getting their own mail and there are free downloadable activities every month. No adverts, no plastic toys – just wonderful stories to read, love and share. And Storytime have been kind enough to offer an extra 20% off the subscription price for Belle About Town Readers. Click here to claim your discount.
