By Melissa Zietz

The winter holiday season is in full swing, and for many of us that means finding gifts for the children on our lists. Whether you make your own gifts or prefer to shop for something fun and unique, the Madison area offers many sustainable choices that will bring a smile to any kid’s face.

This is by no means an exhaustive list of the stores or sustainable gifts available, but rather are some nifty ideas that I found during my own holiday shopping. Each keeps the earth in mind without breaking the bank. If you still need to find gifts, then grab your cloth shopping bag, and get going!

For the budding young gardener or mini-host of frequent intimate gatherings, you may like either an indoor garden kit or a tea set made from recycled plastic milk jugs. Colorful and durable, these are made by Green Toys in California ($25.95 at Happy Bambino).

For the child who loves anything as long as it has four wheels, check out the extremely sturdy and fun cars and trucks made from recycled plastic and wood by Sprig, a Canadian company (Race car, $29; Discover Rig, $69 at Capitol Kids and The Learning Shop).

If older kids are on your list, consider a gift certificate to either Bongo Video or Vitense Golfland, or an iTunes gift card. More sustainable than a larger item that they may never use, gift cards always fit.

Kids will often have a long list of toys that they would like, but in reality what they will cherish most and remember forever are the times spent with those they love. To that end, consider “coupons” for a day of sledding and snow fort building or tickets to a special event that you can enjoy with them.

Homemade gifts are always meaningful, so if you’re crafty you might try making your own doll clothes from scraps of fabric or rounding up holey socks to create puppets to go with a cardboard box puppet theater. Or, make your own snowman or dress-up kit with hats and scarves found in your own closet or at Goodwill.  Thrift shops are also great sources of beads and other craft materials to make a “rainy day projects” kit or sewing kit.  You can reduce the number of new items and packaging, and reuse toys and clothes by purchasing gently-used and inexpensive toys and clothes from resale and thrift stores (St. Vincent de Paul, Once Upon a Child, Wear it Again or Bethesda House of Thrift to name a few).

For the whole family, consider a membership to the Madison Children’s Museum ($70 per year for four named people or $110 per year for six named people; comes with a one-time free admittance pass to share with four people) or Olbrich Gardens (Garden Family Membership is $50 per year for up to two adults in the same household plus their minor children and/or grandchildren).  As a bonus, a portion of membership donations is tax-deductible!

After all the thought that went into the perfect gift, don’t forget the earth-friendly packaging!  Try using a T-shirt in place of wrapping paper or decorate a package with new shoelaces or hair bows instead of disposable ribbon.

Lastly, my secret source of gifts for kids:  I have been lucky enough to receive some great toys from friends whose kids have outgrown them. I just hide them in my basement until the holidays, when I wrap and re-gift to my own children.  While admittedly lazy, it’s also quite sustainable, and you can’t beat the price!

Enjoy the holidays!