Four gift ideas for the earthy and artistic kids you know

Published 3:53 pm Friday, November 18, 2011

Buying gifts for kids can feel like a treasure hunt without a map through store aisles and websites packed for the holidays. But sussing out clues may not be as difficult as it looks.

Ask Mom or Dad. Ask another kid. What do you see the child playing with, riding on or reading?

When in doubt, reach for the classics in books, apparel or toys: a sweater with room for growth; mittens or hats that don’t require a size. The handcraft site Etsy.com is a good resource for artsy and unique items.

We narrowed down the choices and will offer gift suggestions for certain kid types in the following weeks. Here are a few that “earthy” kids might like:

Tegu: Magnetic blocks made from sustainable hardwood harvested in Honduras. Buyers can send a child in Honduras to school for a day or plant a tree there to replenish rainforest with every purchase. Good for a range of ages. Made in Honduras.

Eco-kids: Art supplies from a Portland, Maine-based mom-and-pop company with nontoxic, natural ingredients. Handmade molding doughs, finger paints, crayons and paste. Kids will love the packaging: A set of doughs comes in a cardboard tower and the crayons in rocklike shapes in little tins.

Futbol: The One World Futbol Project sells a durable, no-stitch blue ball designed like a traditional soccer ball but for all terrains, and has a “give one, get one” offer to donate a second ball to partner organizations around the world. Online only at Oneworldfutbol.com.

Rock Paper Notebooks: Spiral-bound sketchbooks with slick, strong paper made from chunks of limestone ground to dust (80 percent of content) bound with a nontoxic resin (the other 20 percent). No trees chopped, no water used in the manufacturing process, no bleach, no post-production waste.