During this time of social distancing and economic challenges, shopping local is more important than ever. Here are some local shops offering fun and unique gift ideas that will help keep young minds occupied.

At-Home Craft kits – Several local art-making businesses are getting creative with their offerings, compiling everything you need to create a masterpiece at home.

• AR Workshop has take & make kits suitable for all ages that lets you craft at home.
• Color Me Mine offers to-go kits including a Bunny’s Dozen Easter egg painting kit.
•  Available for a limited time, the Oklahoma City Museum of Art has created art kits. Families can follow along with video tutorials to learn about sculpture.
• Unpluggits Paint and Play’s Paint-Your-Own Pottery kits start at $12. Simply browse online and call ahead so they can have your items waiting for your arrival.

Books – When you can’t be on the go, a new book is a great way “travel” to some pretty amazing places. Hit up one of these local bookstores to score some fun, new reads.

• Best of Books in Edmond is offering free delivery within the city limits as well as free shipping for orders over $50. Browse their Facebook page for some inspiring suggestions.
• Commonplace Books has an online shop so you can browse popular titles. New inventory is added daily and orders can be picked up curbside.
• Full Circle Bookstore is offering free shipping and delivery (within a specified area).
• learning tree has an array of choices including best-sellers like The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse and Hair Love. Curbside pickup is available.
• Nappy Roots is a bookstore, an art gallery and a community gathering space. You can hang out in-store or order books online and pick them up in-store or have your order shipped to you. Check out these recommendations from store owner Camille Landry.

Games, Toys & Gifts – Find unique gift items at local merchants.

• Black Scintilla is stocked with unique gifts including puzzles, kids paint by numbers and books and toys for babies and toddlers. For a limited time, they are offering $5 shipping.
• Green Bambino has a selection of toys from trusted brands that are perfect for tiny tots and they are open regular hours for curbside and shipped orders.
• Painted Door offers Easter apparel for women and kids, plus books and other Easter basket stuffers.
• Plenty Mercantile has themed baskets with ready-made themes including robots, dinosaurs, rainbows, unicorns and more. Call via Facetime to shop virtually.
• learning tree lets you browse their online selection of gifts grouped by age or you can stop in the store for an array of choices including puzzles, games, crafts, outdoor toys and more.
• Shop Contemporary is stocked with a variety of gift ideas for kids including books, games and art supplies.
• The OKCMOA Store offers art-inspired games, books and toys. Stop in to browse or shop online.
• The Science Shop at Science Museum  Oklahoma has unique gift ideas for every science fan include experiment kits, books and t-shirts.

Family Memberships & Venue tickets – Plan ahead for when we can get out of the house by including tickets and memberships to your kids’ favorite local attractions.

Tasty treats – What basket would be complete without a sweet treat?

• Katiebug’s Sips & Sweets has DIY cookie and cake ball kits available through their drive-thru.
• Pinkitzel is putting together festive Easter dessert packs which include cupcakes, cookies and candies.

For even more at-home Easter fun ideas, check out these handy resources. 

About the Author – Born and raised in the Oklahoma City metro and a graduate of the Gaylord College of Journalism at the University of Oklahoma, Lindsay Cuomo has worked for MetroFamily since 2014 covering local stories, people and events. Lindsay is a mom to three school-aged boys and calls Moore, Oklahoma home.