Those iPad kids! They have their volume full blast, their attention is all on their screen that's smeared with a mystery substance, projecting strange games and videos. These indestructible devices have been sucking kids into a digital universe of fun shapes and sounds for nearly 15 years. How do you, the parent, aunt or grandparent, draw a child away from this irresistible rectangle? Gifts, of course! Fun, entertaining, educational and nonaddictive gifts!
HOUSE PLANTS
Is your child playing too much Plants vs. Zombies? Give them a real live plant instead. A plant's slow growth is the perfect process for a child to watch in real life instead of an illuminated screen. Lemon, lime, olive and fig trees all bear edible fruit and grow wonderfully inside. Carnivorous plants — Venus flytraps and pitcher plants — give children a better understanding of the flow of energy through an ecosystem, while being a fun, entertaining alternative to the traditional plant. Not only is a plant a great gift to teach kids how to care for a living thing, but it can help them to understand and appreciate a sometimes hard to understand process: where our food comes from. $10-$25 • Ritters Garden & Gift • 10120 N. Division St. • 4ritter.com
LIBRARY CARD
I was born in 2003 — before the invention of the iPad — and I still look up everything that pops into my mind. Make sure your child knows how to think for themselves by getting them a public library card. Not only does this open up a universe of unread books and unheard stories, but also a plethora of fun activities designed specifically for the enrichment of children's minds. Free • Spokane Public Library • spokanelibrary.org
STEAM KIT
The Mobius Discovery Center is fun for people of all ages, but what kid likes a membership?! A gift they can't touch or play with? No, thank you! Get your kid get off their iPads and bring Mobius to them, with Mobius STEAM kits. These kits promise to "ignite imagination while experimenting with themed hands-on kits!" Santa, bees, space, engineering, slime, flowers and dinosaurs — these kits have something for each and every kid. $17-$20 • Mobius Discovery Center • 331 N. Post St. • mobiusdiscoverycenter.org
KIDS COOKING CLASS
Get off Fruit Ninja, and use a real knife in a real kitchen, kids. Cooking classes at the Kitchen Engine are sure to inspire the little chef inside each child. "Pasta, Mommy and Me," cookie decorating, and learning about foods from around the world, the Kitchen Engine has it all. Not only will these lessons get your child off-screen for a bit, they'll also teach skills to continue using the kitchen as an outlet for creativity and the creation of tasty meals for years to come. $75-$125 • The Kitchen Engine • 621 W. Mallon Ave. • thekitchenengine.com
