School Break Staycation Activities at the Market by Jodie Fitz
The market is a great place to bring the kids during school break. It is an educational experience that can be introduced through fun and entertaining activities. Here are some ways to expose children to the Saratoga Farmers’ Market, while supporting locally produced and grown goods.
- Plan a recipe and shop the ingredients. Life skills have a long-lasting impact on children. By selecting a recipe and shopping for the ingredients they learn about planning, list making, shopping and ultimately, developing valuable kitchen skills.
- Let them shop! Give your child(ren) a budget, explain what a budget is, and let them shop. They will learn to choose wisely, shop first and then make their final selection with their ‘budget’. It’s a valuable way to spend a day and the market is different from your typical store experience.
- Play a Game! Play the market’s I-SPY game this week and earn a produce coin to spend at the market. Playing I-SPY makes the market even more fun for kids, helps them to identify fresh, local goods and helps them to ‘learn to earn’ which then can be applied to their shopping experience and help them stretch their dollars if you’re letting them shop. You can use the game in this article (see link below) to print a copy. After you’ve played, simply hand in the I-spy at the market staff table to receive the produce coin located near the entrance of the mall in the food court at Wilton Mall, in front of the green marble wall.
The market is a great winter activity and a fun way to spend family time together. There is live music and ready-made vendors on site. You can grab breakfast, lunch and snacks to enjoy while visiting.
This week’s recipe: Sausage-Egg Breakfast Burritos
The Saratoga Farmers’ Market is currently open Saturdays, 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., November through April at Wilton Mall Food Court; accessible from the mall entrance across from BJs. The CDTA’s 450 (from Schenectady) and 452 (from Skidmore College via downtown Saratoga) run to the Mall hourly Saturday mornings.
Visit www.saratogafarmersmarket.org, sign up for our weekly newsletter and follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
