Are you staycationing this winter break? Consider bringing the entire family to the Saratoga Farmers’ Market as part of your week of staycation activities.
While it may sound like an odd staycation activity, the farmers’ market is filled with leisurely fun that the whole family will enjoy, leading to an educational experience while ultimately supporting local businesses that grow and produce all of their goods.
Play Market I-Spy
Visit the market’s website at www.saratogafarmersmarket.org and locate ‘Support the Market’ on the home page. Click ‘Learn More’ to find the Market I-spy game and download and print it.
Once you’re at the market, check the boxes as you identify the corresponding items to the pictures you discover as you wander by all the different vendors. This experience will help children realize how many locally made and grown items are available at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market. Keep reading to learn how your child(ren) can earn a $2 coin to spend at the market.
Culinary Fun
You can also print a free shopping list for your children to follow while at the market, corresponding with this week’s recipe: nutty apple pancakes. You can locate the list on the same page as the Market I-spy game.
Identify the items you need for making this recipe at the market and check them off as you locate where they are available. This practical activity is a perfect opportunity to expand your staycation fun by shopping and making a recipe together.
Rewards
If you download and complete an activity, bring it to the information table, and your child(ren) will receive a $2 token to spend at the market.
The market is an exciting place to help children understand where local food and goods come from. Our vendors are always open to chatting about how they grow or create their goods and bring them to market.
The Saratoga Farmers’ Market will be open on Saturdays from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. from November through April at the Wilton Mall Food Court, accessible from the mall entrance across from BJs or the mall interior. The CDTA’s 450 (from Schenectady) and 452 (from Skidmore College via downtown Saratoga) run to the Wilton Mall hourly on Saturday mornings. Find us online at www.saratogafarmersmarket.org, where you can sign up for our weekly newsletter and follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
