Reddit reviews Better Homes and Gardens New Junior Cook Book (Better Homes and Gardens Cooking)

I'm not a parent, but I love to cook, but if I could offer up some advice... If you haven't already, try getting him involved in the cooking process, even if it's just helping you prepare small ingredients. Getting him involved and having him put effort into creating his meal might be able to make it easier or more fun to try new things. When I was little my mom got me a kids cookbook that had all these cool looking meals inside. My favorite to make with her were Cheez-it crusted chicken fingers that we baked in the oven.

Edit: I did a quick google search and found an updated version of the cookbook she got me, if you're interested.

First, it's really cool that your employer did that!

Second, I agree that kids would prefer physical gifts (as opposed to passes). I don't know much about what's available in Canadian winters, but do you all go to indoor swimming pools open year-round? If so, you can get gifts related to swimming - new swimming suits, fun pool noodles, and inflatable pool toys like this swan. I can see them playing with the inflatable swan around the house too. :)

For other winter sports, do they ice skate? Snowboard? Ski? You can put your funds toward one of those and any related accessories. I'm hoping beanies, gloves, and scarves related to those outdoor sports can count.

If you have a big backyard, a trampoline would be cool if you can get the company to approve of it!

What about nutritional health? There are a lot of kits for kids to learn how to cook, along with cookbooks designed for kids. Pair it with a grocery shopping day led by the girls! Maybe you can throw in some cute aprons.

Also, I think giving them bikes over the winter would be fine. Same goes for roller blades and scooters. While not usable right away, there's no reason you can't pair those with smaller gifts they can enjoy on Xmas day.