Kids VT, July 2020
5 Spots for Family Biking; A Black Dad on Power and Privilege; Teaching Kids About Racism; New Columns: VT Visionaries and Musical Notes
Montpelier Author Kekla Magoon Talks Children’s Lit, Systemic Racism
When he was 18 years old and living in Memphis, Tenn., renowned Black writer Richard Wright had to borrow a library card from a white man to check out books from the public library. Wright couldn’t obtain his own library card to use in the city’s segregated library. He wrote about this experience in his…
‘Sit Spots’ Provide Chance for Observation, Contemplation
Last fall, I signed up to co-teach a summer course for college students on observing nature through art and science. Like everything else in the past few months, the details have quickly evolved. First, the course was moved online. Then we learned that we couldn’t expect students to go outside. At first, I felt like…
Shelburne Teen Leads Black Lives Matter Rally
Emma Marden, 14, of Shelburne is not afraid of uncomfortable conversations. In fact, she thinks we should be having them more often. As one of the only Black students at the Shelburne Community School, she often feels isolated. “No one else understands what it’s like to be the only person of color in a classroom,”…
How Vermont Kids Are Spending Their Summers
The COVID-19 pandemic has created a strange new normal for young people around the state suddenly spending all of their time at home. Some kids are trying to make the best of it. We asked them about the projects they started during quarantine. Below, find some of their responses. Name: Wisteria Age: 15 Town: Wheelock…
A Finnish Mother Navigates Her Hierarchy of Fears
In the early summer last year, my husband and I woke up at 5 a.m. to find a black bear visiting our suburban backyard in South Burlington. It was our fault: we had not removed our birdfeeder in March as was recommended. Now the hungry bear was lying three feet away from our back door,…
Teaching Kids About Music Through the Great Albums Curriculum
Like many parents, my first feeling was panic when Vermont schools shuttered in mid-March for the remainder of the school year. Even though my wife, Shannon, and I both have backgrounds in teaching, I genuinely wondered how we would adequately fill the school-size void that had suddenly appeared in our children’s lives. I was optimistic…
Talking to Young Children About Racism
“Explain it to me in a different way,” requested then-3-year-old Coraline as she sat on her toddler potty in our living room last month. Again, I searched for the words to use, hoping that I could help my daughter understand the conversation my partner, Stephanie, and I had been having in recent days. I made…
A Black Father Reflects on Privilege & Power
For hundreds of years, Black men have been trying to figure out how to stay alive in this country. Black mothers and fathers have struggled for generations with the knowledge that even if their children are alive and well, they can never truly be safe. I was born into this knowledge. Most Black babies are…
A Conversation With Poet & Teaching Artist Rajnii Eddins
What follows are distilled quotes from a conversation with Burlington resident Rajnii Eddins, a poet, facilitator, activist, teaching artist, founder of the Poetry Experience at Fletcher Free Library and author of a poetry book, Their Names Are Mine, that aims to confront white supremacy. As the artistic director for the Young Writers Project, Eddins co-coached…
Yoga Pose of the Month: Warrior I
Summer is a time for big fun — and the perfect time for a big, strong warrior pose! Benefits: Promotes focus and concentration Improves balance Builds confidence Strengthens all parts of the body Stretches leg muscles Brings energy to the body Steps: Stand in mountain pose. Bring one leg back and bend front knee. Reach…
Editor’s Note: A Teachable Moment
On June 13, volunteers — including Sylvester Owusu and his family, pictured on the cover of this issue — gathered to paint a bright-yellow, 25-foot mural with the words “Black Lives Matter” on the street in front of the Vermont Statehouse. That night, the mural was vandalized with mud and oil, prompting Gov. Phil Scott…
Dr. Jeremy Sibold on Helping Kids Safely Return to Organized Sports
Small bodies in bright orange shorts and jerseys stand six feet apart, pausing between drills to gulp water from sports bottles. I’m watching from afar, because parents aren’t allowed near the fields. I see the children heading toward shade under trees, taking care to give each other space. There are no communal water jugs, and…
Five Local Spots for Biking With Kids
While COVID-19 has put a damper on many families’ summer vacation plans, we are fortunate that Vermont is a great place for warm-weather recreation, especially when you’re on two wheels. The following five locations are some of the state’s best spots for biking with kids. Pack up your bikes, helmets, snacks and water, and spend…
