Kids VT, Fall 2022
Why Toddlers Love Libraries; Surviving the Formula Shortage; Build Confidence Through Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu; 7 Fall Events for the Whole Family
Afterschool Nature Program Brings Middle Schoolers Outdoors
Attention, Orange and Washington county residents: If you’ve ever wanted your middle schooler to put down their phone and take a walk in the woods, we’ve got an afterschool program for you. Starting on September 1, middle schoolers in Orange and Washington counties can spend three hours every weekday afternoon at Sage Mountain Botanical Sanctuary,…
Gi Force: A Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Master Teaches Kids to Be Confident, Safe and Strong — On and Off the Mat
Julio César Fernandez Nunes has traded kicks, leg locks and choke holds with some of the world’s fiercest Brazilian jiu-jitsu fighters. But on a steamy afternoon in his Williston gym, the 65-year-old “Foca,” as he’s known in his native Brazil, grappled with an unexpected challenge: Two of his instructors were delayed by car troubles, so…
Save the Dates: Fun Stuff for Families This Fall
Escape the Maize Through October 10 Nothing like a 24-acre corn maze to bring a family together. Intrepid explorers must gather their loved ones and their wits if they dare to tackle the Great Vermont Corn Maze, New England’s largest labyrinth. If you’re not up for a three-hour hike, the scenic maze is always an…
All Vermont K-12 Public School Students Get Free Breakfast and Lunch This Year
In case you missed the news this spring, Gov. Phil Scott signed the Universal School Meals Act, which guarantees free breakfast and lunch for all students in Vermont’s K-12 public schools during the 2022-23 school year. Vermont is the third state to pass such legislation, after California and Maine. Public school students had been eating…
New Nonprofit Promotes Neurodiversity and the Idea That ‘All Brains Belong’
Everyone’s brain works differently, and no one should be ashamed or made to feel like an outsider because of it. That’s the message of All Brains Belong VT, a Montpelier nonprofit founded by physician Melissa Houser. The group aims to connect, serve and advocate for children and adults who identify as “neurodivergent” — a description…
Spare Time Reopening Soon — With Expanded Arcade and Escape Rooms
Parents of kids with fall and winter birthdays will be happy to hear that Spare Time in Colchester will be reopening soon. The bowling alley and family fun center was closed over the summer for renovations. When complete, the new facility — one of 18 in the country owned by Spare Time Entertainment — will…
Vermont Visionaries: Nick Patch, Longtime Boatbuilding Instructor
Nick Patch stood at the helm of an open-air workshop at Lake Champlain Maritime Museum in July and surveyed 10 sea kayaks, all in skeletal form. Campers, ages 13 to 17, used handsaws, epoxy and clamps as they constructed the boats. Two days earlier, the crafts were just piles of wood. Now they looked like…
Editor’s Note: Ready for School?
Vermont kids and parents may be ready for classes to begin this fall, but whether schools will be fully prepared to welcome them is still unclear. Superintendents and school leaders nationwide have been sounding the alarm for months that they’re having a hard time hiring and keeping teachers and support staff, in part because of…
More Than Just Books: Why Babies and Toddlers Love Libraries — and You Should, Too!
When I first became a mom in 2018 and was looking for things to do with my little ones, it never occurred to me that the library offered anything other than books. It wasn’t until I overheard another parent raving about “story time” that I grew curious about whether my local library offered something similar.…
Join the Club: Fairfax Teens Practice Being Good Citizens
At 14 years old, Keller Greene can’t vote. But when he’s old enough, the Fairfax teen will be ready, thanks in part to the Good Citizen Challenge. In the 2019-20 school year, Keller and four of his friends at Bellows Free Academy Fairfax completed the Challenge — a youth civics project organized by Kids VT…
Feeding Frenzy: The Baby Formula Shortage Has Eased — but It Isn’t Over
Baby formula — or lack of it — made lots of headlines in the spring, when parents of infants were encountering purchasing restrictions and bare shelves at grocery stores. The nationwide shortage was spurred by the February shutdown of an Abbott Nutrition formula factory in Sturgis, Mich., due to suspected bacterial contamination. Abbott, the maker…
Mealtime: Coxinhas, Brazilian Street Food for Back-to-School Lunches
When I need inspiration to spice up my lunch-packing repertoire, I like to look at street food from around the world. Street food is portable, typically a good size for lunch boxes and a nice departure from a sandwich. Plus, it’s fun to make and eat! The Brazilian chicken croquettes called coxinhas fit this category…
Offbeat Outpost: A New Store in St. Johnsbury Offers Eclectic, Playful Finds for Children and Adults
After nearly 20 years of teaching art, Alison Bergman won’t be going back to school this fall. Instead of decorating and stocking a classroom that nurtures creativity, she’s cultivating it through Art & Joy, an eclectic gift shop she opened earlier this year in St. Johnsbury. Over the past few months, the Northeast Kingdom store…
