Back To School Issue 2016
Lessons in Kindness, A New Sensory Room, Corn Mazes & Apple Orchards, Boarding School or Bust, An Art Teacher’s Museum-Visiting Tips
Learning by Doing: The Hands on Educational System
Cheryl Owens of Richmond honed her educational philosophy as a homeschooling mother of three. She recalls purchasing a regimented, traditional curriculum to use with her kids — who are now in high school and college — and then literally throwing it out the window when she realized they would benefit from a more engaging, hands-on…
Emerson’s Pooch Problems
As kids know all too well, sometimes it’s hard to be quiet. That’s the dilemma facing the pup protagonist in Charlotte resident Liza Woodruff’s picture book, Emerson Barks, released on August 16. When Emerson’s enthusiastic barking scares the neighbors, his owner, Eva, bans his yapping altogether. It’s a hard order to obey, and ultimately the…
Quick Curry: Hard-Boiled-Egg Masala
I love food — eating it, cooking it and sharing it. For this, I credit my father. He was an adventurous cook who drew inspiration from around the globe and surprised us with exotic dishes daily. Growing up in South Hero, there weren’t exactly a wide array of ethnic restaurants — or any restaurants, really…
A Rutland Teen Joins the Vermont State Board of Education
NAME: Connor Solimano AGE: 16 TOWN: Rutland Connor Solimano believes students should have a voice. So this fall, the 16-year-old will join Winooski High School senior Rainbow Chen as one of two student representatives on the Vermont State Board of Education. “People might think, Oh, they’re just kids, it doesn’t really matter what their opinion…
Out to Eat: Rainbow Sweets
My 9-year-old niece, Rayna, has a sweet tooth that, in her opinion, is insufficiently indulged by the adults in her life. Occasionally, I like to be the cool aunt and take her out for a healthy dose of (mother-approved) sugar. In central Vermont terms, Rainbow Sweets is her neighborhood bakery — it’s 20 minutes from…
Seeing Green: Learning to Love Vermont at a Massachusetts Boarding School
By the time I was in eighth grade, I was ready to leave my hometown of South Burlington. I hadn’t even lived there that long. I was born in New Jersey, but my family moved to Hanoi, Vietnam, for my dad’s work when I was 2. My younger brother and I attended an international school…
The Art Of… Bringing Kids to Museums
I had a revelation recently: At ages 5 and a half and 7, my kids might be ready to visit a museum that isn’t specifically geared to children. Just as I thought it, my mind painted a vivid picture of all that could go wrong. We’re working on emotional control in our house (translation: loud…
Ups and Downs
On a muggy Sunday last month, my family decided to climb Stowe Pinnacle. My husband, Jeff, and I had done the hike a handful of times in our pre-kids days. We recalled it being beautiful and just slightly more challenging than our old standby, Mount Philo. Our kids are 9 and 6 now, so we…
Principals in Parenting: An Executive and a Principal on Rising Early, Eating Together and the “No Electronics” Room
On an August evening, the impeccable green expanse of the Buntings’ back lawn shows no signs of the 80 people who came to celebrate dad Adam’s 40th birthday party the previous night — save for an empty keg by the patio. Although his actual birthday was back in March, the only gift Adam wanted was…
Building Character
Books that feature characters with disabilities can be a great way to start conversations about the ways we’re all different. Sam Drazin, founder of the educational nonprofit Changing Perspectives, thinks that discussions like these can help kids learn to be empathetic. (Read about Drazin’s work in “Lessons in Kindness.”) We asked Drazin to recommend a…
What’s the best way to treat an ear infection?
Most kids will get at least one ear infection by age 3. In recent years, rates of ear infections have been steadily declining, but about 5 million new cases are still diagnosed in the U.S. each year, resulting in 30 million physician visits and 10 million antibiotic prescriptions, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.…
Browsing Books and Art at St. Johnsbury Athenaeum
If your kids are like mine, 19th-century American art ranks well below Harry Potter in their hierarchy of interests. But a recent visit to the St. Johnsbury Athenaeum proved a surprisingly enjoyable day trip for my daughters, ages 11 and 17. With 11-year-old friend Lucia in tow, we headed to the Northeast Kingdom to visit…
Perfect Sense: A New Space in Barre Lets Kids With Autism Explore and Relax
For Maleia Darling, a 20-year-old Barre woman living with autism, the everyday world is often unbearably overstimulating. Fluorescent lights, for example, cause her physical discomfort — they flicker painfully in her eyes and distract her. Though she’s learned ways to better navigate the world and has fewer meltdowns than she used to, it’s still a…
Navigating Corn Mazes
Corn mazes may seem like an easy way to pass the time on a lazy fall afternoon. But according to Mike Boudreau, owner of the Great Vermont Corn Maze in Danville, people often underestimate the physical and mental stamina they can require. Just like ski slopes, corn mazes vary in difficulty, Boudreau explained in an…
Backyard Stone Fire Pit
On a crisp Vermont evening, there’s nothing like toasting marshmallows over an open fire. Two years ago, however, things got a bit too crispy for the Karpinski family when they lost their vacation home — a condominium at Sugarbush Resort — to a fire that may have been caused by a neighbor’s wood-burning fireplace. Still,…
Zutano Says Bye-Bye to Brick and Mortar
If you’re looking for an adorable owl-print onesie or a pair of fleece baby booties that don’t fall off, the place to go in Vermont has always been the Zutano Company Store on Main Street in Montpelier. But the cheery baby and kids’ clothing company, headquartered in Cabot, recently announced that it’s closing the small…
Nonprofit Website Kayla’s Directory Creates Equal Opportunity
As a parent of a daughter with autism and a neurodevelopmental condition, Shelburne resident Sara Kruk knows getting around is often challenging for children with disabilities. This summer, the nonprofit website she founded, Kayla’s Directory, helped purchase an adaptive stroller for Shelburne Farms, which has summer camps that serve numerous children with disabilities. The stroller,…
Lessons in Kindness: A Vermont Nonprofit Helps Kids Learn Empathy
Sam Drazin grew up in in Norwich in a neighborhood filled with families. His childhood included typical kid pursuits: biking, flashlight tag, trick-or-treating, sledding. But in middle school, life got more complicated. He wasn’t the target of bullying or teasing, he says, rather he became invisible. Childhood friends ignored him. And when he reached out…
