Kids VT, April 2021
In a Pandemic Year, Parents and Kids Share How They Marked Milestones; A Day in the Life of a Childcare Provider; New Column: Secondhand Style; A Parent-Made Fantasy podcast; Good Citizen Challenge Results
After Vaccinations, How Do We Reconnect With Each Other?
On a recent morning in early March, I took a bite of cereal and scrolled through the news on my phone. I typically spend more time skimming the headlines than I do actually reading articles. But on this day, one particular headline caught my eye, and I had to do a double-take. “Fully vaccinated people…
The Benefits of Thrifting for Baby
My little family of three recently moved from Hawaii, where I was born and raised, to my husband’s hometown in Vermont. It was an easy decision to relocate closer to grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins once we had our baby in late October. It’s also made for a lot of change in a short period…
Mother Up! Releases Climate Justice Zine
Finding ways to collaborate isn’t easy during a pandemic. But families across Vermont recently came together to create a 48-page zine — a small-batch, self-published collection of original writing and images— centered around creating a more equitable, sustainable world. The approximately 18 contributors to the publication, The Future Is Now, are members of Mother Up!:…
A Very Busy Day in the Life of a Childcare Provider
I’ve run a childcare program out of my home for the last 13 years. It all started when friends were in a desperate situation, having lost their childcare overnight due to unforeseen circumstances, and needed care for their 18-month-old. We agreed that their daughter would spend two days a week with me and my then-2-year-old…
Vermont Visionaries: South Burlington School Nurse Kerry Farrell
Kerry Farrell has been a school nurse at Gertrude Chamberlin School, one of South Burlington’s three elementary schools, for 12 years. “This is my dream job. I love it,” said Farrell who also lives and has raised her own children — ages 15, 20 and 22 — in South Burlington. “I love the kids. I…
Editor’s Note: Reflecting on a Year of Adaptations
Recently, I was thinking about my kids’ first day of school in September. Like in previous years, I felt a nervous flutter in my stomach as I watched my son and daughter enter their school buildings, weighed down by backpacks and lunch bags. But this year, the nervousness was compounded with fear and a little…
Creating Abstract Art Inspired by Nature
With the return of sunlit evenings, warmer days and sprouting gardens, now is the perfect time for budding artists to celebrate the signs of spring through art. The new season brings about transformation and growth in our natural world — leaves budding, flowers blooming, roots reaching through thawing soil after a cold winter. With those…
Vermonter Jason Chin Illustrates New Picture Book About Chinese Immigrants
Watercress tells the story of a girl whose parents gather wild watercress along a roadside in the rural Midwest. At first embarrassed by their unusual behavior, the child discovers as the story unfolds that her mother, a Chinese immigrant, picked this plant to survive a famine when she was a young girl. Featured on the…
Should Parents Be Concerned About Kids’ Pandemic Weight Gain?
In the midst of a pandemic — when so many people are out of work, feeling stressed about their finances and concerned about keeping their families healthy — it can seem trivial to worry that our kids have put on a few extra pounds. But childhood weight gain remains a serious health concern, especially now.…
Good Citizens Rocked the At-Home Challenge
This winter was tough — coronavirus cases hit new highs, and national politics hit new lows. Many of us were isolated from friends and family and unable to participate in sports and extracurricular activities. To help Vermont students, teachers and families endure this trying time, Kids VT and Seven Days organized an “At-Home” version of…
Experiencing Spring Through the Senses
For a while, I had a theme on my Gmail account that displayed the current weather. More often than I care to admit, I learned that it was snowing or raining when I logged into my email; I would see it on my screen, then look out the window and notice that it was, in…
How Families Can Honor the Planet on Earth Day — and Every Day
We celebrate Earth Day on April 22, but we can celebrate the Earth everyday. Small daily actions and choices add up. Though this might seem weird coming from someone who writes about being eco-friendly, I believe that individual actions matter but also acknowledge that most pollution is a direct result of decisions made by large…
Recipe: Roasted Vegetable Farro Salad
Farro is nothing new. In fact, it’s one of the so-called “ancient grains” and has been around for about 10,000 years. Some other grains that fit into this category are amaranth, millet and sorghum. All are full of fiber, protein and minerals. According to an NPR article I found, farro originated in the Middle East’s…
What Our Children Will Remember From This Year
As a child in Finland, I made the trip to school every day by myself. The journey varied depending on the season. In the fall and spring, I could bicycle the one-mile ride in what felt like an instant. In the winter, the walk was slow and long, just like the season. When spring finally…
The Importance of Sharing the Music You Love With Your Kids
Sharing the music that matters to us the most is a powerful way to connect with the people we love the most. I learned this on one of many long childhood road trips. Each summer, my brother, Jacob, and I would hop into the back of the family minivan, and my dad would drive us…
Northfield Parents Launch Kids’ Fantasy Podcast
Whom would you consult if you were trying to figure out how to make a compelling podcast for kids? Northfield couple Maren Langdon Spillane and Dominic Spillane went to the most knowledgeable source they could find — their own young children. Last year, the couple, parents of 4-year-old Oliver and 7-year-old Gracelyn, founded Dirt Road…
In a Pandemic Year, Families Share How They Marked Milestones
This past year has been a singularly unusual one, so much so that we, and our kids, will likely be talking about it for the rest of our lives. But despite the awfulness it’s wrought — the sickness and fear, the lives lost, the separation from loved ones — we’ve kept on trucking. Families celebrated…
