Kids VT, August 2011
Vermont Day-Cations: Saturday Night at the Drive-In; Out to Eat at the Wayside; Bouldering at Petra Cliffs; Build a Propeller Boat
Good Dog
New Yorker cartoonist and children’s book illustrator Harry Bliss introduces readers to the top dog at Champlain Elementary School in his new children’s book Bailey. Bliss, who lives in South Burlington, uses humor to bring Bailey to life. He says his love of Charles Schultz’s “Peanuts” inspired Bailey’s creation. “I grew up loving Snoopy, and…
A Vertical Playing Field
Bouldering — rock climbing without ropes — with kids is in some ways easier than hiking with them. It’s an indoor-outdoor activity that levels the playing field — a vertical one —and may even give little ones a leg up on their parents. I recently headed to Petra Cliffs Climbing Center in Burlington with my cousins, 5…
Book Review: “Heart of a Samurai” by Margi Preus
Librarian: Ryan Deery, children’s programming librarian, Kellogg-Hubbard Library in Montpelier. Book: Heart of a Samurai by Margi Preus Age range: 9 to 15 years old Deery’s summary: Preus regales readers with a retelling of the 1841 biography of Manjiro, a 14-year-old Japanese fisherman who gets shipwrecked on a deserted island. Rescued by an American whaleboat,…
The Art of… Fiddling
The fiddle is a violin played in a folksy rather than a classical style. When it’s time for 8-year-old Blue Boucher of Cabot to practice, he has an appropriately folksy routine — he grabs his case and heads out his front door, past the henhouse and up over the crest of his dirt driveway to…
How do I get my young child to develop healthy sleep habits?
No subject generates more discussion — or causes more anguish — among new parents than the roller-coaster sleep patterns of their children. Lewis First, chief of pediatrics at Vermont Children’s Hospital and editor-in-chief of Pediatrics, shares some bedtime tips. KIDS VT: When’s the right time to start an infant on a regular sleep schedule? LEWIS…
Propeller Sailboat
Launching a new boat is always a blast. Here’s an easy and affordable way to build one at home. This propeller-powered vessel is made mainly from recycled materials you probably have handy. It should take about an hour for you and your kids to put it together, from start to finish. Build two or more,…
Swim Safely
We couldn’t wait to dive in to the boating and swimming day trips featured in the August issue of Kids VT. But our enthusiasm evaporated when we heard the tragic news that 12-year-old Bentley Seifer of Burlington had drowned at the Bolton Potholes. A week later, 2-year-old Raymeir Smith of Brattleboro died at the Vernon…
Sweet & Simple: Frozen Fruit Desserts
Fruit for dessert is an idea that sounds like a good one … until you present your child with a slice of melon after dinner and she looks at you as if you’ve lost your mind. Somehow, fruit only becomes a festive treat when it’s frozen and presented in the right way. Here are two…
What’s the best parenting advice you got from your parents?
Rolf Kielman Town: Hinesburg Job: Architect Children: son Roland, 28; twins Rem (son) and Lily (daughter), 23 My parents died not too long ago in their mid-80s. They were generally short on advice but free with examples. We came to Canada from Holland in 1953. My dad was one of those Old World—trained silversmiths and…
Vermont Day-cations: 10 Trips to Explore Vermont’s Waterways
In summer, Vermonters measure their water in different ways — the number of cannonballs they make into a neighborhood pool, say, or the miles they travel to a distant campsite on a lake with loons . The yearly totals may not be as impressive, but for families, the numbers add up to lifelong bonding. These…
Fairs and Field Days
Vermont’s fairs and field days are an easy way to entertain your family. These outdoor events show off the best of the state’s summer produce and farm animals, and they even offer opportunities for friendly competition. A field-day visit is also the perfect time to teach kids about Vermont’s agricultural history — especially since there’s…
Happy Campers
What is itchy and bug bitten and smells like dirty socks? Your family, after a few days in the woods. Combat the funk with a new, nontoxic Organic Outdoor Kit from Middlebury-based Vermont Soap Organics. The biodegradable liquid Camping Soap allows you to get an outdoor shower without worrying about what your soap might do…
Cardboard Castles
For your next party, think outside the box — literally. Build a cardboard playhouse with your kids and organize the party around it. It’s creative, inexpensive and gets them involved in the process.First, brainstorm a theme. Anything requiring a building or structure will work. Some suggestions: castles for a royally good time, the Emerald City…
Music to Your Peers
If music hath charms that soothe the savage beast, perhaps a new musical with beastly stars can soothe the savage bully. Set in an alternate universe called the Land Between, “Bully Be Gone!” uses animal characters as both bullies and targets, upending the typical burly-bully-meek-victim dynamic. Producer and director Elaine Davida Sklar hopes the approach…
