Kids VT, August 2014
Day-Cations: Okemo and the Champlain Islands; Teen-Powered Food Truck; Building a Backyard Skate Ramp
Should my son play video games with strangers online?
Q: My 8-year-old son plays Clash of Clans, a multiplayer roleplaying game, on our family iPad. His friend recently invited him to join a clan. That means he would be on a team and able to trade messages with his friend and some unknown players. My son swears he won’t communicate with strangers online, but…
Beach Reads
For the August issue, Kids VT asked local librarians to recommend “beach reads” for kids — fun, breezy books perfect for whiling away the last days of summer. Rattletrap Car by Phyllis Root, Ages 3-7 On a blazing hot day, Junie, Jakie, Poppa and the baby want to cool off in the lake. But can…
Book-Review Winners (August 2014)
Congratulations to these enthusiastic young critics who shared their reading recommendations with us in July. Each wins a $25 gift certificate from Crow Bookshop in Burlington. We loved reading about all the entrants’ literary adventures and have included some excerpts below. School of Fear by Gitty Daneshvari “I loved how all four main characters have…
Keep on Food Truckin’
A truck pulling a trailer decorated with images of bees, fruit and veggies has been trundling around Burlington this summer. This particular mobile eatery is different from the rest of the food trucks rolling into town: Kids run it. Meet Fork in the Road, Vermont’s tastiest new example of sustainability education. The food truck —…
What’s the most adventurous thing you’ve done with your kids?
Mark Binkhorst, Burlington Owner, Burlington Furniture Company, sons Jaden, 6, and Alex, 4 The most adventurous thing we’ve done as a family is decide to move to Seoul, Korea. My wife is from Korea, and her family is there, so we saw the opportunity to make the move while Jaden and Alex are young. We’re…
Worm Composting
Looking for an extra-rich fertilizer to help your garden grow — and a fun excuse to let your kids play with nightcrawlers? Try vermicomposting, or composting with worms. When worms eat leftover kitchen scraps, their poop mixes with soil to create a nutritional feast for plants. And unlike with traditional composting, you never need to…
Building a Backyard Skate Ramp
Filmmaker Nate Beaman couldn’t wait to introduce his kids — Fiona, 7, and Shamus, 6 — to skateboarding. When they showed a glimmer of interest, the single dad jumped on the opportunity to encourage the sport. He built a skate ramp from scratch in their Shelburne backyard, with help from his college buddy and colleague,…
The Art of… Toy Hacking
The talking caterpillars and electronic musical instruments seemed destined for a group of toddlers. But they were arranged on a table at the Fairfax Library for six elementary-school-age kids, who played with them in an unconventional way: They took the toys apart. The group was participating in a recent toy hacking workshop, which aimed to…
Consuelo Northrup Bailey (1899-1976)
“Drawing on History” is a monthly feature about a notable Vermont person, place or event from days of yore. Want to suggest a future topic? Email us at ideas@kidsvt.com. This article was originally published in Seven Days’ monthly parenting magazine, Kids VT.
Parents’ Pride
When my daughter, Joni, hit 6 weeks old, the countdown to her first “social smile” began. All the baby books said that between six and eight weeks, she’d start smiling to communicate happiness — not just because she’d farted. The weeks passed, but Joni’s stony face didn’t budge. Her grumpy demeanor was cute. Still, I…
Vermont Day-cations: Okemo Mountain Resort & Champlain Islands
School’s out, and Day-cations are in. Every summer, Kids VT seeks out family-friendly destinations where you and your kids can experience the natural beauty and unique culture of our region. They’re all places you can visit in a day. Each of our three summer issues features two recommended trips, complete with tips on nearby dining…
Sleep No More: The toughest thing about parenting a newborn? Catching some ZZZs.
Recently, my husband and I lugged our 3-month-old baby and her mountains of gear to a nearby café. We ran into an acquaintance there who had been watching as we got out of the car and unloaded our cargo. “You guys looked so glum,” she said. Of course we looked glum. Joni had been screaming…
Outside the Lines: Meet the artists — and the judges — behind Kids VT’s most popular monthly feature
When Kids VT introduced its coloring contest in February 2011, we weren’t sure what to expect. Would we even get any submissions? Would the entries all look alike? We needn’t have worried. Our readers responded instantly to our invitation — and more creatively than we ever could have imagined. Since that first contest, we’ve consistently…
A New World
How long could you wait to reunite with your love? In the Jewish quarter of a Russian town in 1897, a handsome house painter and a beautiful math whiz were married. After the czar’s soldiers ransacked the community, the lovebirds made the tough decision to separate: Solomon immigrated to New York, while Anna stayed behind.…
Winning Words
PBS, home of “Sesame Street,” has long been a leader in early literacy. For the last 20 years, the broadcaster has invited young readers in grades K-3 to write and illustrate their own storybooks for the PBS Kids Writers Contest. Vermont PBS announced the winners of the statewide contest in April; the four first-place winners…
Walking on Water
There’s more to standup paddling than, well, paddling. At a weekly family jam at Burlington’s Oakledge Park, kids toss Frisbees, twirl hula hoops and even go “skiing” while balancing on giant floating boards. Inspired by his own “anything goes”-style summer-camp experience, Paddlesurf Champlain owner Jason Starr is coming up with even more activities, such as…
How can parents help their kids develop a healthy body image?
It’s summer — the season of shorts, skirts, tank tops and bathing suits — a time when many people, including children and teens, are acutely self-conscious about their looks. Even kids as young as 6 or 7 might fret about the size and shape of their bodies. That’s hardly surprising in our appearance-obsessed culture. Most…
On the Right Tack
Barely a breath of wind blows across Lake Champlain, but that doesn’t keep kids from messing around in boats at Burlington’s Community Sailing Center on a recent Thursday morning. Vessels with black and white sails bob near the breakwater, while a group of preteens practices capsizing 420 dinghies and perfects cannonballs near the dock. Tucked…
