Kids VT, December 2011-January 2012
Teaching Your Kids to Ski; The Foster-to-Adoption Option; Broken Crayon Meltdown; Standup Comedy for Kids; Going Nutcrackers
Taking the Plunge
Baby, it’s cold outside, but the Program Pool at the Burlington YMCA rarely drops below 84 degrees. It’s the winter equivalent of a day at the beach. I recently brought my 9-month-old, Celia, to one of the Y’s infant and parent swim classes. It was our first trip to the Y, and we found the…
Milestones
It may not seem so to others, but I think of New Year’s Eve as a family holiday. If you ignore the late hours and carousing, and focus on the event as a milestone marker, you’ll see what I mean. New Year’s is all about turning the corner on the year, and parents do love…
What should parents do when their kids ingest something they shouldn’t?
Kids explore their world through taste, touch, sound and smell — often, unfortunately, by stuffing things into their mouths, ears and noses. Especially during the holidays, floors tend to be littered with choking hazards, from runaway cranberries to Christmas tree ornaments. It may be important to act quickly, advises Dr. Lewis First, chief of pediatrics…
Soup’s On!
There’s nothing like soup on a chilly day. For lunch, it’s a tummy-warming alternative to the same-old-sandwich routine. Or serve it for dinner with grilled cheese sandwiches or salad and crusty bread. Homemade soup is a cinch to make, especially colorful carrot soup that has the added bonus of using up any random root veggies…
How do you celebrate the holidays with your kids?
Alfonso Capone, Fairfield, professor Children: sons Abram, 17, Wilson, 12, and Leo, 10; daughter Olive, 15 The things that mean most to me are the traditions — religious, cultural and family — that help connect me to things that I value most. We do a lot of things at the end of the year. Oh,…
The Art Of… Standup Comedy
Nathan Hartswick has a simple list of instructions for the kids in his forthcoming standup comedy class: “Support each other. Laugh if it’s funny. Be nice if it’s not. Do your homework.” What the class isn’t about: “Criticizing each other’s material. That’s my job,” he writes in the overview he distributes to students at the…
Cool Crafts for Cozy Celebrations
Winter tends to drive celebrations indoors, where it’s warm and dry. But Mother Nature can still play a role. Here are some easy, inexpensive craft projects that bring the outside in. For ages 3 and up: Snowy Handprint Tree Supplies: Regular, 8.5 x 11-inch white paper Light-blue construction paper Washable brown paint Glue stick Scissors…
Recycling Crayons
Open a fresh box of crayons, lean in and take a deep whiff of that new-crayon smell. Ahhh. There’s nothing as satisfying as those neat rows of perfect points. But what if your kid’s crayons are broken nubs, worn down by heavy coloring? You can make it all better with a little oven treatment. Mix…
Book Review: “The Lost Conspiracy” by Frances Hardinge
Librarian: Christine Demarais, assistant youth librarian, Fletcher Free Library Book: “The Lost Conspiracy”, by Frances Hardinge Age Range: 12 and up Demarais’ summary: Set on a tropical island with dramatic beaches and dormant volcanoes, this young-adult book features two sisters who are part of a shunned minority group. It turns out that they may also…
