Kids VT, December 2016-January 2017
Winter or Bust!: Birding to Change the World; Rock Climbing in Stowe; 10 Great Places for Cross-country Skiing
Alpine Accents
Skiing brought Wendy and Colin McCreight together: The couple met in 2007, while standing on a ski-gear rental line at REI in Boston. Two years later, they were married. Today they live in Stowe with their two sons, 4-year-old Eli and 2-year-old Toby. A restored ski-lift chair with a sign announcing their house number sits…
ECHO’s Early Learning Initiative Grant Brings Science to All
Vermont’s budding young scientists are getting a boost from the ECHO Leahy Center for Lake Champlain. The Burlington science center and lake aquarium recently received an Early Learning Initiative grant of nearly $150,000 from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Over the next two years, ECHO will create curricula, materials and training for educators…
From the Heart: Students Organize Best Community Blood Drive Ever
For the past few months, a group of South Burlington High School students have been hard at work writing press releases and contacting businesses in preparation for the seventh annual Best Ever Community Blood Drive, which will take place on Tuesday, January 24. On that day, the teen organizers will arrive early to set up…
Miles to Go: Joyryde App Rewards Safe ‘Ryders’
Drivers distracted by their smartphones cause thousands of accidents each year. Terry Goguen, a 2016 Middlebury College grad, came up with a novel way to address that problem. In 2014, he created the app Joyryde that rewards text- and phone-free driving. “Ryders,” as the app’s users are called, receive points for every text-free mile they…
Change of Plans: Zutano Reopens as an Outlet Store
In September, Kids VT reported that Zutano, the popular Vermont-based kids’ clothing company, was closing its retail store in Montpelier to focus on online sales. As a thank-you to customers, the 18-year-old store held a huge sale in September and October featuring many of its vintage styles and patterns. And then, the owners changed their…
The Return of Light: Swedish St. Lucia Rolls
Winter in Vermont means lots of darkness. In December, when the sun sets just after 4 p.m., it’s hard to believe we’ll ever return to bright summer days. Yet our descent into blackness is nothing compared to Sweden’s. I spent my junior year of high school there, living with my father’s cousin and his family.…
A Motivated Young Cadet Takes to the Sky
NAME: Imani Kowalewski AGE: 17 TOWN: Underhill A wide smile spreads over Imani Kowalewski’s face when she talks about her first solo flight last August. It happened at a summer flight academy in Maine sponsored by the Civil Air Patrol, a civilian auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force that helps to promote aerospace education and…
Rocking a Winter Wonderland: Family-friendly Fun at Stowe’s Adventure Center
I’ll never forget my first look, circa 1986, at Stowe Mountain Resort’s most famous feature: the fabled Front Four trails of National, Goat, Liftline and Starr. I was quaking in my rear-entry ski boots as a young girl. But my daughter, now 9, will have a different memory. She’ll never forget her first look at…
Keeping the Faith: How Compromise, Curiosity and Tradition Guide One Interfaith Family
For my mom’s 70th birthday this month, my brother and I are giving her an unusual gift. Her four grandchildren will be immersed in a ritual bath, or mikvah, which symbolizes their conversion to the Jewish faith. Temple clergy will be there, along with our families. The festive celebration will include blessings for the children…
True Colors
On the Saturday after Thanksgiving, I took a much-needed walk in the park with my kids, husband, parents and sister. Halfway through our outing, it began to drizzle. But as we approached the parking lot, our jaws dropped at the sight of a huge rainbow arching across the sky. Then, right before our eyes, another…
The Art Of… Sign-Making
Want to get kids excited about art? Have them create an official sign for their school. That strategy worked one November morning at Craftsbury Elementary School. When Ceilidh Galloway-Kane invited the third and fourth grade class to brainstorm ideas for a welcome sign in the parking lot, encouraging them to think visually about their school…
Creative Structure: An Architect and a Teacher Talk Values, Flexibility and Laundry
Enter the bright orange front door of Judy Klima and Anna Thelemarck’s home in Burlington’s Old North End, and two things are immediately clear: this family values art, and there’s a lot of joy here. Framed children’s artwork and dozens of family photographs hang on the walls, and laughter fills the space. A gray, L-shaped…
Inspiring Reads
Need a pick-me-up? A little inspiration? Grab a book. We asked two local booksellers — Kristen Eaton of Phoenix Books in Burlington and Essex, and Jane Knight of Bear Pond Books in Montpelier — to recommend their favorite uplifting children’s books. Eaton recommends: A Child of Books by Oliver Jeffers and Sam Winston, Grades K-12…
What are the New Sleep-Safety Guidelines for Babies?
For anyone caring for an infant, sleep is a major topic of conversation and concern. In October, the American Academy of Pediatrics updated its guidelines for the safest sleep practices for newborns and infants. They aim to prevent what are now called sudden unexpected infant deaths. Sleep-related causes include sudden infant death syndrome, as well…
Playing Dress-up at the Vintage Photography Emporium
2 Church Street, Burlington My daughter, Mira, has always loved dressing up. In her early years she traipsed around the house in fairy wings, princess dresses and plastic high heels. Now that she’s a mature fourth grader, she’s more interested in purses, scarves, trench coats and ankle boots. The girl loves fashion. So when I…
Explore and Soar: Birding to Change the World Gets Kids and Their College Mentors into the Woods
After classes end one Wednesday afternoon, a gaggle of students bolts across the playground at J.J. Flynn Elementary School and plunges into the woods, heading toward the Burlington Bike Path. Once a week for their after-school program, these fourth and fifth graders, accompanied by college-age mentors from the University of Vermont, walk a mile from…
Making Tracks: Ten Spots for Family Cross-country Skiing and Snowshoeing
When winter gives you cabin fever, head for a different cabin — one nestled in the woods, accessible only by cross-country skis or snowshoes. Gliding and clomping through the snow is the perfect activity for families who never caught the downhill-skiing bug. It’s also a total-body workout, burning as many as 1,000 calories per hour…
