Kids VT, December 2017-January2018
Au Pairs to the Rescue, Real-Life Wonders, House in the Trees, Skating in Stowe, DIY Board Games
A Mother Reflects on her Daughter’s Legacy After a Tragic Accident
During her sophomore year in high school, my daughter Mary did a project for Three Democracies, her history and philosophy class. Her teacher asked students to write a paper about a virtue that was important to them. Mary wrote hers on kindness. Parents were invited to school one evening to hear the kids present their…
Foreign Au Pairs Offer an Alternative to Daycare for Vermont Families
When Emily Peters was pregnant with her third son, she found herself in a childcare predicament. Her home daycare provider was diagnosed with cancer and closed up shop. Peters, a Colchester resident, initially found a childcare center with an infant slot for her baby, a preschool slot for her middle child and an after-school slot…
Tuned In: A Radio Family on Splitting Shifts, Turning in Early and Being Recognized
A fire blazes in the Wertliebs’ South Burlington living room as 9-year-old Gretchen plays dominoes on the wood floor and 6-month-old puppy Fezzik cavorts nearby. The family has already eaten and cleaned up dinner. Although it’s only 6:30 p.m., Gretchen will soon begin her bedtime routine — bath, teeth-brushing and a half-hour of independent reading…
Mealtime: Moroccan Leg of Lamb
The chill of winter has us in its grasp here in Vermont. But comfort food, infused with spices from a warmer climate, can transport us to faraway lands, at least in our minds. Leg of lamb is an impressive dish, fit for a celebration or a feast to share with friends. When I think of…
Rising Stars: The Performers of the Spectacular Spectacular Talent Show
Back in 2014, Kids VT marketing and events director Corey Grenier proposed an idea. Grenier, who grew up participating in dance recitals and talent shows in Rhode Island, thought it would be fun to give talented Vermont kids the opportunity to perform in front of a large audience on the Higher Ground stage. The rest,…
Habitat: Diminutive Dwelling
Sally Anstey and Rob Alcusky’s quirky, magical treehouse — poised between two hemlocks and a maple — is clearly not a rushed weekend project. Long envisioned by Sally as a “little private retreat” in their Hardwick village home’s backyard, the project has been nearly 20 years in the making. When their granddaughter was born six…
Stowe Arena: 350 Park Street, Stowe
The first snowfall of the season always gets my family fired up for winter sports. When winter’s in full swing, we’re avid downhill skiers. But on a November Sunday — with just a dusting of powder on the ground — indoor ice-skating was the perfect cold-weather activity for me and my 9-year-old son, Zac. I…
Parent Portrait: Rebecca & Mykenzie
What’s the best road trip you’ve taken together? Rebecca: We went to D.C. for the Women’s March. I drove Myk and a friend to meet up with some other friends. Mykenzie: That was the best one we’ve taken because it had a real purpose. It wasn’t just a regular trip. Rebecca: Amazingly enough — you…
Vermont State Parks Offer New Holiday Gift Packages
Searching for a perfect holiday present? How about the great outdoors? Vermont State Parks is selling park passes, gift certificates, hoodies, mugs and more. Shoppers can select individual items or choose one of three gift packages. Each includes park admittance and a selection of goodies. The Day Tripper sells for $59 and contains a punch…
Local Musician Chris Dorman Stars in New Vermont PBS show
Thanks to a Kickstarter campaign that raised nearly $30,000, Vermont PBS has released the pilot of “Mister Chris and Friends,” an original children’s television program featuring local musician Chris Dorman, founder of Music for Sprouts family music classes at Bread & Butter Farm in Shelburne. The inaugural episode premiered November 20 and is now available…
New Climbing Center and Movie Theater to Open at Jay Peak
When the Pump House indoor water park opened at Jay Peak Resort in December 2011, Vermonters gained a fun new spot to let off some steam during the winter months. Six years later, the northern Vermont ski resort is adding another family-focused facility to its entertainment options. Clips & Reels Recreation Center — a 15,000-square-foot…
A Sense of Wonder
A handful of books loom large in my childhood. I remember being blown away when my fourth grade teacher, Mr. Brownsword, read The Phantom Tollbooth aloud to our class. He paced around the room in stocking feet and narrated with such expressiveness that Milo and his whimsical adventures are forever emblazoned in my mind. I went…
Should I Make My Kids Write Thank-You Notes?
If ever you’ve tried to get a child to sit down and write a thank-you note, you know it’s a lot like pulling a wheelbarrow full of baby monkeys uphill through mud. I have no idea why it’s so hard. I’m honestly not convinced that children aren’t born with a natural aversion to this particular…
Trending — December 2017 to January 2018
Twelve-year-old brothers Owen and Lucas Marchessault win competition to design new flag for Burlington. Need a graphic design job, guys? A slew of new baby-food startups offer organic, cold-pressed and chemical-free food for tots. Or you can just give little Suzy a squeezie applesauce and call it a day. Tiffany & Co. jewelry store launches…
Parenting Participation: Holiday Wish Lists
We asked parents to share the gifts on their kids’ wish lists this holiday season. Find their comments below. An electric dirt bike. — Angie Ferenc My 3-year-old would like Santa to bring him some blueberries. — Emily Grimes A marble run! — Karen Strike Hudson My almost 6-year-old wants a pogo stick. My almost…
The Art of… DIY Board Game Creation
My kids have always loved making up games. When they were toddlers, they would create elaborate ones with rules that were inexplicable at best and Kafkaesque at worst. I loved seeing their minds working, trying to figure out how to write the rules so they’d have the upper hand. I’ve always thought that making up…
Vermont’s Only Pediatric Plastic Surgeon Donald Laub Gives Kids A Reason to Smile
Opal and Patrick Sutton are real-life wonders. Like fifth grader Auggie Pullman, the main character in the 2012 children’s novel and recently released motion picture Wonder, Opal and Patrick were born with severe craniofacial anomalies. Both children, who are biologically unrelated, were abandoned as infants on the streets of China and defied overwhelming odds to…
