Kids VT, December 2018-January 2019
Double Issue: An Ice Cave Excursion; Raising Little Shredders; Hope For Moms in Recovery; Spectacular Spectacular Kids
A Standout Season: Vermonters Share Memorable Winter Stories
Vermont’s daylight hours dwindle in December and remain scarce deep into January. But this season of darkness also carries a magical mystique. In early winter, even grownups — who will tire of digging out driveways and braving snowy roads by March and April — are entranced by the transformation of our landscape into a winter…
How Can I Help my Child Cope With Seasonal Affective Disorder?
Winter in Vermont can be truly magical. Particularly at the beginning, when we’ve had several months’ break from the cold, and the first snow of the year ushers in the holiday season. It’s cozy — romantic, even. Snow-capped mountains, hot cocoa, Crock-Pot stews and fuzzy blankets lure us in, and, for a while, it’s not…
The Power of Art, Engaged Youth & Great Diners: A Conversation with M.T. Anderson
Admirers of Vermont’s M.T. Anderson have come to expect the unexpected from this prolific and widely imaginative writer of young people’s literature. Anderson’s books range from his dystopian novel, Feed, to his epic work of nonfiction, Symphony for the City of the Dead: Dmitri Shostakovich and the Siege of Leningrad, to thought-provoking picture books, including…
How Do Parents Recognize and Reduce Chronic Stress in Children?
Like adults, children experience stress regularly. Sources may include the expectations of parents, teachers and coaches, interactions with friends and classmates, as well as a child’s fears and anxieties about the future and the world in which they live. Stress is a normal part of growing up. But when it becomes overwhelming for a child…
Destination Recreation: Intervale Sea Caves
If you’ve ever driven on Route 127, the Burlington Beltline, you might have caught a glimpse of a mysterious, black, keyhole-shaped opening standing out in the hillside to your right. This spot, known as the Donahue Sea Caves or Ice Caves, is one of the first places I brought my now-10-year-old son to ice skate.…
Slopes for Beginners: How to Raise Little Shredders — and Stay Sane in the Process
The picture of toddlers in giant helmets, carefully pizza-pie-ing their skis down a blanket of snow as downy flakes alight on their small shoulders, is a vision of Vermont life to which many of us have subscribed. Yet the fantasy of being able to enjoy downhill skiing or snowboarding with offspring in tow can quickly…
Swedish Vanilla Dream Cookies: A Heavenly Addition to Your Baking Repertoire
Fika is a wonderful Swedish tradition. Though the word loosely translates to “coffee break,” it doesn’t just mean grabbing a coffee. Rather, it is time to slow down, taking a moment to sit and savor a warm drink. You’ll rarely see a Swede running around with a big ol’ coffee to go. (Though, as national…
Habitat: Play Loft
The story of Reagan Wentz’s play loft begins, as many good stories do, once upon a time. When Reagan’s mother, Lauren, was a little girl, she dreamed of having a slide in her basement or a climbing wall or roller blading rink, but her wishes never came true. Still, young Lauren got to climb at…
Labor of Love
Research shows that women who have continuous support during labor have better birth outcomes. Sometimes a family member is able to provide this support, but other times women turn to a doula — a birth companion or coach who provides emotional and physical support before, during and after labor. Hiring a private doula can be…
Selling School Lunch
Want to get kids to eat more vegetables in school lunchrooms? Try borrowing a technique that Costco and grocery stores use to boost sales: Offer a sample. “It’s a long-standing marketing tool that works,” said Jane Kolodinksy, one of four University of Vermont researchers who found that kids are more likely to eat school lunch…
Cavorting & Coffee
A new play space in Barre caters to kids who need to burn energy — and parents who need a jolt of caffeine. Romp! Indoor Playground opened December 1. The 3,000-square-foot space, located in a former organic bedding showroom, boasts a tunnel climber, a bounce castle with a slide, pedal go-carts, oversized foam blocks, a…
Sense and Sensitivity: ‘Mister Chris and Friends’ Revives the Art of Slow and Gentle Children’s Television
The scene opens with the sun rising over the Green Mountains on a typical Vermont family farm, where brown dairy cows graze and happy pigs munch apples and get their bellies rubbed. Amid vegetable rows strolls a singing farmer carrying a leather satchel and wearing a trilby hat and navy shirt with a yellow heart…
Spectacular Kids: A Look at Some of the Performers in Our Annual Talent Show
Three brothers from Vergennes rocking out to Danish heavy metal. A 7-year-old with an old soul singing a tune from Anything Goes. A 10-year-old pianist channeling classical composer Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (son of Johann Sebastian). A Burlington hip-hop dancer bringing the energy to “Icon” by Jaden Smith (son of Will). What do these acts…
Winter, My Cold Friend: A Finnish Mom and Her Vermont Baby Embrace the Season
The winter lingered too long in Vermont last year. When I saw the snow slowly falling in April, I wasn’t nearly as elated as I was earlier in the season. And I was tired of pushing my 10-month-old daughter through banks of snow in her stroller. I also knew that my daughter would soon outgrow…
A Cold Embrace
A few months after my husband, Jeff, and I got married — almost 15 years ago — we relocated from New York City to Vermont. When we told people of our plans before the move, a common refrain was, “But what about the winters?” It was as if people imagined we were packing up and…
The Strength Within: Kelly Breeyear Helps Fellow Moms Fight Addiction
Mothers of young children often gather in groups: to seek advice, to offer support, to commiserate. Four moms sitting in a circle of chairs in a large room in downtown Burlington are doing all three. They speak in the familiar banter of women who don’t just know each other, but get each other. A woman…
