Kids VT, February 2016
Young and in Transition: Two Vermont Families Talk About Raising Transgender Kids; Summer Camp Guide; Valentine’s Day Cookies & Cards; Fat Biking Fun; Front-Yard Ski Slope
Out to Eat: Sherpa Kitchen
My kids are fairly easy to please when my family dines out. Still, when I told them we were trying Nepalese food on a recent Friday night, they didn’t know what to expect. “Think noodles, curries and rice, similar to Indian food,” I said, explaining how the Himalayas span many countries in an arc between…
Open Heart
On the day my daughter was born almost nine years ago, I remember cradling her in the morning sunlight, feeling her warmth. Looking into her eyes, I wondered so many things. Who is this little person? Who will she grow up to be? So much was unknown, but of one thing I was sure: I…
The Selling Season
The cookie aisle at the grocery store offers dozens of choices, but Tagalongs, Thin Mints and Samoas aren’t among them. Those sweet treats can only be purchased from Girl Scouts, and only during the first few months of the year. If you’re excited to get your hands on boxes of Do-si-dos and Trefoils, troops of…
Young & Transgender: Vermont Families on Raising Kids in Transition
The best present “Willow” received on her ninth birthday wasn’t a bike or a doll, but a court document in a manila envelope. Inside was a new birth certificate, on which the gender had been officially changed — from male to female. “I am one of the first people to ever do this,” Willow said a…
Fat Biking
Vermonters no longer have to give up their two-wheeled fun in the winter. They simply need to get fat — a fat bike, that is. The bikes are named for their tires, which range from three to five inches wide. The extra width allows for extremely low tire pressure, which lends riders better grip and…
Front-Yard Ski Slope
Many Vermonters live fairly close to a mountain where they can spend the day on the slopes. But the McCuskers’ skiing commute makes even a 20-minute drive seem like a slog. The family turned a hill in their Bethel front yard into a 325-foot ski slope. A motorized rope pulls skiers to the top of…
Local Author Pens Dystopian Young Adult Novel
East Montpelier author Laura Williams McCaffrey’s third novel, Marked, asks the question: “How would you survive in a society so tightly controlled that only the brightest and most favored students succeed?” Protagonist Lyla Northstrom must navigate this quandary when she’s busted for buying medicine for her sick mother at an underground market. As punishment, her…
Rutland’s Wonderfeet Kids’ Museum Receives Grant
Downtown Rutland’s children’s museum has won a grant, and area families will reap the benefits. The Bowse Health Trust, a department of the Rutland Regional Medical Center, has awarded Wonderfeet Kids’ Museum a three-year grant to provide outreach programs to nine organizations that serve young children. Wonderfeet will use the money to hire a part-time…
New Guide Helps Families Navigate UVM Children’s Hospital
Finding your way around a large medical center can be stressful. That stress is compounded when you’re a parent with a sick child. To make it a little easier, the University of Vermont Children’s Hospital Patient & Family Advisory Council — a group of doctors, nurses, patients’ family members, hospital staff and former patients —…
‘Champ Lane’ Play Space Opens at ECHO
Move over, Sesame Street. Make room for champ lane. The new play space for the 6 and under set opens its doors this month. Located on the second floor of ECHO Leahy Center for Lake Champlain, the main room includes a deluxe water table, puppet theater, multilevel boat, play café and creemee stand, and mini…
Sweet Treats: Heart-Shaped Cookies
In my family, we give each other candy and cards on Valentine’s Day. But we also try to celebrate the holiday by doing nice things for people we care about. Last year we gave homemade jelly-candy as gifts. I wanted to give my heart-shaped cookie cutter some love this year, so I decided to make…
Creative Teen Sofia Baah Finds Fans on Instagram — and in Real Life
NAME: Sofia Baah TOWN: Burlington AGE: 16 Sofia Baah’s story is best told through her artwork. The Burlington teen creates portraits, close-ups of eyes and mouths, Disney characters, and still lifes that fill 19 sketchbooks and albums. Her Instagram account, art_above_all, has nearly 9,700 followers. Scrolling through her gallery, a viewer sees works in various mediums…
Out to Eat: Archie’s Grill
When Archie’s Grill announced its closing last summer due to owner Dick Hess’s health problems, the town of Shelburne took notice. “Did you hear about Archie’s?” was a frequent conversation starter and the local Front Porch Forum was alight with dismayed comments that Dunkin’ Donuts — the third one on Shelburne Road — was taking…
The Art of… Homemade Valentines
Many parents don’t experience fuzzy feelings of love as February 14 approaches. Instead, they begin to panic about what their children will hand out on Valentine’s Day. Giant craft projects can be stressful. And messy. And overwhelming. There’s nothing wrong with store-bought valentines — we can’t be perfectly crafty all the time. But making your…
How One Burlington Couple Balances Full-Time Work and Parenting Three Teenage Boys
New Jersey native Kyle Dodson spent the summer of 1986 waiting tables with college buddies on Cape Cod. There he struck up a summer romance with Christine, a girl from New Hampshire whose family had a house on the Cape. After graduating — Kyle from Harvard and Christine from the University of New Hampshire —…
Conversation Starters
How do we talk to our children about big topics like social justice and racism? Consider starting with a book. We asked Rachel Siegel, executive director of the Peace & Justice Center, for some recommendations. Try reading these with your kids and using them to prompt discussions about the important issues they raise. The Skin…
How Should Parents Discuss Guns and Gun Violence With Their Kids?
In 2015 alone there were 330 mass shootings in the United States, according to the Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit Gun Violence Archive. When kids bring up the topic of gun violence, especially school shootings, parents might not know how to respond. Dr. Mary Ann Donnelly-DeBay, a clinical psychologist who works in Winooski schools, often reminds her…
Virtual Skiing
Behind a strip-mall storefront in South Burlington, there’s a place where you can ski year-round without ever riding a chairlift. You don’t have to wear a jacket, either, or deal with frozen toes. But you do have to use your imagination. My family and I accepted that challenge on our recent visit to Gonzo’s HD…
True Love: How a Birth, and a Death, Shaped Valentine’s Day
It was easy for me to be skeptical of Valentines’ Day. It was easy to conclude that the day — held captive by companies peddling saccharine greeting cards and cheap chocolate — was not at all about love and only about profit. Easy, that is, until my baby girl was born in the dark early…
2016 Vermont Camp Directory
In Vermont, schools let out in mid-June and start back up again at the end of August. For 10 weeks or so, kids are hanging out at home — unless you can find something else for them to do. General Interest Day Camps Traditional Sleepaway Camps Adventure Camps Academic Camps Performing Arts Camps Visual Arts…
