Kids VT, February 2019
Restorative Justice for Youth; Cold-Weather Science; Sled Dogs as Teachers; Summer Camp Guide
How Can We Nurture and Strengthen the Relationship We have With Ourselves?
Of the hundreds of relationships each of us maintains — with our kids, partners, parents, in-laws, siblings, co-workers, teachers, coaches, Facebook friends, crossing guards, postal workers, baristas, etc. — only one is so important and powerful that it directly impacts the health of every other aspect of our lives: the relationship we have with ourselves.…
Searching for Timeless Tales: A Family-Owned Press in Shelburne publishes Children’s Picture Books
The idea for Ripple Grove Press dates back to 2012, when Rob Broder spent long hours alone in his car while selling sweets for Lake Champlain Chocolates. A new father in those days to a baby daughter, he and his wife, Amanda, read numerous picture books and discussed what they liked and disliked. Broder, a…
Distance Vision: New Virtual Reality Program Brings Camp to Sick Kids
In the winter, South Hero can resemble an abandoned outpost: a flat, frozen landscape dotted with burger shacks and ice cream stands, all in a state of suspended animation. But in mid-January, there were signs of life at Camp Ta-Kum-Ta, which sits tucked away on a hilltop overlooking Lake Champlain and the Adirondacks. Inside the…
Should All Children Get the HPV Vaccine?
Most parents don’t like to think about the fact that, one day, their kids will be sexually active. Before that occurs, parents can do something that will protect their children and teens from a common sexually transmitted infection — and in the process, potentially save their lives. The American Academy of Pediatrics now recommends that…
Mikey, Jackie, Josie & Langston
What are you all up to tonight? Langston: Making slime! Let’s make some more slime. Can we make more right now? Mikey: Let’s save the slime for later. Jackie: (laughing) Yeah, and I don’t feel like a box of slime mix really describes us as a family! What do you like to do together? Langston:…
Making Tracks: In Search of Animals in the Winter
In the middle of winter, it sometimes feels like everything outside is dormant. But February is actually the perfect time to look for tracks that critters leave behind in the snow. Tracking is a great way to get kids and parents tuned in to all the animal action that is going on right under our…
Habitat: Backyard Hockey Rink
For Patty Kelly and Jason Gaudette, the coldest months of the year are all about one thing: hockey. When Thanksgiving rolls around, they and their sons — 11-year-old Colton and 8-year-old Lucas — begin prepping their Weathersfield backyard for an ice rink. They put up boards, bolt them together in a rectangular shape, then put…
Sweat & Sup
Drop off your kids, practice yoga for an hour-and-a-half, then come back for a hearty, healthy meal they’ve prepared for you. Sounds too good to be true, right? It’s not, thanks to Richmond Community Kitchen’s Family Night Out class series. The business, run by local moms Susan Whitman and Amy Gifford, has been offering prepared…
Bake Sale
The bite-size, chocolatey squares being sampled at Natural Provisions in Williston last month were decadent, even by brownie standards. The sweet treats, fittingly dubbed Vermont Mud Brownies, contain raisins and walnuts sandwiched between two layers of semisweet chocolate and topped with fluffy meringue buttercream. The recipe also includes coffee and Vermont maple syrup. The unconventional…
Powerful Poet: A Burlington Teen Uses Words to Question the World
Name: Alexandra Contreras-Montesano Age: 18 Town: Burlington Anyone who thinks teens and poetry aren’t a natural fit hasn’t met Burlington High School senior Alex Contreras-Montesano. A 2018 National Student Poet, she emanates a mixture of modesty and articulate poise. When asked about receiving the nation’s most prestigious youth poetry honor, she says in a soft-spoken…
Cradle Will Rock
A family-friendly music series introduces kiddos to classic-rock staples — and offers parents some respite from earworms such as “Baby Shark.” The Rock and Roll Playhouse Concert Series highlights superstars such as Tom Petty, Stevie Nicks and Queen through interactive performances geared toward families with kids ages 10 and under. Games and props — think…
Cold-Weather Science: Embrace Winter With Your Own Outdoor Laboratory
When temperatures plummet and winter winds howl, it’s tempting to hunker down indoors. But outdoor play in any season provides health benefits. A 2017 research report, coauthored by the University of Vermont nursing faculty for the Rutland-based nonprofit Come Alive Outside, points to many positive correlations between physical activity in nature and children’s academic performance…
Raspberry Éclairs: A fancy treat for Valentine’s Day
When I was a young teenager, I was a Girl Scout. My troop was small, comprising fewer than 10 girls from Grand Isle County. As a troop, we only lasted for a year or two. Still, some of the memories of those years as a Girl Scout have followed me into adulthood. In particular, I…
Born to Run: Vermont Sled Dogs Delight, Compete and Educate
One sure way to get kids excited about learning? Make the lesson about dogs. It works for Adrienne Magida. In mid-February, her first and second graders at Waterbury’s Thatcher Brook Primary School will begin a three-week unit that revolves around the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, Alaska’s famous 1,000-mile dogsled race from Anchorage to Nome,…
Skiing Through Life: A Winter Tradition Passes to the Next Generation
Five months before my daughter was born, I strolled through my college town of Crested Butte, Colo. The ski shops offered summer sales, so I looked for skis for my wife, Sarah, and sunglasses for me. While shopping, I stumbled upon a pair of toddler skis. Immediately, I bought those skis. I didn’t care that…
Sparking Joy
In recent weeks, my family — along with countless other Netflix subscribers — has binge-watched the new reality series, “Tidying Up With Marie Kondo.” A spin-off of the best-selling book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing, the show chronicles the petite and adorable Kondo as she goes into…
The Art of… Soap Making
Darci Benoit calls herself a queen bee — a fitting moniker for this busy beekeeper and crafter of body-care products. The Swanton resident, along with husband B.J. and 10-year-old daughter, Amelia, first acquired bees six years ago and now owns half a dozen hives. Benoit began selling her honey-and-beeswax-based lip balm at craft shows five…
Peer Reviewed: A Williston Justice Panel Puts the Fate of School-Age Offenders Into the Hands of Fellow Youth
Jessica and Ted considered themselves to be more cyber-savvy than many parents. They limited their son’s online activities by not giving him his own smartphone, and they supervised his time on the family’s computer by letting him use it only in the kitchen. They even took a class on internet safety. But the Chittenden County…
