Kids VT, November 2014
Holiday Gift Guide; A Child Behavioral Expert teaches Parents the Dos and Don’ts of Discipline;
Home Bakery
Think it’s hard to keep your kitchen tidy? Try running a baked-goods business out of it. Shelburne friends Juanita Galloway and Anne Marcoe own Good Comida, a home bakery specializing in Colombian-style cheesecake and chocolate-dipped confections made with locally sourced ingredients. They have five kids, ages 2 to 10, between them. Two to three days…
Woody Keppel Releases New, Danceable Album
Vermont performer Woody Keppel knows how to make people laugh. The founder of Burlington’s annual Festival of Fools began his career in 1981, playing silent comic roles with the Opera Company of Boston. A decade ago, he made a comic kids’ movie, Woodhead Saves the Farm, in which a bumbling farmhand makes a mess of…
Competition Challenges Students to Document History in 3D
Much has been written about Vermont’s rich collection of historic buildings, but often that information is hard to find — or doesn’t exist — online. A new contest aims to change that. The 3D Vermont: Town History in 3D Competition seeks to populate Google Earth with historic data collected by Vermont high school students. The…
Handle With Love Fund Helps Families Afford Doulas
Research has shown that women who give birth with help from a doula — a support person trained in labor and delivery — experience fewer medical interventions and shorter labors. But hiring a doula can cost several hundred dollars, and most insurance companies don’t cover the cost. Enter Handle With love, Francesca Arnoldy’s new scholarship…
Giving Thanks for Homemade Stuffing
This month, Burlington Children’s Space will hold its 6th annual Thanksgiving Family Dinner. My favorite school tradition, it’s come to define the holiday season for me. Each year on the Thursday before Thanksgiving, BCS director Sarah Adams-Kollitz and I are in the kitchen by 7 a.m. We have a huge job: Cooking a full meal…
The Homemade Card
The simplest gifts are often the most meaningful. Consider the homemade card. With just a few materials from around the house or from nature — and a little imagination — kids can create a greeting that will put a smile on a friend’s face, or make Grandma and Grandpa swoon. We asked local art educators…
Preparing For the Big Meal — This Time As the Host
When I was nominated to host my extended family’s Thanksgiving this year, I felt conflicted. Having 25 to 35 people at my house for what’s expected to be the best meal of the year is a giant responsibility. But it’s one I’ve been eagerly anticipating since I was a kid. My mom is one of…
What’s Causing the Increased Prevalence of Peanut Allergies?
It’s nearly impossible to enter a school or daycare center these days without seeing a sign that reads, “This is a peanut-free environment.” Those signs were far less common when today’s parents were kids. This month, Kids VT asked Dr. Lewis First, head of pediatrics at University of Vermont Children’s Hospital, why everyone’s suddenly so…
Book-Review Winners (November 2014)
Congratulations to these enthusiastic young critics who shared their reading recommendations with us in October. Each wins a $25 gift certificate to Crow Bookshop in Burlington. We loved reading about all the entrants’ favorite books and have included some excerpts below. Magic Tree House: Ghost Town at Sundown by Mary Pope Osborne “I liked it…
Readers’ Picks
In anticipation of holiday gift giving, Kids VT asked parents and educators to identify the best children’s books they’ve read this year. One by Kathryn Otoshi, Ages 3+ Red likes to pick on Blue. The other colors know that’s wrong, but they’re afraid to speak up. Luckily, a character named One helps the colors work…
How Do I Teach My Child Email Etiquette?
Managing email — a tough task to begin with — gets even more complicated when your child comes home from school with a Gmail account. Many Vermont schools use Google Apps for Education, a free suite of communication and software tools. It’s a great option for educators, allowing easy access to word processing, spreadsheets, presentations,…
Joel Addison Hartley Ellis (1830-1888)
“Drawing on History” is a monthly feature about a notable Vermont person, place or event from days of yore. Want to suggest a future topic? Email us at ideas@kidsvt.com. This article was originally published in Seven Days’ monthly parenting magazine, Kids VT.
A Gift to Remember
The most memorable Christmas present I ever received was the dollhouse I got when I was 5. It was 3 feet tall and 4 feet across — huge, but made from wood that was almost as thin and flimsy as cardboard. “It was a piece of crap,” my mom confided recently. Still, I had so…
Kids VT’s 2014 Gift Guide
The holidays are coming. What are you going to get for the kids in your life? Sure, you could pick up the hottest new LEGO or Frozen paraphernalia. But what if the goal is something so unique they’ll remember it when they’re grown up? To get readers’ creative juices flowing, Kids VT spoke with some…
Theatre on Ice
It’s early. So early that the moon’s still bright and stars twinkle over Leddy Park Arena in Burlington. The 10 skaters of Vermont Children’s Theatre on Ice have just arrived to learn routines and drill jumps, turns and spins. And, on this October morning, practice the twist. “It’s not wagging your tail,” says co-coach Martha…
A Child Behavioral Expert Teaches Parents the Dos and Don’ts of Discipline
The five 4-year-old boys in Maris Rose’s outdoor recreation program sit quietly in a circle on a classroom floor. Each awaits his turn to suggest a morning activity at the All Souls Interfaith Gathering on Meach Cove Farm in Shelburne. As Rose goes around the circle asking, “Peter, what do you want to do today?…
What’s the Most Fun You’ve Ever Had With Your Kids in the Snow?
Chapin Spencer, Burlington Director, Burlington Public Works; Daughter Zia, 3 We took my daughter, Zia, ice skating on Lake Champlain. It wasn’t exactly in the snow, but we did trek through snow to get there. We brought a sled with us, and when she got tired, she would climb onto it. Her grandfather, who was…
