Kids VT, November 2017
The Giving Season: A Vermont Researcher Studies Humor in Babies; Inside COTS Family Shelter; Baking at Ronald McDonald House; Reflections on Being Thankful
Grade A
Every fall, the Vermont Agency of Education selects an exemplary educator to receive the title of Vermont Teacher of the Year. In October, the honor went to Linda Cloutier-Namdar, a ninth-grade English teacher at Essex High School. Her tenure will begin in January. Cloutier-Namdar, whom Essex Westford School District superintendent Beth Cobb calls a “superhero,”…
Playful Style at Bear & Moosh
Shannon Smith took inspiration from her two youngest daughters’ nicknames in choosing a moniker for her new children’s store, Bear & Moosh. The business — featuring clothing, toys and accessories for babies and children up to age 6 — recently opened in South Burlington, next door to Talbots. It’s the next chapter for Smith, a…
Roasted Vegetable Minestrone Soup
When the leaves change color and a chill is in the air, my thoughts turn to making soup. And I don’t think anyone does soup as well as the Italians. Take minestrone, for example. While perusing my Italian cookbooks and the internet, I learned that this cornerstone of Italian cuisine is essentially a kitchen-sink soup.…
Stage Flight: A Seventh Grader Soars in the Theater
Name: Maeve Miller Age: 12 Town: Strafford Of all the roles Maeve Miller has played in her life — farm hand, actor, babysitter, musician, soccer player — one is her favorite. “I love being on stage,” the Strafford 12-year-old said. She started acting lessons at age 5 and landed roles in children’s community theater. Now…
Parent Participation
This month, in honor of Lyric Theatre Company’s upcoming production of “A Christmas Story The Musical,” we asked our Facebook followers to tell us about a sticky situation their kid has gotten into (like the one Flick from “A Christmas Story” finds himself in when he licks the flagpole!). Find some of their funny stories…
Parent Portrait: Charles and Charlotte
What is it like parenting a young child later in life? You know, at this stage in life, she’s changed my life completely for the better. I grew up in the ’50s. And life is different now. For kids, it’s all about electronics. I wish she could see a lifestyle like I had when I…
The Art Of… Family Volunteering
When I was growing up in upstate New York, my parents dragged me along to various volunteer activities, from serving pies at the local rescue squad’s annual fundraiser to handing out blankets at a shelter after a flood hit our small town. I never really had a choice in the matter and I wasn’t always…
Trending — November 2017
Target will open in South Burlington in October 2018. No more pilgrimages to Plattsburgh! Five-year-old Shon Griffin of Philadelphia, AKA Catman, dresses up as a superhero and feeds homeless street felines. “Justice League should doff their hats to this hero,” remarked one Twitter user. Boy Scouts announces it will begin welcoming girls into some of…
What’s the Best Way to Handle the Stress of Family Holiday Gatherings?
Sure, the holidays sometimes involve magical moments of togetherness, but they can also serve up a whole lot of stress. The expenses, travel, cooking, planning, never mind the pressure to create storybook memories — it all adds up. Throw in a drunk uncle, a judgmental sibling, a recent divorce, or the loss of a loved…
Thanks Again: A Mom Realizes That Gratitude is a Ride, Not a Destination
It’s a warm mid-October afternoon, and I’ve just unloaded mountain bikes from the van in preparation for a fall ride. First, the trusty tank of a bike I got in college, then my son’s smaller ride. I remember scoring it at a thrift store, having it tuned up and excitedly presenting it to him. What…
Family Focus: A Burlington Couple on Eating Together, Working With Refugees and Being Thankful
It’s an unseasonably warm fall evening as I ascend the front steps of Pablo and Alisha’s cozy two-story home in the Five Sisters neighborhood of Burlington’s South End. With small lots and houses nestled together, this neighborhood is known for its close-knit community and family-friendly culture — two things the pair appreciates. During our conversation,…
Sweet Sounds
I can’t remember the exact moments my kids, Theo and Mira, laughed for the first time. At 7 and 10 years old, it’s been a while since their first giggle. But I do remember the pure joy I felt when it happened. Clearer in my mind is when my best friend Lexy’s daughter cracked up…
Black Marker Magic
When Ricardo Liniers Siri was a boy in Buenos Aires, he loved to read comics. Inspired by a friend’s drawings, young Ricardo began experimenting with his own illustrations and was soon hooked. Now a renowned cartoonist, the Argentinian is professionally known by his middle name, Liniers. Since 2016, he’s been a fellow at White River…
What Should Parents Know About Sport Specialization?
It can be exciting when a child displays a special aptitude for a sport. Whether it’s gymnastics, baseball, hockey or figure skating, tomorrow’s elite athletes are often identified at a very early age. In response, some parents encourage them to pursue a year-round schedule of intense training and competition — a practice referred to as…
“Sweet Tooth: The Art of Dessert”
Google “baby eating ice cream for the first time” and you’ll encounter YouTube videos of wide-eyed little ones wagging their tongues in glee. They’re visual proof of kids’ early affinity for sweets. But it doesn’t always last — from sugar crashes to stomach problems to painful dental procedures, adults’ associations with sugar aren’t always so…
Special Delivery: Lucy’s Love Bus Brings Integrative Therapy to Sick Children
One day in June of 2016, Nicole LaBonte noticed that her 4-year-old son, Spencer, seemed lethargic. When dad Jamie LaBonte picked his son up from daycare the next day, he noticed that the capillaries in the whites of Spencer’s eyes had burst. Nicole called the pediatrician and insisted he be seen that day. After an…
Bopping With Baby
I was so wrapped up in memorizing the routines that I forgot about the toddler strapped to my body. Before attending a GroovaRoo Vermont dance class in October, I hadn’t let loose to a Ciara song since my college dance-party days. This time, rather than getting rowdy with my girlfriends, I had the pleasure of…
Habitat: COTS Family Shelter
In June of this year, James and his wife Sara* found themselves without a home. The couple had a 1-year-old baby, and Sara was seven months pregnant. Fortunately, they found a room at the Main Street Family Shelter — one of two family shelters operated by the Committee on Temporary Shelter (COTS), a Burlington-based nonprofit.…
Amazing Maisie Grace
Local farmers-turned-authors John and Jennifer Churchman have penned a third picture book featuring the animals on their small farm in Essex. Released last month, A Farm for Maisie introduces young readers to sheepdog puppy Maisie Grace, who finds herself in over her fluffy black-and-white head when she arrives at Moonrise Farm on a snowy day.…
Laughing Matters: A Johnson State College Professor Traces the Origins of Humor in Babies
Researchers have known for years that newborns begin to smile spontaneously at about 6 weeks old, and start laughing at around 4 months. But until recently, the more complex question of when and how infants learn to recognize something as funny remained an unexplored area of academic inquiry. That is, until Dr. Gina Mireault, a…
