The Animal Issue July 2017
4-H Clubs Teach Kids About Animals — and Themselves; Adopting a Foster Dog; River Snorkeling; Puppy Parenting; Backyard Catio
Love Stinks: Our Relationship With an Unusual Pet Wasn’t Meant to be
I cried for weeks when my childhood cat, Sheba, died. She was a force to be reckoned with. If you tried to move her from our royal blue armchair, she would hiss. Yet she would also curl herself into the hollow of my legs in the middle of the night, her soft body emanating warmth…
To Get, or Not to Get, a Pet?
For the past year, my kids, Mira and Theo, have been asking for a dog — with 10-year-old Mira leading the charge. I’m not entirely opposed to the idea. Research shows that having a pet can boost kids’ social skills and confidence, and lower their anxiety. Plus, almost every family I know owns a dog.…
The Art Of… Puppy Parenting
The day we got the puppy is a blur. When I awoke that morning, I had no idea that by evening I would own something that might poop in my shoe. Nor did I foresee that at 3 a.m. the next day I would be sitting on my bedroom floor with a tiny pup in…
Trending — July 2017
Philadelphia Zoo enlisted ob-gyn Rebekah McCurdy to deliver a mama gorilla’s 5-pound son. You should see that baby’s head of hair! Vermont doctors dole out free day passes to state parks this summer to promote outdoor exercise. Because climbing a mountain sure beats going to the gym. Vermont is rated the best state for working…
What pet is right for my family?
Thirty years ago, my mother opened the door to my father standing there, holding a bag of dog food in one hand and an old piece of rope in the other. At the end of the rope was a scrawny, year-old Irish setter with a giant wart on her head. My mother immediately let go…
An Interfaith Couple on Intentional Parenting, Commuting and the Benefits of Raising an Only Child
Burlington couple Josh and Mieko met in 2001 when they were teaching fellows at a residential high school in Estes Park, Colorado, and they have been together ever since. Though they come from different cultural backgrounds — Josh is Jewish and Mieko is Japanese and Chinese — they have a lot in common. They are…
How can parents treat their child’s pet allergies?
Welcoming a furry friend into the family often comes with great benefits. Pets can provide love and companionship, help reduce anxiety, teach responsibility and even get kids outside more. But for some children, snuggling up to a dog or cat causes unpleasant allergic reactions. Dr. Edward Kent Jr., an allergist-immunologist with Timber Lane Allergy &…
Freshwater Explorers: River Snorkeling Exposes Kids to the Life Aquatic
In a shallow section of the White River, surrounded by wildflower fields and the Green Mountain National Forest, elementary school students peered into the water, searching for aquatic creatures. Some kicked at gravel at the bottom of the river, hoping to rouse specimens; others scooped up bugs downstream. The kids darted back and forth from…
Farm-Raised Kids: 4-H Members Share What They’ve Learned About Animals — and Themselves
Founded more than a century ago, 4-H is the country’s largest youth development organization. Through its clubs, camps, competitions and clinics, the program reaches nearly six million kids ages 5 to 19 in the U.S. — including around 6,000 in Vermont, according to the state’s program director Sarah Kleinman. Attend a county fair or visit…
Prancing Along The UVM Morgan Horse Farm
UVM Morgan Horse Farm, 74 Battell Drive, Weybridge It was one of those June mornings where you forget the frigid Vermont winter — blue skies, lawn mowers buzzing, crisp air — as my elementary-school-aged children, Dillon and Harper, buckled themselves into our Toyota Tacoma. I was nervous, though. It was my first time driving the…
Habitat: The Catio
Diane Sullivan and Matthew Thorsen are well aware of the challenges presented by owning cats with an insatiable desire to explore the outdoors. “When cats go outside, you not only have to worry about them getting injured, eaten or eating something poisonous,” explained Sullivan, art director for Seven Days and creator of the Kids VT…
Highland Center for the Arts Brings the Big Stage to Greensboro
Rural Greensboro has a new artsy addition. The Highland Center for the Arts — which includes a 225-seat theater, a 100-seat performance space, a gallery and a café — celebrated its grand opening in June. The creative hub, surrounded by Northeast Kingdom farmland and Caspian Lake, will offer kid-oriented programs in addition to performances for…
Whirlie’s World Adds a Little More Bounce
Changes are afoot at the Middlebury entertainment center Whirlie’s World. The business — which boasts an arcade, a black-light laser tag area, bouncy houses and concessions — is under new ownership. Jeremy Griffin of Rutland purchased the family entertainment center at the end of May from longtime owners Peter and Naomi Neff, who opened the…
Mother Myrick’s Confectionery Offers Tasty Rewards to Summer Readers
Reading during the summer months has a sweet payoff for kids in the Manchester area, thanks to Mother Myrick’s Confectionery. Twenty-eight years ago, the makers of Lemon LuLu cake, buttercrunch and specialty chocolates started their Fun Summer Reading Program as a way to instill a joy of reading in kids. “As an employer, both my…
Girls Baseball Team The Colchester Thunder Take League by Storm
The Colchester Thunder, a Little League team comprised of a dozen 7- and 8-year-old girls, took the baseball field by storm this spring, finishing their regular season with a 9-1 record against the four all-boys teams in their town’s A-Minor league. In previous years, the girls who had opted to play baseball in Colchester were…
Parenting Hacks: Summer Activities
This month, parents shared their favorite summer activities with us. Send your parenting hacks and recommendations to ideas@kidsvt.com. We love looking for heart-shaped rocks at the beach! — Nicole Carey Watching movies on church street outside of Ben & Jerry’s, and camping in our backyard. — Jennifer Roberts Exploring new hiking spots and nature trails…
Amy, Isabella, Natalie & Oscar the Dog
What does Oscar like to do? Natalie, 3: He takes our socks … and he tries to get them from us! Isabella, 5: We try to get them from his mouth but he just plays tug-of-war with them! How does Oscar fit into family life? Amy, 37: He loves to go on errands with us.…
Rescue Mission
“When you’re 8 and 10.” This was the mantra my husband, Jon, and I recited when our boys, Kai and Julian — then 6 and 8 — started asking for a new dog. We’d just lost Dempsey, our 11-year-old golden retriever, to cancer. We weren’t ready. Not then. Not six months later. Not even a…
