The Dad Issue 2014
Young Golfers Hit the Green; A DIY Dad Teaches His Daughters to Tinker; Day-Cations Are Back: Two Trips to Take With Kids
What’s your favorite thing to do with your kids in the summer?
Rob Ploof, Georgia Sales Manager, Sure Winner Foods Daughters Paige, 7, and Madeline, 5 We’ve been here in Georgia for about a year, so we’re still kind of figuring out the landscape. Last year, we liked to take the whole family on a walk down to the end of Mill River Road and follow a…
Book Nook
Parents: Trish and Patrick Kennedy Kids: son Sean, 7; daughters Fee, 5, and Maggie, 4 There’s not much privacy in a busy, three-kid household. That’s partly why Trish Kennedy and her husband Patrick created a book nook for their middle child, 5-year-old daughter Fee. They had noticed that she liked to snuggle up with a…
The Guy Behind the Grill
If you’ve got a backyard grill at home, now’s the time to haul it out. Cooking outdoors is a great way to spice up summer meals; it’s also an opportunity to get the guys in your life involved in feeding the family. Last year, NPR reported that men are more than twice as likely as…
Charles Francis Adams 1876-1947
Founder of the Boston Bruins, America’s first professional hockey team
Waste Not
By 2020, all Vermonters will be required by law to compost. It’s John Powell’s job to help Chittenden County kids and youth-focused institutions understand what that means. Powell coordinates School and Youth Outreach Programs for the Chittenden Solid Waste District. He gives free tours of the CSWD facilities and delivers presentations about recycling and composting…
Gotta Have Art
Maggie Standley of Wingspan Painting Studio works with all kinds of kids in her art-focused vacation camps, but she makes a special effort to reach the ones who can’t afford to attend. That’s why she started Spread Your Wings, a program focused on low-income youth served by organizations such as the Committee on Temporary Shelter…
Well Traveled
David and Lisabeth Sewell McCann of Charlotte have found a way to make family vacations more fun. The founders of Sparkle Stories, an online audio storytelling service, recently released Martin & Sylvia “Travel!” Audio Book. The two-hour-long title includes five tales featuring two of Sparkle Stories’ most popular characters: brother-and-sister duo Martin and Sylvia. They’re…
Daring Dads
Good Beginnings of Central Vermont really wants guys to spend more time with their kids. So much so that the nonprofit is sponsoring the Dare to Father Challenge, which awards prizes to dads, grandfathers, uncles and other male mentors who complete a series of age-appropriate activities with the kids in their lives. Most of the…
The Art of… Needle Felting
There’s something you should know about needle felting before trying it: The needles are sharp. Really sharp. My 7-year-old daughter, Mira, learned this the hard way during a weekend crafting session in Hinesburg. We were several minutes into a needle-felting class at Brown Dog Books & Gifts when she pricked her index finger with one…
Cute Outfit
When Québec natives Marie-Michelle Gaudreau and Julie Harvey moved to Vermont, they had a hard time finding fashionable clothes for their kids. So in March, the two pals launched Minou Kids, a childrens’ clothing “e-tailer” that sells handpicked designer items online for kids from birth to age 6. Minou is French for “kitty,” though, in…
How does a father’s involvement impact a child’s mental health?
The role that fathers play in the lives of their children has changed substantially in a generation. According to the Pew Research Center, fewer dads today live with their kids, but the ones who do spend more time interacting with and caring for them. How can a father’s involvement affect kids’ health and well-being? Dr.…
Seasonal Reads
Kids VT asked local dads to recommend books they love to read with their kids. Babymouse series by Jennifer L. Holm, illustrated by Matthew Holm This humorous series of 18 graphic novels chronicles the adventures of cute and sassy Babymouse, who dreams of being a rock star, tries to make it as a cupcake tycoon…
Birding with the Kids
What do red-winged blackbirds, ruby-throated hummingbirds, cedar waxwings and turkey vultures have in common? They’re all bird species you can see this month in Vermont. Many feathered friends who flew south during the colder months come back to the state in May, which makes June an ideal time to observe and learn about the more…
Book-Review Winners (June 2014)
Congratulations to these enthusiastic young critics who shared their reading recommendations with us in May. Each wins a $25 gift certificate from Crow Bookshop in Burlington. We loved reading about everybody’s literary adventures, and have included some excerpts below. Locomotive by Brian Floca “My favorite part is the locomotive exploding. It’s just for pretend to…
The Right Age for Smartphones and Tablets
Q: We’ve all heard about toddlers who try to turn the page in a book or magazine by swiping it as if it were a tablet. At what age is it OK for young children to be exposed to smartphones and tablets? A: More and more studies are pointing toward the adverse effects of too…
Vermont Day-cations: Saxon Hill Trails & Fort Ticonderoga
School’s almost out, and “Day-cations” are in. Every summer, Kids VT seeks out family-friendly destinations where you and your kids can experience the natural beauty and unique culture of the region. They’re all places you can visit with your kids in a day. Each of our three summer issues features two recommended trips, complete with…
Hanging Out With the Guys
June 15 is Father’s Day. Every year, we celebrate it by publishing the Kids VT Dad Issue. Of course, not every family has a dad; mine doesn’t. My son and daughter have two moms. For us, Father’s Day is a chance to give thanks for the men in our lives. Our kids’ male role models…
Father Time: A Burlington Parenting Group Helps Men Become Better Dads
The clamor of children at play echoes through the halls of the former St. Joseph’s School in Burlington’s Old North End. In full swing is a weekly parenting group that provides opportunities for bonding — and, on a recent Tuesday night, fresh pizza. But you won’t find any mommies nursing infants or chasing toddlers here;…
Swing Set: Golf
Vermont’s golf courses are only playable a few months of the year, but when the links are open, they’re a glorious place to be. On a recent spring day, four lanky teenage boys are strolling along the verdant green of Rocky Ridge Golf Club’s first fairway, their clubs slung over their backs. One of them…
