The Money Issue 2018
Biz Teacher’s Money Tips; Free Family Outings; Summer Camp Guide
How Can Parents Keep Kids Safe Around Guns?
People in Vermont, a liberal state with a rich hunting culture, often hold strong opinions about guns, which can make it difficult to discuss firearm safety in dispassionate and non-politicized terms. But the risks of avoiding such conversations can be lethal. Every two hours, a child or teenager in the United States is killed by…
A Generous Helping: Camp Scholarships Make Summer Fun Affordable
Hannah Bogard, director of YWCA Vermont Camp Hochelaga in South Hero, remembers a particularly enthusiastic camper from last summer. The 12-year-old girl “was so full of energy and excitement,” ready to take on new experiences like kayaking and performing arts, and always surrounded by a pack of friends. Her family also happened to be homeless.…
Destination Recreation: University of Vermont Campus
What does a college campus have to offer a kid? As the daughter of a professor, I should know. My parents had little money to spend on babysitters when I was growing up, so I spent many a day off from school accompanying my father to Siena College in Albany, where his office smelled like…
Game Changer: Richmond Elementary’s PE Program Focuses on Accessibility, Lifelong Fitness and Fun
If elementary school physical education conjures memories of being pegged by a dodgeball, huffing and puffing through timed miles, or climbing a rope dangling from the rafters, Richmond Elementary School’s gym classes will probably be unrecognizable. In PE class at the pre-K through fourth grade school, students ride bikes, dance, golf, play tennis, rollerblade, practice…
Burlington Mural Tour: Art Appreciation — for Free! — in the Queen City
Burlington is a town full of art, artists and an abundance of murals. If you’re like our family, you’re always looking for fun, low-cost weekend activities. Why not pick a B-town neighborhood and explore some awesome street art on foot? On a Saturday in March, we came up with an easily walkable route that started…
Organic Eats
Before moving to Vermont in 2010, Belgian-born Véronique Beittel had never bought a beet in her life. But the bounty of fresh produce she found at farmers markets after relocating with her husband from Washington, D.C., changed her outlook on food. “The more fruits and vegetables you start eating, you realize you don’t need all…
Spring Training
Parents in search of a job with long-term potential may be interested in Vermont Tech’s Strengthening Working Families Initiative, a new program that provides free training and support services to moms and dads. Funded by a three-year grant from the U.S. Department of Labor, and a collaboration between Vermont Technical College and Community College of…
Making Cents
Vermont middle and high school teachers are invited to apply for the Teacher’s Financial Literacy Summer Institute at Champlain College. Half of the 40 spots available are reserved for Vermonters. Designed to give educators the confidence, skills and curriculum tools they need to teach personal finance, the course will cover saving and investing, credit reports, credit…
Tom Yum Soup: A Flavorful Broth for Spring
The onset of spring in Vermont is unpredictable. After experiencing a few warm days in February, I usually start to get hopeful that winter is coming to an end. But March is a mixed bag, with both late-season snow and tantalizingly sunny days. By the time April comes along, I am more than ready for…
Mom Takes Notes
Combining parenthood and a career is a tricky business. Finding the time to do my work as an illustrator and postdoctoral researcher, while also taking care of our 10-month-old daughter at home, requires creativity and some serious scheduling with my husband. Despite my best effort, these two worlds can sneak into each other’s space. During…
Living the Word: High School Senior Connor Durochia Follows the Gospel by Feeding the Poor
Name: Connor Durochia Age: 17 Town: Hinesburg There’s an old, anonymous quote that challenges Christians to stay true to the teachings of their faith on a daily basis: “How can you worship a homeless man on Sunday and ignore one on Monday?” Two years ago, Connor Durochia decided that he could no longer ignore the…
Parenting Participation: Music for You and the Kids
This month, we asked our Facebook followers what music they like listening to with their kids. Find their answers below. We are pretty big Green Day fans! Rocking out in the car seat. — Ayla Klauzenberg Whip/Nae Nae all the live long day! — Charlotte Miller Our daughter currently loves rocking out to Pat Benatar.…
Trending — April 2018
Linda Brown, the Kansas woman at the center of the landmark Brown v. Board of Education school desegregation case died at age 75. “She stands as an example of how ordinary schoolchildren took center stage in transforming this country,” said NAACP Legal Defense Fund president Sherrilyn Ifill. After declaring bankruptcy in September, Toys “R” Us…
Let Youth Lead: An Educator Reflects on Her Students’ Activism
It was a stairwell moment, walking up the steps to my office on February 27, 2012, that completely altered my course. The world had just lost Trayvon Martin, an unarmed black teenager from Florida, at the hands of George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch coordinator with a gun. I, like so many others, was struggling to…
The Art of… Teaching Improv
“Hair!” yelled an audience member, in response to 14-year-old River Mitchell’s appeal for a one-syllable word. With that, two boys came to the front of the stage of Off Center for the Dramatic Arts in Burlington and began a “Rap Battle.” “I used to have really long hair,” said 14-year-old Calvin Lord as a synthesizer…
Learning for Life
We’ve all experienced the feeling of sitting in a classroom wondering, How is this relevant? From diagramming sentences to balancing chemical equations, a good chunk of what I learned in school hasn’t come in particularly handy as an adult. But times, they are a changin’. Our kids’ teachers seem to understand, more than many of…
Wild Reads
Two years ago, naturalist, writer and photographer Mary Holland received a tip from a friend about a family of bears wandering through backyards near Lebanon, N.H. The bears had been scavenging from garbage cans and bird feeders. Curious, Holland, from nearby Hartland, Vt., picked up her camera and followed their tracks. She describes herself as…
Beyond Allowance, How Can I Help my Kids Understand Money?
Even though I’ve carefully taught both of my children how to load the dishwasher, when they do, it looks as though it’s been packed by a blind baby gorilla short on time. It’s almost impressive, except that it’s completely irritating. Kids are smart, and pretending they forgot how to do things they’ve been repeatedly taught…
Banking on the Future: Winooski Teacher Primes Students for Financial Success
When it comes to teaching kids personal finance, Vermont gets a D. The 2017 National Report Card on State Efforts to Improve Financial Literacy in High Schools — put out by Champlain College’s Center for Financial Literacy — dings the state for setting “modest levels” of personal finance education in state academic standards, providing no…
