The Money Issue April 2017 (Kids VT)
A Family Takes Hunger Free Vermont’s Food Challenge; Allowance ABC’s; Saving for College; DIY Greenhouse; Summer Camp Guide
Young Change Makers Rally for the Planet
Middle, high school and college students will get a chance to voice their opinions about climate change at the second annual Youth Rally for the Planet, taking place on Wednesday, April 12. Busloads of young adults from around the state will march from the Vermont College of Fine Arts in Montpelier to the Statehouse lawn,…
Wildflowers Studio Makes a Smart Move
Wildflowers Studio, a multisensory creative play space, is moving to greener pastures. The business, which opened in September of 2015 in South Burlington, is relocating to the Barns at Lang Farm, an event space and plant nursery in Essex Junction. Wildflowers owner Lyndsy Blais found out last summer that the building where the studio is…
Snowy Owl Tutoring Lets Students Log On to Learn
After receiving a degree in school counseling from Johnson State College last May, Thomas Loudon found a job as the planning room coordinator at Browns River Middle School in Jericho. In that position he started thinking about how kids’ individual needs aren’t always met in a school setting. That led to the idea for a…
Pull-Apart Maple Challah Roses: A Vermont Twist on a Classic Jewish Bread
Every time I mention challah, my kids erupt in choruses of “Holla!” The soft, lightly sweet bread — traditionally eaten on the Sabbath and Jewish holidays — is fun to say and even more fun to eat. Challah is usually braided, but I wanted to create a shape that would celebrate the beginning of spring.…
Parenting Hacks: How to Entertain Your Kids When Dining Out
This month, parents share tricks they use to entertain their kids when dining out. Send your parenting hacks to ideas@kidsvt.com. I keep a travel toothbrush holder filled with bendy straws in my bag. Using a bendy straw lets my kids keep the drink on the table and prevents the dreaded public spill. —Mindi Wimett I…
Trending — April 2017
Nordstrom sells “mom jeans” with see-through plastic knee panels. Internet mockery ensues. Maybe they’d come in handy during mud season? Political science professor trying to give a BBC interview via Skype is interrupted by his two young kids busting into the room. The perils of working from home! We can relate. For the first time…
The Art Of… Indoor Salad Gardening
I have a confession: I’ve lived in Vermont for more than a dozen years, and I don’t know the first thing about gardening. In summer, I’m green with envy looking at friends’ Facebook and Instagram photos of their kids frolicking among backyard garden beds, cradling homegrown cucumbers and picking plump tomatoes right off the vine.…
From Soaked to Sober: How a Booze-Addicted Mom Went Dry in the Arabian Desert
Raising a child can drive a person to drink, as many parents in the trenches jokingly attest. But for this mom, having a vodka martini and a bottle of wine every night was serious business. Being a parent terrified me. How would I keep this tiny human safe? I thought of my infant son, David.…
Autumn Answers: Should I Give My Kid an Allowance?
During my senior year in high school, I took the required home economics class, dauntingly titled “On Your Own.” What I remember most about the class is being assigned an egg to take care of as though it was an actual baby. Shortly after being given that task, I accidentally smashed my precious egg-baby while…
Why Did You Choose to Work at a Camp?
It takes a special kind of person to work at a summer camp. Whether it’s tending to skinned knees and bug bites or wrangling dozens of kids with different needs and interests, it’s not an easy job. On the other hand, spending the bulk of the summer swimming, exploring nature and making art seems like…
Fresh Start: A Somali American Couple on Family, Education and Preserving Heritage
Two-year-old Hamza plays with his toys in the living room of his family’s warm and tidy two-bedroom apartment on Riverside Avenue in Burlington. He’s too young to understand the struggle his grandparents endured to secure this life for him. Years ago, they left their war-torn homeland of Somalia for Kenya. Hamza’s 21-year-old mother, Fardowsa, was…
Rising to the Challenge
At the end of March, I joined my 9-year-old daughter, Mira, in the Spectrum Youth & Family Services Student Sleep Out. The annual event, a spin-off of the nonprofit’s adult Sleep Out, was started in 2014 to raise money and awareness about homelessness in the state. During the Sleep Out, we heard from speakers, including…
Ready for Spring?
My 11-year-old daughter recently returned from our local library raving about an author visit. Plainfield resident and first-time author Yael Werber just published Spring for Sophie, a picture book that captures a little girl’s wonder as she observes the natural world reawakening from winter. “It’s a beautiful book!” Gabriela enthused. Published by Simon & Schuster,…
How Can Parents Address Restless Legs Syndrome and Teeth Grinding?
Children of all ages experience sleep disturbances from time to time. Though the causes aren’t usually serious, disruptions can last months and affect the sleep of others in the house. This month, Dr. Lewis First, chief of pediatrics at the University of Vermont Children’s Hospital, tackles two behaviors that can keep kids — and parents…
Québec-whoa! The Saguenay Region Beckons with Early Spring Adventures
At 9:30 a.m., I’m usually sipping coffee, typing at my keyboard and glancing at texts. I’m not, say, dipping my hand into a bag of cheese curds. But it’s squeaky cheese for breakfast when on a road trip in northern Québec, just outside the borough of La Baie — the cheese curd capital of Canada…
Financial Ed: An Expert Gives His Two Cents About Saving for College
Dan Cunningham knows something about investing for college. As the father of four kids ranging in age from 7 to 13, he’s already preparing for the day when his family will be paying multiple college tuitions simultaneously. But Cunningham thinks he’s got it covered. The Bennington native is founder of One Day in July, a…
Government 101: Legislative Pages Discuss What They’ve Learned in the Halls of the Statehouse
While the Vermont legislature is in session, from January to May, the Statehouse in Montpelier is crowded with lawmakers, lobbyists and reporters. It’s not uncommon to see groups of students under the golden dome, as well. Wandering uncertainly through the hallowed halls, they stick out, looking mystified — or bored — by an up-close view…
Habitat: Plastic-Bottle Greenhouse
If Elaine Coeyman were to write a book about how to live well, it would include sage advice about tackling big projects — like growing your own food and renovating your home — on a budget, without sacrificing style. I know this because, as her daughter, I’ve seen the chapters come together. Since my mom,…
PGA Junior League Golfers Go Fore It
Youth golfing is on the rise nationally. According to the Sports & Fitness Industry Association, the number of junior golfers increased from 2.4 million in 2011 to 3 million in 2015. Want to get your son or daughter into the swing of things? PGA of America is taking registrations for their PGA Junior League Golf…
3 Square Meals: A Family of Five Takes Hunger Free Vermont’s Food Challenge
I’m the chef and food program coordinator at the Burlington Children’s Space, a local school that serves 50 children ages 5 and under in Chittenden County. I also have three kids of my own to feed — including a teenage boy — so grocery shopping is pretty much always on my mind. When Kids VT…
