Kids VT, August 2017

STAFF & CONTRIBUTORS

COPUBLISHER/EXECUTIVE EDITOR

Cathy Resmer cathy@kidsvt.com

COPUBLISHER

Colby Roberts colby@kidsvt.com

MANAGING EDITOR

Alison Novak alison@kidsvt.com

CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

Meredith Coeyman meredith@kidsvt.com

ART DIRECTOR

Brooke Bousquet brooke@kidsvt.com

MARKETING & EVENTS DIRECTOR

Corey Grenier corey@kidsvt.com

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE

Kaitlin Montgomery kaitlin@kidsvt.com

CALENDAR WRITER

Brett Stanciu brett@kidsvt.com

PROOFREADERS

Carolyn Fox, Katherine Isaacs, Kara Torres

PRODUCTION MANAGER

John James

CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Don Eggert

DESIGNERS

Kirsten Cheney, Rev. Diane Sullivan, Richele Young

CIRCULATION MANAGER

Matt Weiner

BUSINESS MANAGER

Cheryl Brownell

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Sarah Tuff Dunn, Megan James, Astrid Lague, Grace Per Lee, Ken Picard, Benjamin Roesch, Erinn Simon, Autumn Spencer, Jessica Lara

Ticktin, Katie Titterton, Debi Waters

PHOTOGRAPHERS

James Buck, Sam Simon, Matthew Thorsen

ILLUSTRATOR

Pat Lewis

P.O. BOX 1184 BURLINGTON, VT 05402

802-985-5482

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EDITOR’S NOTE

In the Moment

I’m an avid podcast listener. One of my favorites is Slate’s Mom and Dad Are Fighting, in which three panelists share parenting triumphs and fails, answer listeners’ questions, and talk candidly about kid-related topics, from sleep issues to overbearing relatives. In a recent episode, panelist Carvell Wallace reflected on an enjoyable evening spent hanging out on the couch with his teenage son and his son’s longtime friend, listening to music, watching YouTube videos and just shooting the breeze.

“There’s the part of you, as a parent, that wants to go and take care of business, because that’s so much of your job,” Wallace said, “but then there’s that moment when you realize that, really, your ultimate business is to be present with kids.”

I’ve found myself thinking a lot about Wallace’s words this month. A good deal of parenting, especially in the early years, is logistics: preparing food, applying sunscreen, going to doctor’s appointments, dropping o , picking up. But I’m trying to appreciate the spaces in between — those moments where I’m simply present with my kids.

Sometimes those moments are silly, like doubling over in laughter with my 10-year-old daughter, Mira, as we watched the piglets at Shelburne Farms run faster than we ever imagined pigs could run. Or doing a dramatic, post-dinner tango across the kitchen floor with my 7-year-old son, Theo. And sometimes they’re quieter: a late afternoon spent blueberry picking at Adam’s Berry Farm with Mira, occasionally catching glimpses of her between the branches, knowing that we’re making happy memories she’ll carry into adulthood.

Because summertime for us is a little slower and less scheduled, it seems like there are more moments like these to appreciate. Some of them might even take place at one of Vermont’s 55 amazing state parks. In this month’s issue, executive editor and outdoor enthusiast Cathy Resmer writes about her favorite parks to camp in with her family (“Sweet Sites,” page 24), while Grace Per Lee shares her attempts at an outdoor overnight with her husband and two young sons in “Trial by Campfire” on page 22. It didn’t go exactly as planned.

There’s plenty within these pages to help your family make the most of the last weeks of the season, from Astrid Lague’s recipe for tropical fruit salad (“Mealtime,” page 21), to Katie Titterton’s firsthand account of constructing a backyard pizza oven (“Habitat,” page 20).

As the month progresses, and school looms on the horizon, I know the moments of calm and reflection will be harder to come by in my house. I’m hoping that — in between the grumpy early-morning wake-ups, lost lunchboxes and evening sports practices — I can still find those moments of clarity, where I’m truly present with my kids. At least I can try.

ALISON NOVAK, MANAGING EDITOR

STAFF QUESTION

What’s your favorite local swimming spot?

KINGSLAND BAY STATE PARK is a great place to swim with a grassy knoll and a concrete dock you can jump o . COLBY ROBERTS, COPUBLISHER

MIRROR LAKE (also known as No. 10 Pond) in East Calais. The water is refreshingly cold, and I consider it the friendliest pond in the state. Whether you know people or not, everyone always exchanges cheerful greetings. And there are bald eagles too!

BRETT STANCIU, CALENDAR WRITER

BREWSTER RIVER GORGE is easily accessible, and it felt manageable to bring my four kids there when they were younger.

KIRSTEN CHENEY, DESIGNER

CONTRIBUTOR’S NOTE

GRACE PER LEE (“Trial by Campfire,” page 22) lives in Burlington with a house full of boys. (Be careful what you wish for when you’re 16!) She enjoys dark coffee with heavy cream, thunderstorms and naps. She writes about everything from science-fiction movies to travel tips to energy efficiency. Find her on Twitter at @graceperlee.

Better Together

Trial by Campfire

Sweet Sites

How Can My Family Make the Most of the Last Weeks of Summer?

Oh summer, you’re the vision of beauty! Romancing us with your promise of sunsets on the beach, breezy lakeside cottages, shady hammock naps and every other gorgeous thing pinned on that “Best Summer Ever” Pinterest board.

The dream of summer sees us through the relentless winter. When the school year finally ends, we blast out of the gates, crossing things o our bucket lists, one after the next. Berry picking? Check. Farmers market? Check. S’mores? Check.

But around the middle of July, something shifts: The summer we imagined in February collides with the summer we’re actually having, and a new vision of our precious remaining summer days takes shape.

You know what my new vision is? Me, lying down, in a dark room, for 10 quiet minutes.

Turns out, summer is exhausting. I don’t want to make any more popsicles, pack any more camp lunches or play “guess what this itchy rash is” anymore. Balancing our regular work lives and budgets with caring for and entertaining children every wide open day of their summer vacation makes us

Calendar Clues

anxious. In fact, the Telegraph reports that a recent survey of 2,000 parents found that one in every four su ers from “FOSH,” or “fear of summer holidays.”

But it’s not too late to take summer back. Forget that stupid Pinterest board, forget 80 percent of the things you planned to do. Let it all go. And then start again — realistically, this time. Why? Because wiping the summertime slate clean and getting real about what you actually have the time and resources for is a way of taking care of yourself. You can’t do it all. You never could. None of us can.

The key to reimagining your summertime bucket list is

AUTUMN ANSWERS

reclaiming the time. Create a summer schedule for the remaining four (or so) weeks. Lifestyle blog A Blissful Nest has a free printable weekly calendar. Print it out and fill it in with what you already know is happening: your work hours, childcare, camps, trips, visitors, etc.

Then, take a step back and find the holes. Do you have any free evenings? A stray weekend or two? Ask yourself this: What do you want to do with that time? What can you a ord? Maybe it’s going to the drive-in, or checking out a new creemee stand. Maybe you can still take a day trip to the beach, or hit up the town pool. Make a new, parent pre-approved, realistic bucket list.

Then, put the calendar up where everyone can see it and, for each hole you found, let the kids choose an activity from the list. This way, everyone has buy-in on how to maximize what’s left of summer, and you can rest assured that the last few precious days of the season won’t break your back, or the bank.

In this monthly column, comedian, writer and mom Autumn Spencer answers tricky parenting questions. Have a question for Autumn? Send it to ideas@kidsvt.com.

KIDS SAY WHAT?

TRENDING

Disney annnounces two Star Warsinspired theme parks will open in 2019 at Disneyland in California and Walt Disney World in Florida. For kids or adults?

Smallest library in Vermont, measuring just 10-by-17 square feet, reopens in West Danville after being vacant since 1948. No chance of getting lost in those stacks.

“Sweet Tooth: The Art of Dessert” set to open next month at Shelburne Museum, featuring dessert-themed works, including a maple creemee made from Vermont maple and cherry by local woodworker Steve Hadeka. Take the whole family — then go out for a real cremee afterward!

Puppeteer Steve Whitmire fired from voicing Kermit the Frog after 27 years in the role. “Steve performed Kermit as a bitter, angry, depressed victim,” said Jim Henson’s daughter Cheryl after Whitmire cried foul. It’s not easy bein’ green.

Sunday, August 13: PIE & ICE CREAM SOCIAL 1-4 p.m., at the Rokeby Museum in Ferrisburgh.

Friday, August 18: MAGICAL PICNIC & , 1 p.m., at the Highland Center for the Arts in Greensboro.

Wednesday, August 23: KAYAK DISCOVERY PROGRAM, 3:306:30 p.m., at Leddy Park in Burlington.

Washington state high school student Teddy Fischer scores an interview with press-shy James Mattis after spotting the Defense Secretary’s phone number in a Washington Post photograph and texting him. One of the young journo’s takeaways from the experience? It never hurts to ask.

Baby hippo Fiona, born prematurely at the Cincinnati Zoo earlier this year, becomes a social media star. The rhinos are getting a little jealous of all her Instagram likes.

Mom, that’s not a baseball hat. It’s a hat with a beak! —OLIVIA, AGE 4

PARENTING HACKS

This month, we asked our Facebook fans to share their favorite local restaurant for dining with kids.

J. MORGAN’S STEAKHOUSE (in Montpelier) is the best place to eat with kids! Their kid’s menu is affordable, is served on a frisbee, and comes with a veggie, a fruit and dessert! Plus there are model trains going by overhead.

—HONI BEAN BARRETT

We love to go to ROZZI’S LAKESHORE TAVERN in Colchester. They are always super nice and my kids love the puzzle fries.

—EMILY PETERS We do BUFFALO WILD WINGS. It’s got lots of TVs to keep the kids entertained!

—KATE GARNEAU

Send your parenting hacks to ideas@kidsvt.com.

THROWBACK

AUGUST 2016

Living Small: A Family of Three Makes a Tiny House Their Home

Last August, we wrote about Erin Morrison and Matt Cutts, who’d recently moved into a 200-square-foot home outside of Middlebury with their young daughter, Robyn. The couple had spent the past year building the tiny house with the help of family members. “I’m surprised at how motivated I am to get up ... how well-rested we feel,” reflected Morrison, after several months of living in their diminutive dwelling.

Read the full story at kidsvt.com/tinyhouse.

SKINNY PANCAKE!

Lots of blocks to build with and games to play, plus who doesn’t love a crepe?

—CHRISTINE WHITE

AMERICAN FLATBREAD (in Burlington) because we all love the food and the atmosphere allows for some noise from the kiddos. They look forward to using the pizza toy and watching the food being made while they wait — built-in entertainment.

—JAMIE SLATER

#INSTAKIDSVT

@lisviilu These two know how to have a good time!

Thanks for sharing your family photos with us using the hashtag #instakidsvt. We loved this summery shot of two sisters having fun at the Waterbury Reservoir!

Share a picture of your kids soaking up the last weeks of school vacation this month!

HERE’S HOW Follow @kids_vt on Instagram.

Post your photos on Instagram with the hashtag #instakidsvt. We’ll select a photo to feature in the next issue.

BY SARAH TUFF DUNN & ALISON NOVAK

RECREATION

Sharing Stones

There’s joy in coming across something where you least expect it. That was Shelburne resident Gail Murphy’s motivation for starting VERMONT ROCKS, a Facebook group devoted to painting, hiding and searching for rocks. Murphy came across her first embellished rock while walking her dog in Brevard County, Fla., where she lives for six months of the year. When she flipped it over, she discovered the name of the Brevard Rocks Facebook group, which has close to 35,000 members. She joined and began painting and hiding rocks with the help of friends and neighbors. When she returned to Vermont this spring, she started a local group, currently almost 400 members strong. Murphy decorates stones using acrylic paint and glitter glue, then sprays them with a shiny, clear topcoat before hiding them on trails and in local stores “at kid level” for others to enjoy and take home if they’re so inclined. “We found these last weekend on the Burlington bike path,” reads one Vermont Rocks Facebook post, accompanied by an image of a pigtailed girl holding up an intricately painted rock. “Stumbling upon these rocks helped my tired girl finish her ride … And now we’re painting our own rocks to send out into the universe. Thanks for the inspiration.” —A.N.

Find the Vermont Rocks Facebook group at facebook.com/groups/vermontrocks. Murphy plans to have a rock-painting table at the Champlain Mini Maker Faire on September 23-24 at the Shelburne Farms Coach Barn.

COMMUNITY

Celebrating Independence

For almost 30 years, the JANET S. MUNT FAMILY ROOM in Burlington’s Old North End has provided classes, playgroups and workshops to parents and kids from diverse backgrounds. Until recently, it operated as a program of the Visiting Nurse Association of Chittenden and Grand Isle Counties. But, after losing a federal grant almost two years ago, the VNA announced in March of 2016 that it would be cutting ties with the Family Room. The center became an independent nonprofit and announced the hiring of executive director Josh Miller last month. During the summer months, the center hosts Tuesday and Thursday morning drop-in playgroups at the garden at Ethan Allen Homestead and a Fathers and Children Together group on Tuesday evenings. When the school year starts up again, they’ll continue the fathers’ group and host a drop-in playgroup on Thursday mornings and a preschool program three mornings a week. Programs and operating hours will remain limited as the board and sta work on finding sustainable sources of funding. “We have demonstrated this is needed and does amazing work in the community,” board president Sophia Donforth said. Now the task is putting in place a structure “to support the amazing work.” —A.N.

For more info about the Janet S. Munt Family Room, including upcoming events, visit thefamilyroomvt.org.

STORE OPENING

Style at a Steal

Lisa Golding has turned her passion for repurposed and handmade goods into a new kids’ retail store. The Essex mom of a 1- and 3-year-old recently opened BOHO BABY, a small shop in Colchester’s Fort Ethan Allen that specializes in clothes and accessories for newborns through preschoolers. Golding carries gently used clothing from brands like Zutano, Kickee Pants and Patagonia in sizes 5T and under, which she sells at roughly 30 percent of the retail price. The store also stocks secondhand baby carriers and wooden toys, plus new soft cotton onesies and leggings from PACT Organic. Accessories from local artists — including upcycled bibs by Underhill’s Blue Dog Designs and organic printed bodysuits and tote bags from Essex’s Morado Designs — round out the inventory. Golding, who says she’s her “own customer,” currently hosts a musical story time on Tuesday mornings at 10:30. She hopes to find to a more accessible and spacious location for the store soon and o er more family programming and longer business hours. —A.N.

Boho Baby is located at 204 Barnes Ave. in Colchester. Bring gently used clothing and baby accessories in for cash or consignment during store hours: Tuesday-Friday and Sunday from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Find more information at bohobabyvt.com or facebook.com/bohobabyvt.

MEDICAL RESEARCH

Noggin Loggin’

This is your child’s brain on drugs. Or not. Either way, a new 10-year study aims to crack open the secrets of kids’ craniums as they age into adolescence, taking into account everything from drug and alcohol use to sports and sleep patterns. The University of Vermont is one of 21 research institutions across the country participating in the ADOLESCENT BRAIN COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT STUDY (ABCD), the largest long-term study of brain development and child health in the U.S.

Researchers in the fields of adolescent development and neuroscience, funded by a grant from the National Institutes of Health, will track some 10,000 children, starting when they are 9 or 10. Every other year, participants will complete a full assessment, lasting six to seven hours, involving interviews and questionnaires for both parents and children about moods, screen time and family history; there are also memory games, T-shirt giveaways and snack breaks. Kids also undergo an MRI, during which they can earn points for toys and gift cards by playing more games during the imagining procedure. Parents, meanwhile, are compensated $150 per assessment. —S.D.

For more information, visit abcdstudy.org. To see if your child is eligible for the study at the University of Vermont, call 847-4562 or email abcd@uvm.edu.

Crown Point State Historic Site

21 Grandview Drive, Crown Point, N.Y.

Since Hamilton: An American Musical captured my family’s imagination last year, history has been a big topic of conversation around our dinner table. We find ourselves discussing things I never imagined my kids would be curious about, like big versus small government, the etiquette surrounding duels and George Washington’s decision to step down after two terms. So my sons, 9-yearold Felix and 7-year-old Leo, were psyched to visit the Crown Point State Historic Site on the New York side of Lake Champlain. Only an hour’s drive from Burlington, the military ruins and history museum o er a window into America’s pre-revolutionary, colonial past.

Two structures used by British and French soldiers as they vied for supremacy over the Champlain Valley, decades before the Revolutionary War, occupy the historic site. The French built Fort St. Frédéric in the 1730s, while the British constructed “His Majesty’s Fort of Crown Point” about 20 years later. New York State acquired the remnants of both, as well as the surrounding lands, in 1910.

Felix, Leo and I visited on the way home from a trip to central New York. We cruised through the park’s empty entrance booth, parked near a picnic pavilion and wandered toward a row

of orphaned stone columns rising from a grassy blu .

“Daddy, I think that’s them!” Felix shouted as he and Leo sprinted up and over a hill.

THE CROWN POINT HISTORICAL SITE is open from sunrise to sunset year-round. The museum is open from May 6 to October 16, Thursday to Monday, from 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Admission is free for kids and $4 for adults.

We discovered two massive, roofless stone structures. The first one contained a series of rooms, each with a fireplace and chimney, as well as broad windows that framed a shimmering Lake Champlain in the distance. The boys began playing detective, hypothesizing this was where the soldiers lived. Sure enough, a nearby placard revealed that these were the barracks for British o cers and soldiers. A fire in 1773 destroyed most of the fort, leaving just the stone skeleton behind.

Felix and Leo ran their hands over the weathered rocks, happy to be able to not just see, but touch the past. We

spent 45 minutes walking in and out of the barracks, climbing the sloped 30-foot grass walls built to protect the fort from invasion, and imagining crisply attired soldiers marching and drilling.

A bit closer to the lake, we discovered the ruins of Fort St. Frédéric. Intentionally destroyed by the French themselves in 1759 as they retreated from 10,000 advancing British troops, it’s much smaller than the British fort and far less of it remains. We learned that its stone walls had once been 12 feet thick at the base and four stories high, and that the mighty French cannons housed in the fort contained firepower strong enough to destroy any ship attempting passage through Lake Champlain.

A small, well-maintained museum sits between the two forts. We watched a short video, which explained the region’s military history and the ways in which the Iroquois and Algonquian tribes played key roles in the region.

Afterward, a park service employee guided us through the galleries of artifacts. Felix and Leo were most impressed by the weapons: muskets, cannons, bayonets, bullets and ax heads.

We were hoping to explore the ruins more after the museum visit, but our adventure was cut short by a storm. In less than two hours, though, we’d already received a dynamic — and real-life — lesson in history.

Local parents review family-friendly attractions each month in “Destination Recreation.” Got a spot you’d like us to feature? Email us at ideas@kidsvt.com.

Leo and Felix sit on the stairs of “His Majesty’s Fort of Crown Point”

The forts’ remains

How safe are trampolines, bounce houses and other outdoor play equipment?

KVT: What is the AAP recommendation for trampoline use?

Mtrampoline, bounce house, Slip ’N Slide or playground they didn’t like. These popular summer activities can improve children’s strength, agility and balance. But play equipment can also cause serious injuries, especially in small children.

Dr. Lewis First, head of pediatrics at the University of Vermont Children’s Hospital, outlines recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), to help kids avoid those hazards — and still have fun.

KIDS VT: What causes most playground injuries in children?

LEWIS FIRST: The biggest reason for injuries is the lack of adequate protective surfaces to cushion falls, followed by collisions due to swings being too close to each other, head entrapments between pieces of equipment, and puncture wounds and lacerations caused by hooks and nails that stick out. The best surfaces to have around playground equipment are wood chips, mulch, pea gravel or rubber. Concrete, asphalt, blacktop and even grass can be unsafe. Ideally, playgrounds should have separate areas for kids under 2 years old, 2- to 5-year-olds, and 5- to 12-year-olds. Five feet is the maximum recommended height for any structure for kids 5 or younger.

LF: The AAP recommends that kids not use trampolines at all for recreational purposes. They are a major source of orthopedic injuries, and the most serious injuries involve broken necks, spinal cord injuries and head injuries. The issue of falls is more of a home trampoline event, because home trampolines are typically elevated and kids either fall off of them or fall between the springs. The ones in recreational parks have tighter bindings that cover the springs and sides and lack spaces between trampolines, but kids can still fly pretty high and get hurt.

KVT: How safe are indoor trampoline parks?

LF: There has been an increase in the incidence of injuries occurring in these parks nationally, from about 580 visits to emergency departments in 2010 to more than 7,000 in 2014. Parents should supervise their children at all times, and kids under age 6 shouldn’t be on this equipment at all. If kids do use them, only one child should be allowed on a trampoline at any time, in order to prevent collisions. When smaller children are on one with bigger kids, there’s a greater risk of collisions and injuries.

KVT: Are home trampolines surrounded by nets safer?

LF: The data on nets and other padding show no reduction rates for injuries. If kids still use them, there

should be no somersaults or flips because that’s a recipe for orthopedic injuries. The AAP recommends that trampolines only be used in a professional gymnastics setting or under the direct supervision of athletic coaches, physical therapists or others who are using trampolines for rehab, gymnastics or diving training.

KVT: What other potentially hazardous equipment should parents be aware of?

LF: About 6,000 kids are treated annually in emergency rooms for bouncehouse injuries. The major issue here is that they’re confined spaces that are prone to collisions between kids of different sizes. Other problems that can arise include poor anchoring, house collapse and movement of the bounce house in strong winds with kids still in them. If kids use them, they should avoid bringing food inside and should remove all shoes, eyeglasses, jewelry, hair clips and other accoutrements. Kids should only be allowed inside

KVT: Are tree swings safe?

LF: If you’re doing a homemade swing, I’d stick to sturdier trees such as oak, sycamore and big maples. The limb should be at least 8 inches thick, and the rope itself should be at least 1 to 1.5 inches thick, ideally slung over a piece of rubber so that it doesn’t erode the branch as it moves back and forth. There should be no more than 10 inches between the ground and the swing with someone on it, and it should never extend over water. And having a soft ground surface is just as important as with playground surfaces.

KVT: How about home waterslides, such as Slip ’N Slides?

LF: Parents should inspect the ground for rocks before laying one down. Make sure it ends on level ground, with no hazards nearby to crash into as they come off the mat. These toys are fine for kids ages 5 to 12, but teenagers and adults should never use them because the amount of force they generate literally moves the body into the neck and has resulted in cases of paralysis and significant spinal cord injuries. Also, never add soap bubbles, baby oil or other substances to make kids slide faster, because they can fly way off the mat and suffer lacerations or other injuries. K

Got health- and wellness-related ques tions? Send them to ideas@kidsvt.com.

About 6,000 kids are treated annually in emergency rooms for bounce-house injuries.

Adam & Wilder

Do you imagine Wilder will grow up to run the farm one day?

Adam: We’re pretty open. We don’t want him to be on a parent-chosen path. I always say he’s gonna run away to New York City, but who knows? We know so many folks who left Vermont but then came back to have a family here because there’s no place like it, obviously, and because the community is so strong. But, ultimately, you find your own path.

Want to be featured in an upcoming Parent Portrait? Email us at ideas@kidsvt.com.

Adam Hausmann, 44, owner of Adam’s Berry Farm in Charlotte, with son Wilder Rye, 9 months

Campground Caretaking

From Memorial Day to Columbus Day, my family resides in a camper at Silver Lake, an exclusively hike-in, bike-in campground in the Moosalamoo National Recreation Area, in the Green Mountain National Forest. It’s the second summer that I, my husband, Bryan, and our son, Emmett, have volunteered there as campground hosts through the U.S. Forest Service. During the non-summer months, we live in Ripton. Bryan and I keep opposite work schedules — I’m an assistant innkeeper at Blueberry Hill Inn in Goshen, and Bryan is an architectural designer for Addison Residential in Middlebury — so we can care for Emmett, 2, and always have someone at Silver Lake. The following account is a typical Saturday for our family.

6:30 a.m. I roll out of bed, throw on my work clothes, and grab my toiletry bag and a banana as quietly as possible, so as not to wake up Emmett and Bryan. I arrive at the inn, pull myself together in the bathroom and punch in. Time to drink lots of co ee and serve breakfast to guests. I saw some of them hiking at Silver Lake yesterday, and I’ll tell others how to get there today.

8:47 a.m. “Dada! Wake up! I gotta pee! I want to go outside!” says Emmett. Bryan and Emmett head outside to take care of business while fending o mosquitoes.

9:15 a.m. French press is brewing, and Bryan has already read Green Eggs and Ham three times. Emmett and Bryan make the short move from the camper couch to the camper dining table to eat breakfast — oatmeal with chia, blueberries, yogurt and a little maple syrup.

9:45 a.m. Bryan loads up the Chariot stroller with rakes, trash bags, shovel, toilet paper, bucket, trash grabber, snacks, and extra clothes and wipes for a potty-training toddler. Bryan and Emmett head to the picnic area to look for yesterday’s litter. They peruse the beach and check the progress of the ripening raspberries. Then they

clean campsites and score a left-behind tiki torch with extra fuel.

12:14 p.m. Back at the camper. Emmett gets drowsy while eating a lunch of hummus, cheese, crackers and some snap peas from our CSA. With each bite, he closes his eyes a little longer. Bryan scoops him up and puts him down to nap.

12:30 p.m. I return from work and join Emmett for a nap.

12:31 p.m. While Emmett and I sleep, Bryan talks to a steady stream of day hikers who trickle in from the two trailheads — one in Goshen and the other near Branbury State Park. Comments include: “Hey, what a sweet setup!” and “We just saw a bear!”

2:12 p.m. Emmett and I wake up and join Bryan outside to eat fruit under the canopy. Emmett yells “Hi!” to groups of people as they reach the top of the trail near the camper. He’s had plenty of practice as a host.

3 p.m. Daily call to Rochester Ranger Station to report that we need more toilet paper for the three bathrooms. Also, there’s a tree down on the Leicester Hollow Trail, making it di cult for mountain bikers to pass, which will require a chain saw.

3:26 p.m. A friendly Green Mountain Power employee rolls in to check on the dam. With all the rain recently, it has to be closely monitored. Emmett announces their arrival and runs over to say hello. Silver Lake is part of a hydro project

and powers many homes in the area, including our camper.

5 p.m. I leave again to serve dinner at the inn for the second half of my split shift. Bryan puts Emmett in the backpack, and they head out on foot to register campers. Silver Lake has no fees for camping; it’s first-come, firstserved, and it’s important to check in with everyone and learn their plans.

5:32 p.m. At Site 8, campers from last year remember Emmett. They can’t believe how much he’s grown.

6:12 p.m. Back to the camper for dinner — turkey burgers and corn on the cob — with a brief interruption from a mountain biker who needs to borrow an air pump.

7:30 p.m. Berry picking, bike riding and an evening swim in an attempt to wear down a hardy toddler.

9 p.m. Bryan wrangles Emmett into the camper as the sun sets, winding down with picture books. Emmett falls asleep clutching his headlamp.

10:30 p.m. I return with dessert left over from dinner at the inn — chocolate pots de crème. Bryan and I enjoy them together and reflect on another lovely day at the pristine Silver Lake.

VOLUNTEER YOURSELF!: To find out about becoming a campground host, and other volunteer opportunities, visit volunteer.gov.

Monday, September 4

FREE cycling event in downtown Burlington as part of the Dealer.com Criterium.

Age appropriate courses for riders ages 7-11

The Richard Tom Foundation is a charity organization formed to honor Richard Tom who was fatally struck by a speeding driver on an otherwise quiet Sunday morning, April 2015.

Parents and children should arrive at the RTF tent by 11:30 a.m. Start time 12:25 p.m.

Call John Williams (802-849-9863) for more info. Pre registration recommended http://www.gmsr.info/kids_race.php

Visit

Vermont’s only certified Irish Dance School!

All Ages…All Levels

Did you enjoy watching Riverdance?

Why not learn some of the steps!

Call or email to hold a spot in our summer camps!

Classes offered in Colchester & Middlebury

Beth Anne McFadden T.C.R.G. (802) 999-5041

celtikutie@aol.com

www.mcfaddenirishdance.com

Emmett collects trash

The family of three

The family’s campsite

Richard Tom Foundation

A Literary Tribute to a Famous Folk Singer

a replica of a sailing ship — a sloop — that he named the Clearwater, and sailed it up and down the river, holding concerts and bake sales. The river got cleaned up. The Clearwater is still there, and it’s still sailing.

KVT: From this book, I also realized much of Seeger’s success is due to his incredibly strong marriage.

LS: Pete called his wife, Toshi, the “brains of the family.” Toshi did just about everything, from raising the kids to giving Pete ideas. She was an amazing woman. Pete was very lucky, and he knew it.

KVT: In the book, you write that Seeger said, “If anybody asks you where in the world is the most important place, tell them, right where you are.” That seems to encapsulate Seeger’s philosophy. Does it reflect yours, too?

“It takes a village to raise a child”

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Ever since she attended summer camp in rural Vermont as a child, Leda Schubert knew she wanted to live in the Green Mountain State and write children’s books. Schubert worked as a preschool teacher and librarian in Vermont before deciding to go back to school at age 55. In 2004, she earned an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults at Montpelier’s Vermont College of Fine Arts. Since then, she’s published nine children’s books and served on the faculty of VCFA. Her newest work — Listen: How Pete Seeger Got America Singing, a biography focusing on the folk singer’s political activism through music — was released in June. Seeger, who died in 2014 at age 94, accomplished much in his long life, from traveling with Woody Guthrie to participating in the Occupy Wall Street movement. Kids VT called Schubert at her home in Plainfield to discuss her book and its subject.

Kids VT: We’ve been admiring this beautiful book in my house, both its words and illustrations.

LEDA SCHUBERT: Thank you! I was really pleased with Raúl Colón’s pictures.

KVT: In reading Listen, I learned that Seeger had to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee. Could you elaborate on this?

LS: Pete first came under suspicion in World War II, when he wrote a letter protesting the Japanese internment camps. When he testified, Pete pled the First Amendment — freedom of speech. Many others took the Fifth Amendment — preventing self-incrimination — but Pete didn’t do that. In the hearing, he tried to sing, but he wasn’t allowed to do so. Afterwards, he was blacklisted and so couldn’t be hired for larger venues. So he ended up singing at a lot of summer camps. At a time in American history when people were afraid, Pete was very brave. He was a real inspiration.

KVT: Can you talk about his environmental work?

LS: Pete and his family lived in a cabin they built on the Hudson River, which was terribly polluted then, and he looked at it every day. Pete believed local action matters, and people should take things into their own hands, politically and environmentally. In the 1960s, he created

LS: I have spent my life working with young children to give them the best world possible. Reading with children is one of the ways to change the world, and it’s been my life’s work. Social media like Facebook both creates and disrupts communities. We’re too often encouraged to escape deep thinking and the world we live in, but reading throws us back into experiencing the world where we hear the birds singing. I encourage kids not to distract themselves. Children need food, shelter, reading — and dogs, too.

KVT: We live in a time of deepening divisions in our society. What do you think Seeger would be doing now? LS: He’d be singing. He’d say, “Raise your voice and sing in groups.” Music helps to heal people.

Schubert will present at the Burlington Book Festival on September 15 through 17. Find more information at burlingtonbookfestival.com closer to the date. Learn more about the author at ledaschubert.com.

ALSO BY LEDA SCHUBERT: Monsieur Marceau: Actor Without Words

LEARN TO PLAY A STRING INSTRUMENT!

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Leda Schubert with a young friend

Relishing Life

A single mom on racing snowmobiles, raising two boys and running a hot dog stand

Pull into the Gulf gas station on South Burlington’s Shelburne Road, and you may see Jamie Wilhite serving up locavore hot dogs and cold-brew coffee out of a shiny silver umbrella cart. While it’s not surprising to find a gourmet hot dog stand in Vermont, the path Wilhite took to get it there surely is.

The mom of two boys, 7-year-old Jameson and 6-year-old Clayton, has a master’s degree in education and has worked as a high school soccer coach and teacher. Growing up in Michigan, she was a self-described “motorhead redneck” who raced motorcycles with her dad.

She took up backcountry snowboarding and snowmobiling and soon caught the bug for snowmobile racing, which she did for close to a decade in Salt Lake City. She’s also an Ironman athlete and world traveler.

Back then, Wilhite never imagined she’d be in Vermont, adding fixings to hot dogs. Nor did she imagine she’d get divorced, become a single mom, lose a close friend in an accident, or pack up and move from Salt Lake City to Shelburne — where she spent some of her youth and where her parents and two of her three siblings now live.

Not one to dwell on the past, Wilhite quickly rolled up her sleeves and got down to business. The idea to

own a cart came in early 2017 while talking to friends at a food event in Stratton, where she was doing consulting work. Two months later she set up Relish in the Dealer.com parking lot and started dishing up dogs. In warmer months, you may spot the cart outside ECHO Leahy Center for Lake Champlain, at the Burton Flagship Store, the Ben & Jerry’s offices in South Burlington, Heritage Toyota or the Gulf gas station on Shelburne Road.

Wilhite’s days may be slower now, but she’s still a woman on a mission. From coaching her kids’ soccer teams and renovating her Shelburne home to brand-building for local companies and hawking hot dogs, she’s motoring right along.

On traveling with her kids: Jamie: Living in Salt Lake was great for my career. As a professional athlete, I was in Steamboat and Jackson Hole a lot, and there is great training and an airport there. I have a lot of friends who were overseas, so it enabled me to take the boys to China, Turkey — we lived in Italy — they’ve been everywhere! People give me a hard time, saying [the boys] are not going to remember this or that, but that’s not the point. They hear a different language; they heard the call to prayer in Turkey. I think people are

MOM: Jamie Wilhite, 41, owner of Relish gourmet hot dog cart

SONS: Jameson, 7, and Clayton, 6

shocked that a woman would travel alone with her two kids. Everyone has been so welcoming everywhere.

On juggling competitive snowmobiling and parenting:

Jamie: I was on my own with the boys, and they would be with me in the pits.

I’d have teammates and sponsors literally watching the boys, handing them off. Everyone else was going through their preps, and I was just sitting there. I have some of the best pictures of them with me as we would ride around, warming up the sleds. They have these two little jerseys with my number (92).

One to Watch

I think seeing a female in that role is pretty great for them.

On losing a friend and changing course:

Jamie: Right when I was going through the divorce, and it was terrible, one of my best friends from

[snowmobile] training — there was an accident and I had to give her CPR. She had collapsed a lung; she died in 30 seconds. Her father was her best friend and he’s one of my sponsors, and I am calling him from the morgue. You get to a point — that was probably the most pivotal — you watch someone take their last few breaths, and she had a son who was friends with my sons. You only get one shot at life. I had always been in super good shape, played sports in high school and college, and had always been really outcomes-based. Even in marriage I was like, “You should get a red card! You just fouled! You can’t do that! That’s not right!” I am about as tough as they come, but that was a real low point. I left my snowmobiles out there [in Salt Lake City], loaded up the snowmobile trailer, sold the house and moved out here [to Vermont] with no clue.

On being there for her kids:

Jamie: I learned right away [that my sons] expected me to be there — and I want to be. For me — I don’t want to say it’s guilt — [but] it’s like, You’ve got one parent, so I won’t miss your soccer game, I will coach your team. I have never been a cookie-cutter person, almost to a fault. There were some opportunities, like, maybe that corporate job would have been good, but then I would need a nanny to raise my kids, and we’re already running on one parent. I had to step back and reprioritize. Finances can’t be the most important thing. After watching my friend die, I just don’t work that way anymore.

On solo parenting:

Jamie: Sometimes I wish people were more honest about parenting, especially single parenting. In the morning there’s no tag team. It’s always me saying, “Get in the car!” You know, it’s really hard. And that’s not to say that

it’s not amazing and the best thing ever — I love those boys, my loves, my life — but I think a lot of people feel this pressure of needing to be, like, put together at [school] drop-off. I mean, I wear my zebra-print bathrobe and my sunglasses sometimes.

On how her attitude has shifted:

Jamie: I found a great counselor. She said, “You need to let things fall into place,” and I never really thought about it like that before. As an athlete, you make things happen. I was always very robotic. Things didn’t affect me. You kind of learn how to be human when you go through stuff. You learn a lot of humility, I guess. I like to think I was kind [before], but you get a different appreciation for what people go through.

On having a male presence in her sons’ lives:

Jamie: My dad is at almost all their games, and they have their fishing day, and he takes them to Sunday school and they go get chocolate milk after. I’ve definitely always been a tomboy, and they’ve got to watch me go to Ferrari driving school and use tools, and they understand how to use a power drill, so I don’t worry too much about it. I can’t even express how blessed we are to have my dad and my brother around. If they have Lego questions, I’m like, “Call up Uncle Rob right now!” and they ask if he can come over and help them, and he’s like, “Sure!” I don’t feel like we are lacking in anything. K

In “Balancing Act,” we ask Vermont parents about the intersection of work and family life. Know parents we should interview? Email us at ideas@kidsvt.com.

PHOTOS: JAMES BUCK

I was always very robotic. Things didn’t affect me. You kind of learn to be human when you go through stuff.

JAMIE WILHITE

Backyard Pizza Oven

My husband, Kevin, and I talked constantly about building a wood-fired pizza oven — just like the ones at American Flatbread — when we moved to a Richmond farmhouse with a big backyard in 2010. Over the course of a few years, we’ve tackled several other DIY projects (patio, chicken coop) and let some dreams fall by the wayside (hot tub, dance floor). But we held on to the idea of that oven. When we got a copy of the pizza-oven bible, Build Your Own Earth Oven, we suddenly realized our dream could become a reality.

We finished building our first oven right before snow fell, two winters ago. Then we had a baby — and one amazing summer with a pizza oven. The next winter, that oven collapsed, and we spent the next summer without a working oven — much to the chagrin of our pizza-loving friends. This July, we finished a second oven that, like a phoenix, rose from a pile of rubble and ash.

Here’s how we did it: First, we had to build a solid foundation. Since shifting turf will wreck an oven, and the frost line goes deep on our property, we dug our foundation hole five feet deep and filled it with gravel.

We got the other materials we needed — bricks, cinder blocks, clay, sand, old beer bottles for insulation, pine shavings — for free or on the cheap. Front Porch Forum and Craigslist provided great leads, and some kind souls even helped load and deliver the goods.

Our first attempt at a base was a brick frame filled with loose rubble. Anyone who knows anything about physics or the properties of water — like me, now — can tell you this wasn’t going to last. On the second try, we stacked cinder blocks in a cube shape

and filled in the holes with gravel. Then we built a short brick frame on top of that to hold in the glass bottle insulation and oven floor.

Once we had a sturdy base, it was time to blend the mud for the dome. We plopped clay and sand on a tarp, sprayed it down with a garden hose, kicked o our shoes and smooshed it between our toes until it was smooth. We built a dome out of wet sand and packed the mud mixture around it to shape the oven. After that dried out and we removed the sand, we packed on another insulation layer of pine shavings coated in clay and a final layer of clay, sand and chopped hay (the same ingredients as a primitive brick). After a few sunny days and hot fires, the whole thing was dried out and ready for cooking.

To prep the oven, we stoke the fire on the oven’s firebrick floor and wait until the wood burns down and the oven is hot. Temperatures can reach more than 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit, so kids need to keep a wide berth. When it’s go time, we put on fire-resistant gloves (protect the arm hair!), rake the hot coals over to the side and use a long-handled peel to slide the disk of prepared dough onto the bricks. Presto: In 90 seconds, pizza is ready. My 2-year-old son, Russ, is always proud to share his carefully designed pies with a bunch of hungry — and impressed — adults.

When a pizza is bubbling in a backyard wood-fired oven, summer evenings take on a Field of Dreams vibe. But rather than baby-faced Ray Liotta wandering in from the back field, friends and neighbors follow the smoke. If you build it, they will come — bearing gifts of cheese, pepperoni, veggies, herbs and foraged mushrooms.

“Habitat” celebrates a place where Vermont families live and play. Got a sweet space you’d like us to see? Email us at ideas@kidsvt.com.

OVEN OVERVIEW

Materials:

• Gravel came from the extremely helpful Cleary Stone Co. in Richmond.

• Cinder blocks and bricks for the base came from neighbors via Front Porch Forum and Craigslist.

• Firebricks came from Trowel Trades Supply in Colchester.

• Sand came from a friend and the hardware store.

• Clay came from a potter neighbor and from digging out a seam in the ground.

• Insulation came from saved glass and clean pine shavings from the chicken coop.

• Fiber came from chopped hay from the barn.

OVERALL COST: About $250.

INSTRUCTIONS

We used Kiko Denzer’s classic guide Build Your Own Earth Oven, which contains in-depth information on design and processes. When we ran into a snag not addressed in the book’s FAQs, I emailed the author, and he promptly replied with suggestions and more reading recommendations.

TIMELINE

Sourcing material and learning how to work with mud took a while, but it’s possible to build a small test oven in a day. Ours came together one weekend at a time over a couple of months, with lots of time dedicated to drying out the layers.

Kevin stokes the fire Russ enjoys pizza from the oven

Russ and Katie build the oven

Caribbean Fruit Salad

A tropical twist on a summer staple

Iwas 10 years old when my parents took their first tropical vacation to Jamaica. They left me back home in the decidedly less exotic Champlain Islands with my older sisters. When they returned, my dad brought back butterfly specimens for his collection and a new appreciation for the flavors of the Caribbean.

Other trips brought my parents to islands like Trinidad and Tobago, Martinique and Puerto Rico. They always returned with cookbooks. Though I have yet to visit any of those warm-weather locales, I am accustomed to the fl avors of the region through my parents’ culinary experiments.

This fruit salad is inspired by those experiences. I used a wide array of tropical fruits, including the slightly homely but delicious passion fruit and the beautiful but mildly fl avored dragon fruit. These two fruits can be hard to fi nd. Most large supermarkets have an exotic produce section, so check there fi rst but feel free to make the salad without them. You can use any combination of fruit; experimenting is part of the fun!

This recipe makes a big salad. Keep it in your fridge for a quick and delicious dessert or bring it to a potluck or barbecue. A word of advice: Wait to add the banana until you’re ready to serve so it doesn’t get mushy.

The real magic of this dish comes with the dressings. One is ginger simple syrup, which, drizzled over the fruit, gives it a hint of Jamaican fl avor. If you have any syrup left over, combine it with seltzer for homemade ginger ale or use it as a cocktail mixer.

The second is sweetened condensed milk, which is often used in hot climates where fresh dairy products can be di cult to fi nd. You don’t need a lot of it to add an unexpected creaminess to the dish. The fl avors will transport you from the Green Mountain State to the Caribbean Islands on a hot summer day.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 pineapple

• 5 kiwis

• 2 mangoes

• 1 cantaloupe

• 1 papaya

• 4 clementines

• 1 passion fruit (optional)

• 1 dragon fruit (optional)

• Juice of 1 lime

GINGER SYRUP:

• 1 cup fresh ginger (about 4 ounces in weight)

• 3 cups water

• 1 cup sugar

GARNISH:

DIRECTIONS: Peel and slice each fruit and combine in a large bowl. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve — at least 30 minutes, but up to several days.

To make the ginger syrup, peel and slice the fresh ginger and place in a small pot, along with the water and sugar. Bring to a boil. After five minutes at a boil, reduce heat and simmer for an hour. Use a strainer to transfer it into a jar. Chill before serving.

bananas

• 2 bananas

• sweetened condensed milk

To serve, scoop some of the fruit into a bowl. Top with several slices of banana. Drizzle with about 1 teaspoon of ginger syrup and about 2 teaspoons of sweetened condensed milk. Enjoy!

Ginger syrup gives the fruit salad a hint of Jamaican flavor

Trial by Campfi re

Braving the great outdoors — with kids

BY GRACE PER LEE ILLUSTRATIONS

BY PAT LEWIS

We’d been checked into Little River State Park campground for just 10 minutes, and already my children were covered in dirt. Four-year-old Levi rolled around on the ground, wrapped in the blanket intended for 10-month-old George, who laid stomach-down in his own patch of earth, placidly scooping pine needles into his mouth.

Meanwhile, my husband John was taking forever to pitch our tent, methodically clicking poles together, stretching fabric, inspecting every inch of where it met the ground.

“You do realize we’re in a hurry?” I asked, failing to hide my annoyance.

We’d arrived at the Waterbury campground at 5:30 p.m. on a Friday night in mid-May. The kids needed to eat and get to bed. Which meant I needed to go buy wood for the fire, which meant John needed to finish up the tent because somebody needed to keep our filthy children from choking on pine needles and impaling themselves on tent poles.

Perhaps fueled by my own anxiety, Levi was now running laps around the campsite, shouting out phrases from “The Octonauts” — “Jumping Jellyfish! We have a situation here!” George began to cry. Campers at neighboring sites eyed us warily.

I hardly remember dinner. But I vividly recall that bedtime did not go well. The sun shone brightly

through the light fabric of our tent, while outside campers from nearby sites talked loudly, laughed and played music (it was only 7:30, after all). We attempted a bedtime book while Levi disrobed and jumped around the tent naked. George cried.

As the sunlight faded, we sang quiet goodnight songs in earnest. Levi burrowed to the bottom of my sleeping bag and tried to tickle me. George cried.

Finally, it was dark outside, and the peepers started up. “What is that!?” Levi demanded. “It’s creepy!” George continued to cry. He was teething. We’d given him some Advil just two hours earlier,

Writing Contest & Winners

Coloring Contest Winners

Coloring Contest

Puzzle Page

Birthday Club

Puzzle Answers, P. 43

Champ Chomps! KIDS JUST FOR INSIDE!

If hot dog eating contests were open to sea serpents, Vermont’s Lake Monster, Champ, would be the champ! That goes for ice cream cones, too! With summer slowly slipping away, Champ is secretly storing a stash of his favorite snacks for later. Can you find 10 hot dogs and eight ice cream cones in this picture? Good luck — and remind Champ not to swim for an hour after he’s eaten!

Writing Contest

Creemees, watermelon, popsicles, freshly picked berries. There’s no shortage of cool and refreshing sweet treats in the summer. Write a poem or paragraph about your favorite summer treat and why you like it. Attach an extra piece of paper if you need more space to write.

COLORING CONTEST WINNERS

Kids were feeling jubilant this July and surprised us with close to 150 amazingly illustrated coloring contests. Ten-year-old Anna’s “Dreamer” summed up the sunny spirit of summer, with a sly-eyed turquoise fox dressed in bright red high tops and green glasses. Five-year-old Eli’s golden fox frolicked in a dark green field of grass. Emma, 7, embellished her hammockdwelling creature with bronze curls and a flurry of butterflies. Savor the summer break, kids, and send us your masterpieces in August!

HONORABLE MENTIONS

HAPPY HIPSTER

Lily O’Brien, 12, Shelburne

PRETTY PENELOPE

Jasmine Broe, 4, Newport

FOX CHAT

Micah Tursini, 5, Cambridge

HENRY’S STRIPED SWEATER

Eleanor Johnson, 12, Barre

COOL CAT

Quinn Kirshenbaum, 7, Lincoln

The winners of annual family memberships to the Fairbanks Museum & Planetarium are…

We’ll pick two winners and publish their names and poems in the next issue. Winners receive a $25 gift certificate to Crow Bookshop. Deadline to enter is August 15.

Send your entries to: Kids VT, attn: Writing Contest, P.O. Box 1184, Burlington, VT 05402.

WRITING WINNERS

In last month’s issue, we asked kids to write a poem or paragraph conveying what they like about swimming. Below, find the winning entries. India and Julia each receive a $25 gift certificate to Crow Bookshop in Burlington.

India Choudhury, 12

ST. JOHNSBURY

I feel the flood of adrenaline jumping off the board, the cool water over my head, the rush for air, the long swim toward the ladder, stroke after stroke, kick after kick…

as I’m climbing up the ladder, I hear the splash of the next jumper, and as I stand there dripping from head to toe, the process repeats.

I splash and dive, I do breast stroke and front crawl, In my grandmother’s pool or the reservoir, I swim patterns and flip, Feeling so free, Loving swimming.

DANCING IN THE MEADOW

Hadley Croteau, 3, Lexington, MA

BIG BOSS

Satoria Rossi, 8, Groton

FIREWORKS OVER THE FIELD

Jagani Wagoda, 9, Williston

ROCK ’N ROLL

Whitney Butnor, 8, Charlotte

MIGHTY MR. FOX

Henry Senesac, 6, Fairfax

RAINING RAINBOWS

Amelia Dubois, 10, Calais

FURRY FRIEND

Atticus Rose, 4, Johnson

TOP TITLES

“A FOX WAITING FOR US TO GO TO THE FAIR”

Damian Gingras, 3, Lyndonville

“FOXY LOXY”

Adison See, 8, Fairfax

“ABSTRACT ME”

Priscilla Thompson, 10, Coventry

“D.J. Fox’s Awesome Awesome Dance Party” Wyatt Nagurney, 5 MORETOWN

5 & under

“Galactic Fox”

Thia Uthmann, 7 WEBSTERVILLE

6 to 8

“Watermelon Paradise”

Ezequiel Jimenez, 12 BURLINGTON

9 to 12

Julia Wulff, 8 WATERBURY

Coloring Contest!

Three winners will each receive an annual family membership to the Fairbanks Museum & Planetarium. Send Kids VT your work of art by August 15. Be sure to include the info at right with your submission. Winners will be chosen in the following categories: (1) ages 5 and younger, (2) ages 6-8 and (3) ages 9-12. Winners will be named in the September issue of Kids VT. Send your high-resolution scans to art@kidsvt.com or mail a copy to Kids VT, P.O. Box 1184, Burlington, VT 05402.

Sponsored

KIDS JUST FOR

Jumble

BY DAVID L. HOYT & JEFF KNUREK

The letters of these crazy words are all mixed up. To play the game, put them back into the right order so that they make real words you can find in your dictionary. Write the letters of each real word under each crazy word, but only one letter to a square.

Congratulations

ASIA lives in Montpelier and turns 5 on August 27. The recent preschool graduate enjoys reading, drawing and playing outside. Her favorite food is noodles and her favorite color is blue. She’s fascinated by dinosaurs and can name the majority of them!

Asia wins a birthday-party package.

Join

To enter, submit information using the online form at kidsvt.com/birthday-club

You are now ready to solve this month’s Jumble For Kids. Study the picture for a hint. Then play around with the letters in the circles. You’ll find you can put them in order so that they make your funny answer.

Print your answer here:

Puzzles4Kids

Riddle Search — MORNING MEAL

Look up, down and diagonally, both forward and backward, to find every word on the list. Circle each one as you find it. When all the words are circled, take the UNUSED letters and write them on the blanks below. Go from left to right and top to bottom to find the answer to this riddle: What do comedians like to eat for breakfast?

BACON BAGEL BISCUIT BUTTER CEREAL EGGS FRUIT HAM HOT COCOA

JAM JUICE MILK OMELET PANCAKES ROLL SMOOTHIES TOAST WAFFLES

BY HELENA HOVANEC

MADISON lives in South Burlington and turns 7 on August 5. She loves anything related to rainbows and unicorns and enjoys creating art and writing stories. The social butterfly is a talented tap, jazz and hip-hop dancer who loves performing on the stage.

LYDIA lives in Burlington and turns 8 on August 8. She loves to ride her bike, read, sew and build fairy houses. She also enjoys snuggling her dog Tanner and eating candy and ice cream.

Just give us your contact info, your children’s names and birth dates, and a photo, and they’re automatically enrolled.

Madison, Lydia and Zander each win a $20 FunZone 2.0 gift card.

Riddle Answer:

ZANDER lives in Burlington and turns 10 on August 20. He loves Star Wars and Legos, and combines the two to design all types of podracers. The kind and considerate kid also enjoys Minecraft and having Nerf gun fights with his friends.

but he jammed a fist in his mouth, clearly in distress. I o ered him my finger, and he bit down so hard that I cried out in pain myself.

At 9:15 p.m., we called it. Still in pajamas, we loaded the kids and the cooler into the car and drove home, leaving the tent, our sleeping bags and our camping dreams behind. The next morning we returned and dismantled the camp.

I was bummed. This was our test run for a weeklong camping trip we had planned for Acadia National Park in Maine, and it was a pretty enormous failure. Pre-kids, we had loved camping and went several times every year. Post-kids, it seemed, we were terrible campers. How did other people do it?

LESSONS FROM THE EXPERTS

I spoke with Luiza Bloomberg of Shelburne, mother of three kids ages 12, 10 and 7. Her family has been camping since the youngest was around 2 years old. How do they manage bedtime, with three kids in one tent?

“I drag them all over the woods, building fairy houses, finding stones, making crowns out of flowers, exploring, just constantly keeping them busy. And because we are so busy, they fall right asleep at night,” she told me.

It helps to create a familiar sleeping environment, Luiza added. She brings everyday sheets and blankets and creates a bed for the whole family on the floor of the tent.

Luiza’s mess-management system is pretty well-developed, too. Turns out she doesn’t want dirty children in her sleeping space any more than I do. And she has a system.

“We set up a separate tent for the kids to play in. And if they want to sleep out there, I don’t care. You sleep in that. I don’t want dirt in my tent.”

The family sleeping tent is a much more tightly controlled environment. “It has a little alcove, and you can leave your shoes out there. No shoes in the tent!” she said. She even provides a damp cloth for wiping o dirty feet.

Luiza didn’t have experience camping with a baby, though. For that, I turned to my friend Heather Chernyshov of Burlington, who was actually the reason I assumed we could go camping with young kids. Her family has been camping since the oldest kid was 7 months old. He’s now 7 years, and his little sister is 4. Their family of four goes camping nearly every other weekend, all summer long. So I asked Heather about the sleep thing. How did she manage it with a 7-month-old?

“I just nursed him and put him in the Pack ’n Play in the middle of the pop-up, and he was fine,” she told me. “We never tried a tent.” Of course. The Chernyshovs had a pop-up trailer complete with beds, a kitchen — the works.

That got me thinking. Maybe our tent was the problem. It was awfully bright in there. I started

looking online. Pop-up rentals start at $100 per night. Yikes. I settled on a $90 blackout cover for the Pack ’n Play. My husband was dubious. He was ready to scrap the camping idea altogether, but I wasn’t. We agreed to try again the following weekend — this time in our backyard.

TAKE TWO, CLOSER TO HOME

The day of our backyard campout arrived. That morning we brought the kids to Shelburne Farms and gave them plenty of exercise. Back at home, the tent went up right after lunch so they could acclimate to it. George took his afternoon nap out there, the new blackout curtain stretched across his Pack ’n Play. It felt a bit odd zipping George up into an all-black cube, and I joked that we were crate-training him, but it worked! The dark, plus a battery-powered noise machine, seemed to do the trick. He napped for an hour and a half. That evening George went to sleep at his usual bedtime, in his “crate.” We let Levi stay up until 8:30, and he also went to bed easily enough, aside from refusing to wear the hat and snow pants I’d brought out for him on the cool May night.

At 11 p.m., George woke, crying. I fed him, then tried to put him back in the Pack ’n Play. He cried. I brought him back to my sleeping bag. He cried. I tried feeding him again. He was happy so long as he had a boob in his mouth — and I have certainly managed to get through many a night that way before — but it was too cold, and the ground was too hard, for that. I scooped up George and headed back into the house.

In the early hours of the morning, I woke as John and Levi joined us inside. The cold had gotten to Levi. By the time the sun came up, George had popped another tooth.

I asked Luiza how she handled a crying child while sleeping in a tent. “I think there was one time when one of them was crying, and I just sat in the car with them so it wasn’t so loud,” she recalled. “It was the middle of the night.” I tried to imagine getting out of our tent and holding a crying baby in the car. It didn’t appeal to me.

THE ROAD AHEAD

The following night, John emailed me an Airbnb listing — one of only three still available in Acadia for the week we were traveling. We booked it, and I’m so relieved we did. Two days before we left, George came down with a severe ear infection. And then it rained almost every night. My husband called the week a “parenting marathon.” My kids thrive on regularity, and vacation is, by its very nature, a departure from the norm. Just surviving was exciting enough.

I haven’t thrown in the sleeping bag just yet, though. We have reservations at Burton Island later this summer, and, while my husband is skeptical (George still has 14 teeth to go, and it’s an or Chrissake), for some reason I’m eagerly anticipating it. And, really, isn’t that irrational optimism what makes parenting

Somebody needed to keep our filthy children from choking on pine needles and impaling themselves on tent poles. island needles

Sweet Sites

Our favorite family-friendly state parks

TEXT AND PHOTOS BY CATHY RESMER

My partner, Ann-Elise, and I were committed campers before we had kids. The arrival of our son, now 11, and daughter, now 9, didn’t slow us down for long. Graham was 5 months old when he first slept in a tent with us; we added Ivy to our annual remote camping excursion at just 5 weeks.

Those early trips exhausted and challenged us all, but through trial and error, we figured some things out. For starters, planning a successful trip begins with finding a good place to camp. We’re partial to Vermont’s state parks. Vermont’s 40 state park campgrounds offer access to the outdoors at a fraction of the cost of a hotel room or vacation home rental — a single-night stay at a tent site costs just $18; lean-tos go for $25; the rates for prime waterfront locations are $2 higher. Some parks also offer pricier cabins and cottages.

All of Vermont’s state parks welcome children, but over the years, we’ve found some that seem ideally suited for them. Here are a few of our faves, along with some tips gleaned from our experiences. Find a full list of parks at vtstateparks.com.

Grand Isle State Park:

About 30 minutes from Burlington, Grand Isle is our go-to choice for a quick getaway; we sometimes stop for creemees at Seb’s Snack Bar in South Hero on the way there. The park’s 226 acres include a nature center and a rocky beach with a stunning view of the Vermont shoreline. A stand of trees near the playground conceals a small clearing that makes an excellent secret clubhouse or fort.

Elmore State Park:

This Lamoille County gem boasts hiking trails and a sandy beach. The two moderately challenging routes up Elmore Mountain lead to a spectacular view at the top — and a rickety fire tower that will terrify helicopter parents or anyone with the slightest fear of heights. On our last trip, we tried the shorter Mountain Brook Nature Trail, a half-mile loop that crosses a stream and includes stations explaining the natural and cultural history of the area. The kids were intrigued by a water storage building along the route; like the Lake Elmore beach house, it was constructed by members of the Civilian Conservation Corps during the Great Depression. Another find this year: the amazing Fire Tower Pizza, available at the Elmore Store. We called ahead on a Friday evening, and it was ready for us when we pulled up — a splurge worth every penny.

Groton State Forest

There are several state parks within this oasis at the southern edge of the Northeast Kingdom, all close to hiking trails, a nature center, Lake Groton’s Boulder Beach and a seasonal store. We’ve stayed at most of these parks; they’re all appealing for different reasons. Campers can drive right up to their sites at Stillwater and Ricker Pond, which both offer water access and the occasional loon sighting. Nearby New Discovery, a quieter car-camping destination, features trailheads and a play area. Families ready to rough it can opt for remote camping at Kettle Pond, where sites are accessible only by foot or by boat. There are no garbage cans — if you pack it in, you pack it out. No running water, either. Remote camping is a lot of work, especially with kids, but hearing a barred owl at night — or waking up early enough to watch mist drift across the water’s surface — makes it worthwhile. At Kettle Pond, our kids have spent hours building fairy houses and chopping firewood with a hatchet. Last year, we brought a field guide to identify wild mushrooms on the hourlong hike to our site.

Burton Island State Park

This island campground is accessible only by boat; a ferry between Burton Island and Kamp Kill Kare State Park in St. Albans runs several times a day. The first time we camped there, I thought I was in paradise. There aren’t many sites, or people, so the trails and beaches were never crowded. Cars aren’t allowed on the island, so it felt totally safe to let the kids explore on their bikes. And a marina attracts enough boaters to justify a well-stocked store. Sites on Burton Island are in high demand, which is why they’re more expensive and difficult to reserve. But parents of small children, beware: We camped there with friends whose restless, wailing infant refused to be soothed at bedtime. They spent hours walking him in a stroller and would have headed home, if only they had had access to their car. We cut our trip short and caught the first ferry out the next morning.

Half Moon Pond State Park

Much smaller and quieter than nearby Lake Bomoseen, Half Moon Pond is a safe place to practice paddling a canoe or kayak, both of which are available for rent. Half Moon is also an ideal home base from which to explore the new day-use only Taconic Mountains Ramble State Park. We recently spent a day there lounging in the Japanese garden, traversing the trail network and savoring the view.

Photos of the Johnson-Resmer family and friends, 2008-2017

Better Together

Camp Knock Knock’s closing circle

BY SALLY POLLAK

Holly Curry was feeling nervous as she and her daughter, Jane, set out for summer camp on June 3, 2016. The Burlington mom wasn’t worried about missing her then-5-year-old daughter — the two would be attending camp together. Rather, the day marked the one-year anniversary of the death of Holly’s husband Jonathan, Jane’s father. He died at age 41 from cancer.

“I just wanted to crawl away and be alone,” Curry said. “The last thing I felt like doing was being with other people.”

Instead, the pair were heading to North Hero, where they’d check in at Camp Knock Knock, a weekend-long retreat designed specifically for grieving families dealing with the loss of a loved one. Located on the grounds of YMCA Camp Abnaki, Camp Knock Knock is run by the Visiting Nurse Association of Chittenden and Grand Isle Counties, and is staffed by more than 40 volunteers, including former campers and social workers who specialize in bereavement.

Curry, a physical therapist, thought the experience would “dredge up a lot of painful emotions.” Instead, she recalled her two days there as positive, and a respite from the demands of single parenthood.

The programming at Camp Knock Knock is a mix of standard camp activities — recreation, arts and crafts, campfires — and group therapeutic sessions organized by age. “The volunteers, they just take care of you,” Curry said. “From dawn to dusk, there’s something going on. As a parent, you don’t have to think about what to eat, what to do.”

Camp Knock Knock’s services came at a critical time, Curry said, when she was both grieving personally and guiding her daughter through her own grief. “It’s pretty intense, and can be overwhelming at times,” Curry said. “Even with all the support of family and friends.”

The Junior League of Champlain Valley recognized this need 20 years ago. The international, nonprofit women’s group promotes volunteerism and supports a range of community projects. Its local chapter’s leaders collaborated with social workers and others from the Visiting Nurse Association to establish the camp.

“We were looking to provide more hospice support care post-death, for families in particular,” said Cathy Foutz, a founding member and the camp’s volunteer coordinator. “We really liked the idea of a weekend camp for families with children.”

The camp is named in honor of Alisha Reis, the first child to receive hospice care from the VNA, according to one of the camp’s founders. Alisha, who died at age 7 in 1988, loved knockknock jokes, and shared them with her hospice caregivers. Silly time, filled with jokes and laughter, has become a tradition at camp, said bereavement care coordinator Ally Parker.

Each year, 15 families from all over Vermont attend Camp Knock Knock. Typically they have experienced a loss within six months to two years, but sometimes it’s been longer. Family members live together in a cabin, but participate in activities and group sessions independent of each other.

“Our focus and emphasis is really on grief as it impacts the family unit,” said Parker, who emphasized that many different kinds of families attend the camp.

Camp Knock Knock staff also recognize that all members of a family experience grief after the death of a sibling, parent, grandparent or other close family member, she said.

“One thing that is helpful for kids is not to be pegged as the people in the family who need support because they are grieving,” Parker said. “They are grieving as part of a family … the adults are grieving as well. When the loss happens, it’s not just the children who need support.”

Tara Graham, VNA’s executive director of hospice and palliative care, said in her two years at camp she has observed a “collective opportunity to have that grief normalized with other people who are grieving.”

“The whole idea is that we’re holding a space where there is no judgment about the grief process,” Graham said.

Within the collective framework, she said, each participant — from young child to older adult — “has their own little journey during the weekend.”

Parker Merchant, 19, went to Camp Knock Knock with his parents five years ago, about a year after his younger brother, Taber, died at age 11. That summer, the teenage group had just two members, which gave him a lot of one-on-one time with counselors.

“Everyone is different,” Merchant said. “But as far as I go, being able to have a safe space to open up about it opened all the doors at once.” He said that after going to camp, he felt more comfortable talking about his

brother’s death, and that the experience gave him “kind of like a freeing sense.”

He is now a Camp Knock Knock volunteer, organizing activities for kids and spending free time with them. Though he has no formal counseling role, he’s receptive to whatever a child might want to discuss. “If I’m hanging out with a kid and they want to talk, I’ll talk,” Merchant said. “But I’m really just a buddy to hang out with at camp — to have fun and relax between group times.”

During sessions related to grief work, activities are geared to different age groups. Young children may get a treasure box with symbolic items to place in it, like Band-Aids or a key to “unlock your heart,” explained Parker.

Some activities for older children incorporate the act of “naming your feelings,” Parker said. She described one called Rainbow Tears in which a group of 10 to 12 year olds take turns squirting drops of food coloring into a clear vase of water. Each color is attached to a feeling, which is articulated when the child adds a drop

Holly and Jane Curry

Our focus and emphasis is really on grief as it impacts the family unit.

ALLY PARKER

At Camp Knock Knock, grieving families find support and solidarity

into the vase. As more and more colors mix in the water, the liquid becomes gray and murky. This is what grief will feel like, a facilitator tells the campers — a lot of feelings swirling together that are difficult to distinguish.

Next, a cup of “magic liquid” (it’s actually bleach) is added to the vase, and its murkiness starts to dissipate. The water never clears up entirely, but becomes a translucent orangey-yellow.

“It’s the same with grief,” the facilitator will say. “When the murkiness lifts, it doesn’t go back to what it was, but you can see through it and work with it.”

delved into activities and really enjoyed herself.” In June of this year, she and Jane, now 6, returned to camp for a second weekend.

The reservations Curry had before her first trip to Camp Knock Knock, it turns out, are common.

“What we remark about every year is that when families come in Friday evening, they are apprehensive, nervous, quiet,” Parker said.

$79 Vermont Youth Bike Park Season Pass

Kids get midweek access to Killington Bike Park for just $79 or $178 including downhill bike rental, plus perks like lesson and bring a friend discounts.

FORMER CAMPER PARKER MERCHANT, 19

Holly Curry said she was initially concerned about how her daughter would fare, participating in the kids’ activities on her own. But once Jane settled in — and the camp gave time and space for that to happen — “she

“They really don’t know what to expect and they are wondering, Why the heck did I bring my kids to grief camp?

“By Sunday, they are so much more comfortable,” she continued. “They’re expressive; they’re laughing; they’re sharing things with each other.

“We call that the magic of camp.” K

INFO: vnacares.org/camp-knock-knock

Challenging Conversations

Young people might find it difficult to talk about the death of a loved one, said Matt Price, a clinical psychologist and assistant professor of psychology at the University of Vermont. They might also have a hard time articulating their feelings, or be unsure of what to say, Price explained. Adults might also find that death is a difficult topic to discuss with kids, and avoid conversations in an effort to protect them from feeling hurt or upset.

“In subtle means, it might come across as, it’s bad to talk about this,” Price said. In addition, when adults are struggling with their own grief, “it’s hard to take care of the needs of the child.”

Price suggests that families communicate “at the level they feel comfortable with … If your child wants to talk with you, then you should let them talk with you,” he said. “If your child doesn’t want to talk with you, you shouldn’t force them to.”

LOCAL FAMILY GRIEF SUPPORT GROUPS

• Compassionate Friends, Champlain Valley—East Chapter; Jay Katon, 373-1263

• Children’s Grief Support Group at the University of Vermont Medical Center; Ali Waltien, 847-4069, alexandra.waltien@ uvmhealth.org

•  VNA Bereavement Support Group; Ally Parker, 860-4410, ext. 3405

• OTHER RESOURCES: For books on the topic, VNA bereavement care coordinator Ally Parker suggests visiting compassionbooks. com. Specific titles include:

• Helping Children Grieve & Grow by Donna O’Toole with Jerre Cory

• The Grieving Teen by Helen Fitzgerald

Being able to have a safe space to open up about it opened all the doors at once.

Moon Shadow

Astronomers-in-training prepare to view the partial eclipse with special viewing tools, from sun spotters to pinhole cameras, and science-based, hands-on demonstrations at SOLAR ECLIPSE DAY. Monday, August 21, noon to 4 p.m., at the Montshire Museum of Science in Norwich.

Week to Week

Park Exploration: Inquisitive naturalists take a tour of the varied habitat, including a river, pond, open meadow and forested hillside. 10 a.m.-noon at Mills Riverside Park in Jericho; preregister.

Open Farm Week: This week-long celebration of local agriculture features hands-on farm activities, from a children’s garden party to a morning music session. Various times and locations statewide.

Fox Hunting Demonstration: History buffs follow the cry of the Green Mountain Hounds and view a live demo, then mingle with the animals and riders. 10 a.m-noon at Shelburne Museum.

1 Tuesday

CHITTENDEN

Ben & Jerry’s Summer Outdoor Movie Night: Cinema lovers bring blankets and chairs to watch a flick under the stars. Showtime begins at dusk. Ben & Jerry’s, Burlington. Info, 882-2040. FREE

Build a Better World with Yoga: Young yogis move and groove. Ages 10-12. Milton Public Library, 1 p.m.; preregister. Info, 893-4644. FREE

Engineering Challenge: Bridge Building: Eager architects experiment with three makes of materials. Ages 4-6. Milton Public Library, 10 a.m.; preregister. Info, 893-4644. FREE

Lunch at the Library: The Burlington School Food Project serves up a nutritious noon meal to youngsters from any town. Ages 18 and under. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 11:45 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Info, 865-7216. FREE

Milton Lego Extreme Challenge: Junior constructionists fashion architecturally sound constructions. Ages 10-12. Milton Public Library, 3:30 p.m.; preregister. Info, 893-4644. FREE

Milton’s National Night Out: Community spirit soars as neighbors gather for food, tunes, children’s games, safety demos and more. Shine your porch light from 9-11 p.m. to show solidarity in crime prevention. Milton Municipal Complex, 5:30-8 p.m. Info, 893-1009. FREE

Ready Rapunzel: Teens tackle projects to prepare for the First Ever Vermont Fairy Tale Festival, September 23, in Killington. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 3-4 p.m. Info, 878-6956. FREE

Spanish Musical Kids: Niños celebrate Latin American culture through tunes and games en español. Ages 1-5 with a caregiver. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 11-11:45 a.m. Info, 865-7216. FREE

Story Hour at Adam’s Berry Farm: Little listeners partake in plenty of stories, gardening and summer activities. Adam’s Organic Berry Farm, Charlotte, 9:30 a.m. Info, 578-9093. FREE

Teeny Tiny Explorers: The Bookmobile busts out stories, bubbles and games in the garden for wee bibliophiles. Ages 2 and under. Wheeler Homestead and Garden Park, South Burlington, 9:30-11 a.m. Info, 652-7080. FREE

Tuesday Night Trail Running: Athletes of all ages and abilities choose between 2.5K and 5K courses or a short ‘Cubs’ option — with a 10K held on the second Tuesday of each month — during this fun evening race. Catamount Outdoor Family Center, Williston, 6 p.m., $4-12; free for children under 9. Info, 879-6001.

Winooksi Lego Club: Budding builders bust out plastic-block creations in the weekly Lego challenge. Free meal provided to youths age 18 and under. Winooski Memorial Library, 3-6 p.m. Info, 655-6424. FREE

FRANKLIN

Adoption Support Group: Families facing adoption issues and challenges join forces in a respectful setting. All welcome. Franklin County Senior Center, St. Albans, 5:30-7:30 p.m. Info, 524-1700. FREE

Fairfax Family Game Night: Families take over the library’s tabletops for a lively evening. Fairfax Community Library, 6-8 p.m. Info, 849-2420. FREE

Magic: The Gathering Drop-In Gaming Tuesdays: Players of all skill levels team up for card playing. Haston Library, Franklin, 4-7 p.m. Info, 285-6505. FREE

Fairs & Festivals

Franklin County Field Days: Families find fun in ag-fair events, as well as a demolition derby and minivan mash-up and make-and-take crafts for kids. Franklin County Field Day Grounds, Highgate, Thursday, Aug. 3, 10 a.m.-10 p.m., Friday, Aug. 4, 8 a.m.-11 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 5, 8 a.m.-8 p.m. and Sunday, Aug. 6, 8 a.m.-8 p.m. $10; free for children under 36 inches. Info, 238-4904.

Festival of Fools: Wacky entertainers take over the Queen City with mind-boggling circus arts, music and comedy, with four mainstage locations featuring continuous street theater. Check website for specific schedule. Downtown Burlington, Friday, Aug. 4, noon, Saturday, Aug. 5 and Sunday, Aug. 6, 10 a.m. donations accepted. Info, 865-7166.

Duct Tape Regatta: Homemade boats constructed from cardboard and duct tape race competitively, while spectators comfortably lounge on the grass.

Hero’s Welcome General Store, North Hero, Saturday, Aug. 5, 9 a.m.-noon, free to watch; $10 per boat. Info, 372-4161.

Lake Champlain Dragon Boat Festival: Aquatic athletes, community members and breast-cancer survivors paddle their way to victory on 41-foot boats. Onlookers enjoy lively entertainment, food and children’s activities on land.

Proceeds benefit organizations supporting cancer survivors and supporters. Waterfront Park, Burlington, Sunday, Aug. 6, 8 a.m.-4 p.m., free to spectate. Info, 999-5478.

Addison County Fair & Field

Days: Vermont’s largest ag fair includes a barnyard for pint-size animal lovers, arm wrestling for kids and adults, a parade, pulling competitions, rides, crafts and 4-H shows. Admission includes parking, shows and exhibits. Midway opens at noon. Youth Day Friday, August 11. Addison County Field Days Grounds, Vergennes, Aug. 8-12, $5-12 daily admission; $15-45 for season pass; free admission for children under 6; $12-20 for a ride bracelet. Info, 545-2557.

Stowe Antique & Classic Car Meet: Automobile lovers admire over 800 vehicles from yesteryear, with a Saturday 3:30 p.m. parade and an evening dance party in the village. Nichols Field, Stowe, Friday, Aug. 11, Saturday, Aug. 12, 7 a.m.-6 p.m. and Sunday, Aug. 13, 8 a.m.-4 p.m., $12 per person per day; free for children 12 and under. Info, 253-7321.

Art in the Park: Outdoor art and craft demonstrations and vendors, local food and children’s activities, combine in a weekend devoted to creativity. Main Street Park, Rutland, Saturday, Aug. 12, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. and Sunday, Aug. 13, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Info, 775-0356.

FREE

Jay Summer Fest: The community celebrates the traditional summer fair season with a baking contest, horseshoe tournament, flea market, kids’ games, a parade and plenty of food and live music. Downtown Jay, Saturday, Aug. 12, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Info, 343-5687. FREE

Taste of Woodstock: Live music, local food and lots of crafts combine for a summertime jamboree. Woodstock Village Green, Saturday, Aug. 12, 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Info, 457-3555. FREE

Open Farm Week: This week-long celebration of local food origins offers various venues for hands-on farm activities, with activities including a Children’s Garden Party at Merck Forest and Farmland Center in Rupert, to a fried chicken dinner at Maple Wind Farm in Richmond, to Charlotte’s Philo Ridge Farm’s Morning Music for Little Farmers. Check the website for specific dates, times and sites. Various locations statewide, Aug. 14-20, fee for some activities. FREE

Vermont State Fair: Crowds converge on the midway for circus acts, racing pigs, a demolition derby and music galore at this annual ag-centric affair. Vermont State Fairgrounds, Rutland, Aug. 15-19, $5-10; free for children under 6; free parking on the fairgrounds. Info, 775-5200.

Orleans County Fair: Agricultural demonstrations — from horse shows to oxen pulls — figure prominently in this annual celebration, also featuring arts and crafts, carnival rides, live music, a magic show and a demolition derby. See orleanscountyfair.net for event schedule. Orleans County Fair Grounds, Barton, Aug. 16-20 $8-12; free for children under 11; $15 ride bracelet; $5 parking fee. Info, 525-3555.

Kids Pirate Festival: Small swashbucklers swing back in time for nautical fun. Two days of activities include treasure hunting, tug-o-war, crafts and musical entertainment by Rockin’ Ron the Friendly Pirate. Lake Champlain Maritime Museum, Vergennes, Saturday, Aug. 19 and Sunday, Aug. 20, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., $10-15; free for children under 4. Info, 475-2022. Champlain Valley Fair: Cottoncandy fun and carny curiosities collide at the state’s largest fair, complete with midway rides, daily parades and live entertainment. Midway opens at 11 a.m. Champlain Valley Expo, Essex Junction, Aug. 25-Sep. 3, $6-12; free for children under 5; 25% off advance discount tickets available at Price Chopper Stores until August 24; ride bracelets $30; additional tickets required for grandstand concerts. Info, 878-5545.

Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival: Family-friendly flicks by emerging voices enchant the audience in a Kids’ Corner screening. Check middfilmfest. org for details, film locations and a full festival schedule for other family-friendly movies. Marquis Theater, Middlebury, Saturday, Aug. 26, 10:30 a.m. $12. Info, 202-957-2553.

Champlain Valley Fair

Live Performances

Castleton Summer Concert

Series: Listeners enjoy a live performance under open skies. Castleton State College, Tuesdays, 7 p.m. Through Aug. 15. Info, 468-6039. FREE

Owl’s Head Music Night: Berry pickers groove to local bands while gathering nature’s little treasures and enjoy a picnic dinner from home. Fields open at 5 p.m.; music begins at 6 p.m. Owl’s Head Blueberry Farm, Richmond, Tuesdays. Through Aug. 15. Two-quart minimum blueberry purchase for entry. Info, 434-3387.

City Hall Park Concert Series:

Each week, lunchtime musical performances from folk to rock, bluegrass to country, entertain al fresco diners. Burlington City Hall Park, Wednesdays, noon-1 p.m. Through Aug. 30. Info, 865-7166. FREE

Craftsbury Chamber Players

Mini-Concert in Burlington: World-class musicians present classical works from the baroque to the contemporary era in this special series for children and their families. Elley-Long Music Center, Colchester, Wednesdays, 4 p.m. Through Aug. 16. Info, 800639-3443. FREE

‘A Forever Frozen Story’: This showy production of Hans Christian Andersen’s magical world mesmerizes the audience with a journey to the land of winter, through song, dance and surprise. Barre Opera House, Wednesday, Aug. 2, 7 p.m., $12-40. Info, 855-561-3602.

Shelburne Town Concert Series: Festive folks relax on summer evenings with live music, a picnic from home, or fresh food prepared from farm fare. Gates open at 5:30 p.m. Shelburne Farms, Wednesdays, 6:30-8 p.m. Through Aug. 2, donations accepted for Town of Shelburne Recreation Department. Info, 985-9551.

Winooski Wednesdays: City folks sprawl out in a summer evening with live bands and free meals for kids under 18. Rotary Park, Winooski, first Wednesday of every month, 6 p.m. Through Sep. 6, food and drink available to purchase. Info, 777-1621. FREE

Brown Bag Concert Series: Community members spread out their picnic dinners and blankets while listening to regional musicians. Food and wine available for sale.

Woodstock Village Green, Thursdays, 5:30 p.m. Through Aug. 10, donations accepted. Info, 457-3981.

Summervale: Slow Food Vermont tastings, live music, kids’ crafts and food-focused activities varying by week promise locavore fun in the sun. No pets. Burlington Intervale Center, Thursdays, 5:30-8 p.m. Through Aug. 31, food and drink available for purchase. Info, 660-0440. FREE

Craftsbury Chamber Players

Mini-Concert in East Craftsbury: Small music lovers experience an excerpt of the group’s evening concert, with selections and commentary geared toward young audiences, followed by ice cream. East Craftsbury Presbyterian Church, Thursday, Aug. 3, 2 p.m. Info, 800-639-3443.

FREE

Marshfield Summer Concert Series: Picnickers settle down for the evening with a familyfriendly band. Old Schoolhouse Common Gazebo, Marshfield, Thursdays, 6:30 p.m. Through Aug. 10. Info, 426-3581. FREE

Snow Farm Vineyard Summer Concert Series: Weather permitting, crowds gather for a weekly rotation of classical, jazz, swing, bluegrass and rock. Picnicking begins at 5 p.m.; music starts at 6:30 p.m. Food and drink available to purchase from various vendors. Snow Farm Vineyard, South Hero, Thursdays. Through Aug. 31. Info, 372-9463.

FREE

‘Xanadu’: Based on the 1980s cult classic film, this roller-skating musical adventure comedy encourages the audience to chase their dreams. FlynnSpace, Burlington, Thursday, Aug. 3, Friday, Aug. 4, 7 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 5, 2 & 7 p.m. and Sunday, Aug. 6, 1 & 6 p.m., $16-18. Info, 863-5966.

‘Alexander and the Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad Day’: Theater by kids for kids brings to life Judith Viorst’s beloved picture book about one boy’s very worst day. Lost Nation Theater, Montpelier City Hall Auditorium, Friday, Aug. 4, 5:30 p.m. and Saturday, Aug. 5, 11 a.m. & 2 p.m., $5-16. Info, 229-0492.

‘The Jungle Book’: A cast of college theater students and local kids gets Kipling’s classic jungle jumping with a jazzy beat. St. Michael’s Playhouse, Colchester, Friday, Aug. 4, 10 a.m. & 2 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 5, 10 a.m. and Sunday, Aug. 6, 10 a.m. & 2 p.m. Info, 654-2281.

Farm to Ballet: Art and agriculture come together in this dance performance celebrating Vermont’s farming culture. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. for picnicking or locavore dinner fare options available for purchase. Billings

Farm & Museum, Woodstock, Saturday, Aug. 5, 6:30 p.m., $15; free for children under 13.

Levitt AMP Concert Series at Dog Mountain: Produced by Catamount Arts, these family and canine-friendly Sundays at Dog Mountain include four-legged agility exhibitions and musical pre-performances beginning at 2 p.m., food truck vendors, games and activities, with the main stage shows from 4-7 p.m. The Stephen Huneck Art Gallery opens at 10 a.m. Dog Mountain, St Johnsbury, Sundays. Through Sep. 17 food and drink available for purchase. Info, 800-449-2580.

FREE

Community Evenings at the Farm: Families bring a picnic or buy some farm-fresh fare, then settle on blankets for live music. Gates open for picnicking at 5:30 p.m. Shelburne Farms, Wednesdays, 6-8 p.m. Through Aug. 23, local food prepared on-site available for purchase. Info, 985-8686. FREE

Craftsbury Chamber Players Mini-Concert in Greensboro: Small music lovers experience an excerpt of the group’s evening concert, with selections and commentary geared toward young audiences, followed by ice cream. Greensboro Fellowship Hall, Thursday, Aug. 10 and Thursday, Aug. 17, 2 p.m. Info, 800-639-3443.

FREE

‘There Once Was...’: Three fairy tales, six actors and two musicians enchant and amuse the audience with slightly offthe-beaten-track family-friendly stories from Chechnya. Spice Studio, Rochester, Aug. 10-12, 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Aug. 13, 4 p.m., $10 per ticket; available at the door. Info, 767-4800.

Banjo Dan’s Bluegrass Revue with Bob Amos & Catamount Crossing: Two all-star bands delight the audience with traditional, gospel, instrumentals, Civil War songs and contemporary bluegrass and original work. Ages 5 and up. Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center, Stowe, Friday, Aug. 11, 8 p.m., $20-25. Info, 760-4634.

‘The Little Mermaid’: Young thespians take the audience under the sea with Ariel and her friends in Hans Christian Andersen’s beloved tale of love and sacrifice. The Grange Theatre, South Pomfret, Friday, Aug. 11, 7:30 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 12, 3 p.m. and Sunday, Aug. 13, 2 p.m., $10. Info, 457-3500.

Farm to Ballet: Art and agriculture come together in this dance performance celebrating Vermont’s farming culture. Doors open at 5 p.m. for picnicking or dinner fare from local farms. Shelburne Farms, Sunday, Aug. 13, 6 p.m., $15; free for children under 13.

Summer Sounds: Highgate Concerts: Music lovers bask in a sonorous outdoor evening. Highgate Town Park, Sunday, Aug. 13 and Sunday, Aug. 20, 7 p.m. Info, 868-4697. FREE

Vermont Philharmonic’s Summer Pops Concert: Under the conductorship of Lou Kosma, the orchestra enraptures the audience with favorites including ‘Stars and Stripes Forever’ and ‘The Empire Strikes Back.’ Bring a picnic dinner, blankets and chairs for this lawn concert. Moose Meadow Lodge, Waterbury, Sunday, Aug. 13, 4 p.m. $5-15. Info, 229-4191.

Milton Music in the Park: Families settle down with a picnic basket and lawn chairs while listening to live bands. Bombardier Park, Milton, Tuesday, Aug. 15, 7 p.m. Info, 893-4111. FREE

Circus Smirkus Big Top Tour

Montpelier: High-flying feats into the wild blue yonder abound as Smirkus Troupers ages 10 to 18 dazzle crowds with juggling, clowning and airborne tricks. Montpelier High School, Wednesday, Aug. 16, Thursday, Aug. 17 and Friday, Aug. 18, 1 & 6 p.m., $16-22; free for children under 2. Info, 877-764-7587.

Magical Picnic and Workshop: Circus Smirkus founder Rob Mermin invites the audience into his magical world, and teaches participants some simple and impressive tricks. All ages. Highland Center for the Arts, Greensboro, Friday, Aug. 18, 1 p.m., $20; includes locally-sourced lunch. Info, 533-9075. FREE

‘Mary Poppins’: Thespians-intraining take the lead in this supercalifragilisticexpialidocious production starring the beloved ‘practically perfect’ nanny. Lost Nation Theater, Montpelier City Hall Auditorium, Friday, Aug. 18, 7 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 19, 2 & 7 p.m. and Sunday, Aug. 20, 11 a.m. & 2 p.m., $5-16. Info, 229-0492.

Circus Smirkus Big Top Tour Greensboro: High-flying feats into the wild blue yonder abound as Smirkus Troupers ages 10 to 18 dazzle crowds with juggling, clowning and airborne tricks in the 2017 season finale. The Circus Barn, Greensboro, Sunday, Aug. 20, 1 & 6 p.m., $16-22; free for children under 2. Info, 877-764-7587.

Music in the Meadow: Sunset over the mountains burnishes the backdrop for an outdoor concert, with ample picnicking space. Gates open two hours before performance. Trapp Family Lodge, Stowe, Sunday, Aug. 20, 7-9 p.m., $12-32. Info, 253-5720.

AUGUST CALENDAR

1 Tuesday (cont.)

Robot Building: Using recycled materials, a small motor and batteries, school-age children create mechanised creatures. Bent Northrop Memorial Library, Fairfield, 3 p.m. Info, 827-3945. FREE

Summer Gardening: Green thumbs enjoy earthy and educational activities. Ages 3-12; children under 9 must be accompanied by a parent. Snacks and lunch provided. Highgate Public Library, Highgate Center, 9-11:30 a.m.; preregister. Info, 868-3970. FREE

RUTLAND

Chess Club: Strategists enjoy competition and camaraderie. All ages. Sherburne Memorial Library, Killington, 3:15-4:15 p.m. Info, 422-9765. FREE

ORLEANS

Mask Making Workshop: Artist Tule Fogg arrives with recycled materials and inspiration from masks around the world, while kids supply their creativity. Craftsbury Public Library, Craftsbury Common, 4-5 p.m. Info, 586-9683. FREE

WASHINGTON

‘From Trash to Tunes’: This show for all ages uses instruments handmade from recyclables and inspired by musical traditions from around the world, offering insight into multicultural folklore, music, craft, science and worldviews. Waterbury Public Library, 6-7 p.m.; preregister. Info, 244-7036. FREE

WINDSOR

Clay Studio: Little potters practice, poke and play with a malleable medium. Ages 5-12. ArtisTree/ Purple Crayon, South Pomfret, 1-3 p.m., $15 per drop-in class. Info, 457-3500.

Lego Tuesdays: Young builders bust out blocks and get busy. Children under 8 must be accompanied by an adult. Norwich Public Library, 3:30-4:30 p.m. Info, 649-1184. FREE

Time-Travel Tuesdays: History buffs of all ages learn what daily life was like in 1890 by helping prepare seasonal meals, churn butter and wash laundry the old-fashioned way. Billings Farm & Museum, Woodstock, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., regular museum admission, $4-15; free for children under 3. Info, 457-2355.

2 Wednesday

ADDISON

Middlebury Farmers Market: Crafts, cheeses, breads, veggies, eggs and more vie for spots in shoppers’ totes. Middlebury VFW, 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

CALEDONIA

Caledonia Farmers Market: Freshly baked goods, veggies, beef and maple syrup figure prominently in displays of “shop local” options. Danville Village Green, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Info, 592-3088.

CHITTENDEN

Booktivity: Based on the summer reading theme, imaginative kiddos get crafty each Wednesday with a hands-on project. Ages 5-10. Burnham Memorial Library, Colchester, 3 p.m.; preregister. Info, 878-0313. FREE

Build a Better World with Yoga: Young yogis stretch and strengthen. Ages 7-9. Milton Public Library, 10 a.m.; preregister. Info, 893-4644. FREE

Cleo the Therapy Dog: Canine and reading enthusiasts visit with a personable pooch. Ages 3 and up. Milton Public Library, 10 a.m. Info, 893-4644. FREE

Music in the Mountains at Trapp Family Lodge

Dorothy’s List Book Club: Middle readers make merry conversation around DCF pick Some Kind of Courage by Dan Gemeinhart. Ages 8-11. Burnham Memorial Library, Colchester, 6:30 p.m. Info, 264-5660. FREE

Family Game Day: Families rally for a weekly round of tabletop fun. Free meal provided for youths age 18 and under. Winooski Memorial Library, 3-6 p.m. Info, 655-6424. FREE

Family Movie Night: A flick on the big screen and savory snacks amuse film lovers of all ages. Milton Public Library, 6 p.m. Info, 893-4644. FREE

Jericho Dungeons & Dragons: Novice and experienced players put their imaginations together. Ages 10 and up. Regular attendance needed to follow the ongoing storyline. Jericho Town Library, 4:30-6:30 p.m. Info, 899-4686. FREE

Mad Hatter’s Tea Party: Wee ones consume cookies and lemonade in a garden wonderland.

Ages 2-8. Wheeler Homestead and Garden Park, South Burlington, 10-11 a.m. Info, 652-7080.

Reading Buddies: Little bookworms pair up with volunteers for literacy and laughs. Kindergarten and up. Burnham Memorial Library, Colchester, 3:30-4:30 p.m.; preregistration appreciated but not required. Info, 264-5660. FREE

Summer Celebration: The Jericho Library takes over the town green with a Cirkus Performance, juggling workshop, ice cream, popcorn, book give-aways and SunCommon Solar bounce house. Jericho Town Library, 2-5 p.m. Info, 899-4686.

FREE

Summer MegaMix Carnival: The library celebrates summer learning and exploration with a jubilee including music, face painting, a building contest, watermelon and more. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 6-7:30 p.m. Info, 862-7216.

FREE

Wednesday Night Mountain Biking: Pedalers wend their way along the trails in a non-intimidating atmosphere. This fun event includes a 2.5K ‘Cadets’ race, a short ‘Cubs’ loop and 5-20K options. Catamount Outdoor Family Center, Williston, 6 p.m., $4-12; free for kids under 9. Info, 879-6001.

Yoga for Kids: Young yogis engage their energy and explore breathing exercises and relaxation poses with professional instructors. Ages 2-5. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 11-11:30 a.m. Info, 865-7216. FREE

Young Athletes: In this 8-week program, avid athletes with and without intellectual challenges are introduced to the Special Olympics before eligibility at age 8. Parent must accompany child. Ages 2-7. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 3-4 p.m.; preregister. Info, 878-6956. FREE

FRANKLIN

Fairfield Center School Garden Care: The Bent Northrop Library tends the school garden with little green thumbs as helpers. Fairfield Center School, 1 p.m. Info, 827-3945. FREE

Summer Gardening: See August 1.

GRAND ISLE

Champlain Island Farmers Market: Growers, specialty food businesses and artisans sell their homemade wares. St. Rose of Lima Parish, South Hero, 3-6 p.m. Info, 372-1883.

RUTLAND

‘The Three Little Pigs’: The Travelling Storyteller and Co. act out this classic tale of three tiny pigs and a big bad wolf. Ages 5-13. Sherburne Memorial Library, Killington, 1-2 p.m. Info, 422-9765. FREE

Classes

List your class or camp here for only $20 per month! Submit the listing by August 15 at kidsvt.com or to classes@ kidsvt.com.

Prenatal & Postnatal Yoga Classes at Evolution Prenatal & Family Yoga Center: Have a more comfortable pregnancy and prepare for birth with stretching, strengthening and relaxation in prenatal yoga — and then bring your body back to balance and strength in postnatal yoga. Join our community of mothers at any point in your pregnancy, and 6 weeks or later in your postpartum time (until baby is crawling).

No yoga experience necessary. Prenatal

Yoga: Saturdays, 11:30 am; Sundays, 10 a.m.;

Mondays, 5:45 p.m.; Tuesdays, 4:15 p.m.;

Wednesdays, 5:45 p.m.; Thursdays, 12:30 p.m.;

Fridays, 8:15 a.m. Postnatal Yoga: Sundays, 12:15 p.m.; Tuesdays, 10 a.m.; Thursdays, 10:45 a.m.;

Fridays, 8:15 a.m.; Fridays, noon (postnatal core). Drop-ins welcome; $15/class, $130/10 class pass, or $75/monthly unlimited.

Location:  Evolution Prenatal & Family Yoga Center, 20 Kilburn St., Burlington. Info:evolutionprenatalandfamily.com, 899-0339.

EvoKids & EvoBabies Yoga Classes at Evolution Prenatal & Family Yoga

Center: Register now for our fall series of EvoKids and EvoBabies Yoga, ages 6 months to teen. Weekday and weekend classes available. Location: Evolution Prenatal & Family Yoga Center, 20 Kilburn St., Burlington. Info: evolutionprenatalandfamily. com, 899-0339.

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu The future of our nation lies in the courage, confidence and determination of its people. Our Kids BJJ Program promotes self-esteem, selfconfidence, character development and a physical outlet with discipline, cooperation with other children, respect for peers and adults, perseverance and a healthy lifestyle. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu will help your kids to learn realistic bully-proofing and self-defense skills that they can use for the rest of their lives! Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu builds endurance, patience and self-respect. Give your kids the ability to get stronger, gain confidence and build resilience! Our sole purpose is to help empower people by giving them practices they can carry with them throughout life. Remember you are raising children, not flowers. First class is free! Please stop by our school at 55 Leroy Road, Williston; call 598-2839; visit our website vermontbjj.com or email julio@bjjusa.com to register your son or daughter!

Rutland Farmers Market: Local vendors peddle farm-fresh produce and fruits, handcrafted breads, artisan cheese and more at this outdoor emporium. Downtown Rutland, 3-6 p.m. Info, 342-4727.

Vermont Raptors: The library teams up with the Southern Vermont Natural History Museum for a face-to-face exploration of what it means to be a bird of prey, with special guests of live feathered creatures. Brandon Town Hall, 2 p.m. Info, 247-8230. FREE

ORANGE

Lego Wednesdays: Aspiring architects construct creatively while chatting. Kimball Public Library, Randolph, 2:30-4:30 p.m. Info, 728-5073. FREE

ORLEANS

Kingdom Community Wind Tours: Green Mountain Power gives curious community members the up-close chance to experience an operating wind farm and learn how wind power generates electricity during this 90-minute visit to the turbines. Kingdom Community Wind Farm, Lowell, 10 a.m.; preregister. Info, 888-835-4672.

FREE

The Lunchbox Summer Meal Program: Children ages 18 and under receive nutritious, locally-sourced meals at no cost from this mobilelearning kitchen. Barton Public Library, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Info, 334-2044. FREE

WASHINGTON

Family Fun Night: Each week, family-focused activities alternate, from nature-oriented crafts to a theatrical production. Jaquith Public Library, Marshfield, 6:45-8 p.m. Info, 426-3581. FREE Marshfield Story and Activity Time: Little ones listen to a story, then dig into diverse weekly activities, including gardening, music or creative building. Ages 7 and under. Followed by a free lunch. Jaquith Public Library, Marshfield, 10 a.m. Info, 426-3581. FREE

Teen Yoga: Adolescents take advantage of yoga’s empowerment, while strengthening their bodies, minds and imaginations. Ages 13-19. Zenbarn Studio, Waterbury, 4-5 p.m., $10 suggested donation; preregister. Info, 505-1688.

WINDSOR

Fiber Arts Studio: Yarns, threads, fabrics and roving come to life in youngsters’ hands as they learn to stitch, felt and weave. Ages 5-12. ArtisTree/Purple Crayon, South Pomfret, 1-3 p.m., $15 per drop-in class. Info, 457-3500. Woodstock Market on the Green: Fresh vegetables, farm eggs, local meats and cheeses, cut flowers, and seasonal fruits and berries represent the best of the growing season, with the accompaniment of live music. Woodstock Village Green, 3-6 p.m. Info, 457-3555. FREE

3 Thursday

CALEDONIA

Lego Club: Young architects construct collaboratively with colorful blocks. Jeudevine Memorial Library, Hardwick, 3-4 p.m. Info, 472-5948. FREE

CHITTENDEN

Bikes & Bites: Festive-minded folks walk, ride or roll into the park, for a fête of live music, games and food trucks. Veterans Memorial Park, South Burlington, 5-8 p.m. Info, 846-4108.

Building Bridges: Clever constructionists create a way to cross a chasm. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 2-3 p.m. Info, 878-6956. FREE

Jericho Farmers Market: Local vendors o er heirloom tomatoes, fresh greens, fragrant herbs, wildflowers and more at this familyfriendly market made merry with live music. Mills Riverside Park, Jericho, 3-6:30 p.m. Info, 343-9778.

Lego Club: Mini-makers participate in surprise challenges with interlocking blocks. Ages 6-10. Burnham Memorial Library, Colchester, 4 p.m. Info, 264-5660. FREE

Lunch at the Library: See August 1.

Milton Farmers Market: Farmers, foodies and crafters come together to celebrate the bounty of the growing season. Hannaford Supermarket, Milton, 3:30-7 p.m. Info, 893-1009.

Milton Lego Extreme Challenge: See August 1.

See Dr. First videos “First With Kids” at uvmhealth.org.

Preschool Music: Lively tunes with local musicians strike the right note among the wee crowd. Ages 5 and under with a caregiver. Dorothy Alling Memorial Library, Williston, 10:30 a.m., Limited to one session per week per family. Info, 878-4918. FREE

Teens Build a Better Meal at the Senior Center: Young adults prepare and share a meal with elders while enjoying musical entertainment. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Info, 878-6956. FREE

Yarn Bomb BTV: Teens tackle basic knitting techniques, then decorate the city’s park benches, street lamps, statutes and more with fiber. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 10:30 a.m.noon. Info, 865-7216. FREE

FRANKLIN

‘From Trash to Tunes’: Waring Music wows the audience with a show involving the science, history and geography of crafting musical instruments from recyclables. St. Albans Free Library, 2 p.m. Info, 524-1507. FREE

Bird Habitats: Inspired by an exhibit from the Birds of Vermont Museum, little nature lovers build their own nests using natural materials. Ages 4 and up. Fairfax Community Library, 6-7 p.m.; preregister. Info, 849-2420. FREE

Drop-In Maker Space: Imaginative youngsters check out di erent materials each week and experiment with circuits, lights, motors, beads, origami and more. Bent Northrop Memorial Library, Fairfield, 2:30-4:30 p.m. Info, 827-3945. FREE

Lego Thursdays: Kiddie constructionists combine their creativity with the library’s supplies. All ages. Haston Library, Franklin, 2-5 p.m. Info, 285-6505. FREE

Weekly Trail Runs: Athletes of all ages and abilities break a sweat at their own pace in a 5K race, 3K walk/run or 1K kids run. Hard’ack, St. Albans, 6 p.m., $4-6; kids 1K is free. Info, 524-1500, ext. 266.

LAMOILLE

Art on Park: White tents house the works of jewelers, potters, painters, fiber artists, food vendors and more. Live music adds to the atmosphere. Park Street, Stowe, 5-8 p.m. Info, 253-7321. FREE

RUTLAND

Fair Haven Farmers Market: Fresh produce, meat, greens and locally-made maple products swell shoppers’ totes. Fair Haven Park, 3-6 p.m. Info, 342-4727.

Maker Camp: Clever kiddos get creative with six summer Thursdays of di erent projects. Ages 8 and up. Brandon Free Public Library, 2 p.m.; preregistration recommended. Info, 247-8230. FREE

Summer STEM: As part of the library’s summer reading program, emerging literati explore di erent science, technology, engineering and mathematics concepts. Ages 3-8. Sherburne Memorial Library, Killington, 11-11:45 a.m. Info, 422-9765. FREE

Science & Nature

Raptors in Residence: The mysteries surrounding birds of prey are revealed as visitors come face-toface with live feathered creatures. All ages. Shelburne Farms, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, 1-1:30 p.m. Through Sept. 16, regular museum admission, $5-8; free for children under 3. Info, 985-8686.

Science Loves Art: Curious thinkers of all ages combine the natural and artistic worlds with hands-on, creative experiments exploring light, color and sound. ECHO

Leahy Center for Lake Champlain, Burlington, Wednesdays, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Through Aug. 23, regular museum admission, $13.50-16.50; free for children under 3. Info, 864-1848.

Wagon Ride Wednesdays: Horse-drawn rides deliver delight to the whole family. Admission includes all farm programs and activities. Billings Farm & Museum, Woodstock, Wednesdays, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Through Sep. 27, regular museum admission, $4-15; free for children under 3. Info, 457-2355.

Building Fairy Houses: Local builder of whimsical dwellings, Stephanie Garguilo, leads kids into the woods to make magical abodes from natural materials. Hazen Trails, Hardwick, Friday, Aug. 4, 10 a.m. Info, 472-5948. FREE

Microscopic Investigations: Curious families discover the mysteries of hidden worlds using hand lenses and microscopes. Montshire Museum of Science, Norwich, Friday, Aug. 4, Wednesday, Aug. 9, Monday, Aug. 14, Saturday, Aug. 19, Thursday, Aug. 24, and Tuesday, Aug. 29, 11-11:30 a.m., regular museum admission, $14-17; free for children under 2. Info, 649-2200.

Exploration of Mills Riverside

Park: Inquisitive naturalists of all ages take a tour of the park’s varied habitat including a river, pond, open meadow and forested hillside, guided by members of the board of directors from the Jericho Underhill Land Trust and the Vermont Land Trust staff. Mills Riverside Park, Jericho, Saturday, Aug. 5, 10 a.m.-noon; preregister. Info, 262-1222. FREE

Straw Rockets: Flight lovers fashion and fly their own rockets. All ages. Montshire Museum of Science, Norwich, Monday, July 31, Saturday, Aug. 5, Thursday, Aug. 10, Tuesday, Aug. 15, Sunday, Aug. 20, Friday, Aug. 25, and Wednesday, Aug. 30, 11-11:30 a.m., regular museum admission, $14-17; free for children under 2. Info, 649-2200.

Tour the Cosmos: This 50-minute live presentation takes the audience on a journey deep into the universe. Ages 6 and up.

Fairbanks Museum & Planetarium, St. Johnsbury, Saturdays and Sundays, 1:30 p.m., $6 plus regular museum admission, $7-9; free for children under 5. Info, 748-2372.

Discovery Sundays: Families have fun with hands-on science experiments and investigations, using wheels, towers, magnets, feathers, water and bubbles.

Vermont Institute of Natural Science Nature Center, Quechee, Sundays, 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. regular museum admission, $13-15; free for children under 4. Info, 359-5001, ext. 228.

Audubon Nature Playgroup: Little ones and their caregivers trek through the woods, meadows, beaver and peeper ponds while meeting new friends. Ages birth to 5 years. Now open to all families.

Green Mountain Audubon Center, Huntington, Mondays, 9:30-11 a.m. Through Aug. 28; preregister. Info, 434-3068. FREE

Banding and Birding: Naturalistsin-training drop in and get a lesson in tagging wild, feathered creatures, and learn skills including netting and data collection. Weather dependent. Green Mountain Audubon Center, Huntington, Tuesday, Aug. 8, 7-10 a.m., donations accepted. Info, 434-3068.

Champ’s Birthday: Lake Champlain’s legendary water creature is celebrated with stories of encounters, videos and the original infamous Sandra Mansi Champ photo. Games, music and birthday cake are the icing on the top. ECHO Leahy Center for Lake Champlain, Burlington, Tuesday, Aug. 8, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., regular museum admission, $13.50-16.50; free for children under 3. Info, 864-1848.

Nestlings Find Nature: Preschoolers discover how songbirds grow, using imaginative play, books, crafts and nature walks and activities. Birds of Vermont Museum, Huntington, second and fourth Tuesdays of every month, 10:30-11:30 a.m. Through Oct. 24, regular museum admission, $3.50-7; free for children under 3. Info, 434-2167.

Farm to Pizza: the Working Landscape of Shelburne Farms: Foodies spend the morning harvesting from the farm, then mix up a pizza from scratch to mark the Vermont Land Trust’s work, past and future. Shelburne Farms, Saturday, Aug. 12, 9 a.m.-noon.; preregister. Info, 262-1222. FREE

Forest Fairy Hunt: Milkweed pods become bathtubs and beds, and acorns caps become dinnerware in this respectful and engaging woods adventure with a special visit from the Fairy Grandmother. Fairy wings encouraged. Vermont Institute of Natural Science Nature Center, Quechee, Saturday, Aug. 12, and Saturday, Aug. 26, 10:30 a.m.-2 p.m., regular museum admission, $13-15; free for children under 4. Info, 359-5000.

Love Our Trees: Arborists of all ages mulch, weed, prune and socialize with Branch Out Burlington. UVM Horticulture Farm, S. Burlington, Saturday, Aug. 12, 9-11 a.m. Info, 656-5440. FREE

Making Music Special Event: Families explore the science of sound by spending the day building, testing and tinkering with musical instruments. See website for specific instrument activities. Montshire Museum of Science, Norwich, Saturday, Aug. 12, 10:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., regular museum admission, $14-17; free for children under 2. Info, 649-2200. Incredible Insect Festival: Nature fans navigate the lives of these amazing creatures through hands-on activities, music, story and crafts. In the Caterpillar Lab, expert Sam Jaffe introduces eager guests to multiple live critters. Vermont Institute of Natural Science Nature Center, Quechee, Sunday, Aug. 13, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., regular museum admission, $13-15; free for children under 4. Info, 359-5000.

Fox Hunting Demonstration: History buffs follow the cry of Green Mountain Hounds and view a live demo, then mingle with the animals and riders and learn more about this unusual sport. Shelburne Museum, Sunday, Aug. 20, 10 a.m.-noon, regular museum admission, $7-24; free for children under 5. Info, 985-3346.

High Mowing Seeds Open Field Day: This organic seed company opens its trial fields for family-friendly tours, workshops, tastings, free pizza from the NOFA oven, live music, a kids’ arts and crafts tent from noon-4 p.m. and much more. High Mowing Seeds Trials Field, Wolcott, Sunday, Aug. 20, noon-6 p.m. Info, 472-6174. FREE

Who Walks These Woods?: Expert tracker Mike Kessler leads an inquisitive trek into our landscape. Ages 7 and up. Birds of Vermont Museum, Huntington, second Sunday of every month, 1-3 p.m. Through Oct. 8, regular museum admission, $3.50-7; free for children under 3; preregister. Info, 434-2167.

Summer Campfire: Families have fun around flickering flames and meet a special winged guest. Ages 5 and up. Shelburne Farms, Monday, Aug. 14, 6:30-8 p.m. $5-6; preregister. Info, 985-8686.

Best of Audubon Preschool Program: Naturalists-in-training take to the woods and water, discovering insects, birds and wildlife. Ages 3-5 with an adult companion. Green Mountain Audubon Center, Huntington, Thursday, Aug. 17, 9-10:30 a.m., $8-10 adult-child pair, $4 each additional child; preregister. Info, 434-3068.

Heritage Chicken Days: Which came first, the chicken or the egg? Visitors ponder this big question as they visit feathered friends, study different livestock breeds, and engage in farm-life games and crafts. Billings Farm & Museum, Woodstock, Saturday, Aug. 19, and Sunday, Aug. 20, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., regular museum admission, $4-15; free for children under 3. Info, 457-2355.

Plant Pressing and Book Making: Naturalists of all ages partake in plant identification, preserve some of their flowery finds and fabricate a journal for future treasures. Mill Trail Property, Stowe, Saturday, Aug. 19, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. preregister. Info, 253-7221. FREE

Solar Eclipse Day: Astronomers of all ages prepare to view the first solar eclipse to cross the continental United States in 38 years with special viewing tools from sun spotters to pinhole cameras. Montshire Museum of Science, Norwich, Monday, Aug. 21, 10:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., regular museum admission, $14-17; free for children under 2. Info, 649-2200.

Solar Eclipse Extravaganza: Sky watchers celebrate this celestial event with science-themed activities and a live feed of the eclipse. ECHO Leahy Center for Lake Champlain, Burlington, Monday, Aug. 21, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., regular museum admission, $13.50-16.50; free for children under 3. Info, 864-1848.

StarLab – Total Solar Eclipse: Amateur astronomers craft their own pinhole projector for safe eclipse viewing and check out VINS’s new portable planetarium. Vermont Institute of Natural Science Nature Center, Quechee, Monday, Aug. 21, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. regular museum admission, $13-15; free for children under 4. Info, 359-5000.

Bird-Monitoring Walk: Eagle-eyed participants bring binoculars to search the museum’s property for fluttering feathers. Best for adults and older children. Please bring your own binoculars. Birds of Vermont Museum, Huntington, Saturday, Aug. 26, 7:30-9 a.m., donations welcome; preregister. Info, 434-2167. FREE

Caterpillar Lab: Nature lovers of all ages marvel at these small creatures with magnifying glasses and digital microscopes. Montshire Museum of Science, Norwich, Saturday, Aug. 26, 10:30 a.m.-4 p.m., regular museum admission, $14-17; free for children under 2. Info, 649-2200.

Fledglings Figure It Out: Each month, junior avian admirers tackle a new bird puzzle, while exploring the wild world. Ages 5-10; siblings welcome. Birds of Vermont Museum, Huntington, fourth Sunday of every month, 2-3 p.m. Through Oct. 22 regular museum admission, $3.50-7; free for children under 3. Info, 434-2167.

Wagon Ride Wednesdays at Billings Farm

ORLEANS

The Lunchbox Summer Meal Program: Children ages 18 and under receive nutritious, locally-sourced meals at no cost from this mobile-learning kitchen. Gardner Memorial Park, Newport, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Info, 334-2044.

FREE

WASHINGTON

Books Come to Life: This active class, led by a literacy professional, combines reading and movement. Ages 3-6. Waterbury Public Library, 10 a.m. Info, 244-7036. FREE

WINDSOR

Arts and Crafts Studio: Petite Picassos imaginatively explore di erent mediums, including pencil, pastel, fiber arts, beading and collage. Ages 5-12. ArtisTree/Purple Crayon, South Pomfret, 1-3 p.m., $15 per drop-in class. Info, 457-3500.

4 Friday

ADDISON

Pajama Storytime Fridays: Small ones in nightwear snuggle in for a story. Geared toward ages 5 and under. Ollie’s Other Place, Middlebury, 5-6 p.m. Info, 382-8558. FREE

CALEDONIA

Hardwick Farmers Market: Local produce, plants, artisan cheese, syrup and more fill shoppers’ market baskets. Diverse dinner delectables available. Atkins Field, Hardwick, 3-6 p.m.

CHITTENDEN

Adventures with the Bookworms: Young readers rally around the Bookmobile for stories, nature crafts and games in the garden. Ages 3-6. Wheeler Homestead and Garden Park, South Burlington, 9:30-11 a.m. Info, 652-7080. FREE

ArtsRiot Truck Stop Burlington: Foodie families enjoy an eclectic array of local grub and live music during this hip block party. ArtsRiot, Burlington, 5-10 p.m.; cost for food. Info, 540-0406.

Baby Yoga: Mamas and papas stretch themselves and their wee ones, strengthening general health and gross motor skills. Ages 1 and under. Jericho Town Library, 3-4 p.m.; preregistration required. Info, 899-4686. FREE

Burger Night: Picnickers bring a blanket or chair to this local feast of grilled fare and festive music. Bread and Butter Farm, Shelburne, 4:30-7:30 p.m., Free admission; cost of food and drink. Weather dependent; visit breadandbutterfarm.com for latest updates. Info, 985-9200.

Colchester Movie Night: This Disney movie explores the inspiring story of a mighty little girl who changed history during the raciallycharged 1960s. Screening begins at 6:30 p.m. after a discussion about the connection between movies and books like Brown Girl Dreaming. Participants are invited to read a favorite poem from the book. Ages 5-12. Burnham Memorial Library, Colchester, 6 p.m.; preregister. Info, 264-5660. FREE

Essex Junction Big Latch On: Hosted locally by the Chittenden County Breastfeeding Coalition, this worldwide event celebrates nursing mothers and supporters with a latch on at 10:30 a.m. Kids’ activities, face painting and sweet treats for all make this a merry morning. Sand Hill Park, Essex, 9 a.m.-noon. Info, 318-5437. FREE

See Dr. First videos “First With Kids” at uvmhealth.org.

Essex Summer Story Time: Budding bibliophiles enjoy picture book stories, songs and puppets. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 10-10:30 a.m. Info, 878-6956. FREE

Family Gym: Indoor playground equipment gives tumblers a chance to run free. Ages 7 and under. Greater Burlington YMCA, 10:15-11:45 a.m., $5-8 per family; free for members. Info, 862-9622.

Farm Fridays at Lang Barn: Families have fun at a festive evening with food trucks, live music and games galore from The Big Blue Trunk. The Barns at Lang Farm, Essex Junction, 5-8 p.m.; food and drink available to purchase. Info, 655-4563. FREE

Friday Free for All: Junior explorers investigate the world, from rocks to bugs. Ages 3-5. Charlotte Public Library, 10:30-11:30 a.m.; preregister. Info, 425-3864. FREE

Kids Music With Linda ‘Tickle Belly’ Bassick: Toe-tapping tunes captivate kiddies. Radio Bean, Burlington, 11 a.m. Info, 660-9346. FREE

Lego Day and Movie: Amateur architects snap together buildings of their own design, followed by a family-friendy flick and free popcorn at noon. All ages. Children ages 8 and under must be accompanied by an adult. Dorothy Alling Memorial Library, Williston, 10:30 a.m.-noon; preregister. Info, 878-4918. FREE

Magic: The Gathering: Planeswalkers seek knowledge and glory in this trading-card game. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 6-8 p.m. Info, 878-6956. FREE

Milton Preschool/Toddler Story Time: Small tots take in tales, tunes and craft activities. Ages 18 months to 6 years. Milton Public Library, 10 a.m. Info, 893-4644. FREE

Raptors and Their Homes: The Vermont Institute of Natural Sciences’ sta shares their savvy about avian homebuilding, artifacts, conservation info and three live birds. Ages 4-11. Burnham Memorial Library, Colchester, 11:30 a.m.; preregister. Info, 264-5660. FREE

Read Over: Eager readers pack up their PJs, pillows and sleeping bags for a literary evening with Daisy the therapy dog. Snacks served, but patrons can share their own tidbits, too. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 6-8 p.m. Info, 878-6956. FREE

Richmond Farmers Market: Vendors peddle handheld pies, dinner delectables, homemade pickles, just-picked produce and much more at this lively showcase of locavorism. Volunteers Green, Richmond, 3-7 p.m. Info, 391-0806.

Shabbat by the Shore: Families meet old and new friends while swimming, playing games and enjoying music, candle making and vegetarian potluck. North Beach, Burlington, 5-6:30 p.m. Info, 864-0218. FREE

Vermont Lake Monsters Halloween Night: Kids in costume whoop it up with trick-ortreating before the baseball teams take over the field. Centennial Field, Burlington, 7:05 p.m., $5-15. Info, 655-4200.

WE’RE HERE FOR YOU, EVERY STEP OF THE WAY.

they’re ready to listen and share information.

If you’re a family of four with a household income up to $3793/month, or your child is covered by Dr. Dynasaur then WIC is for you. Income guidelines vary based on family size.

AUGUST CALENDAR

4 Friday (cont.)

ESSEX

The Lunchbox Summer Meal Program: Children ages 18 and under receive nutritious, locally-sourced meals at no cost from this mobilelearning kitchen. Pavilion Park, Island Pond, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Info, 334-2044. FREE

LAMOILLE

Kids’ Night Out: Bounce House Extravaganza: While parents appreciate time off, youngsters get jolly with jumping, games, dinner and a movie. Grades K-6. David Gale Recreation Center, Stowe, 6-10 p.m., $15 per child. Info, 253-6138.

RUTLAND

Magic: The Gathering: Novice and experienced players team up for card challenges. Ages 8 and up. Sherburne Memorial Library, Killington, 3:15-4:15 p.m. Info, 422-9765. FREE

ORLEANS

Lego Club: Youngsters build with plastic blocks and chat companionably. Ages 4-12. Craftsbury Public Library, Craftsbury Common, 3-4:30 p.m. Info, 586-9683. FREE

WASHINGTON

Family Fun Night: See August 2.

Family Story Time: Librarian and storyteller Molly Pease leads little ones in stories, crafts, music and more. Bridgeside Books, Waterbury, 10-10:30 a.m. Info, 244-1441. FREE

Waterbury Ben & Jerry’s Summer Outdoor

Movie Festival: Cinema lovers bring blankets and chairs to watch a flick under the stars. Showtime begins at dusk. Ben & Jerry’s Factory, Waterbury, Info, 882-2047. FREE

New Parents

Bosom Buddies Too: Nursing mamas of toddlers and mobile wee ones socialize and swap supportive stories and advice with peers and professionals. Babies welcome.

Central Vermont Medical Center, Berlin, first Tuesday of every month, 5:30-7 p.m. Info, 371-4415. FREE

Evolution Postnatal

Yoga: Moms tote their pre-crawling kids to an all-levels flowing yoga class focused on bringing the body back to strength and alignment in a relaxed and nurturing environment.

Evolution Prenatal & Family

Yoga Center, Burlington, Tuesdays, 11 a.m.-12:15 p.m., Thursdays, 10:4511:55 a.m., Fridays, 8:15-9:15 a.m. & noon-1 p.m., and Sundays, 12:15-1:30 p.m., $15 or $130 for a 10-class pass. Info, 899-0339.

Evolution Prenatal Yoga: Mothers-to-be build strength, stamina, comfort and a stronger connection to their baby.

Evolution Prenatal & Family Yoga Center, Burlington, Mondays, 5:45-7 p.m., Tuesdays, 4:15-5:30 p.m. Wednesdays, 5:45-7 p.m., Thursdays, 12:30-1:30 p.m., Fridays, 8:15-9:15 a.m., Saturdays, 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. and Sundays, 10-11:30 a.m., $15 or $130 for 10-class pass. Info, 899-0339.

Prenatal Method Prenatal Yoga: Women prepare for birth through yoga, with a focus on strengthening the body and mind. See prenatalmethod.com for class descriptions. Prenatal Method Studio, Burlington, Mondays, 12:15-1:15 p.m., Tuesdays, 4:30-5:30 p.m. Wednesdays, 12:151:15 p.m., Thursdays, 4:30-5:30 p.m. and Saturdays, 10:30-11:30 a.m., $15. Info, 829-0211.

Prenatal Yoga: Expectant mamas ease pregnancy through breath work, poses and preparation for labor and delivery, in a safe and supportive atmosphere.

Iyengar Yoga Center of Vermont, Burlington, Tuesdays, 4:15-5:15 p.m., $20. Info, 379-7389.

Middlebury La Leche League Meeting and Playgroup: Families with infants and toddlers socialize and swap nursing stories. Junebug Mother and Child, Middlebury, first Wednesday of every month, 10 a.m. FREE

WINDSOR

Foodways Fridays: Guests tour the heirloom garden, then watch as veggies make their way into historic recipes prepared in the 1890 farmhouse kitchen. Billings Farm & Museum, Woodstock, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., regular museum admission, $4-15; free for children under 3. Info, 457-2355.

5 Saturday ADDISON

Middlebury Farmers Market: See August 2.

CALEDONIA

Caledonia Farmers Market: Freshly baked goods, veggies, beef and maple syrup figure prominently in displays of “shop local” options. St. Johnsbury Farmers Market, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Info, 592-3088.

Mom and Baby Yoga: Brand-new mamas and their littles relax, stretch and bond. Followed by a free mothers’ gathering at 11:30 a.m. Embodied, Montpelier, Wednesdays, 10:30-11:30 a.m. $15. Info, 223-5302.

Essex La Leche League: Moms bring their bitty ones to a discussion of parenting and breastfeeding. Siblings welcome. Essex Free Library, Essex Junction, first Thursday of every month, 6:30-8 p.m. FREE

How to Breastfeed

Prenatal Class: Expectant mamas and their partners learn the basics of breastfeeding, how to get off to the best start with their baby and where to find assistance when needed.

Central Vermont Medical Center, Berlin, first Thursday of every month, 8-9:30 a.m. and fourth Tuesday of every month, 4:30-6 p.m.; preregister. Info, 371-4415. FREE Bosom Buddies: New and expectant mothers, babies and supportive grandmas rally in a relaxed evening, when peers and professionals answer mothering and breastfeeding questions.

Central Vermont Medical Center, Berlin, first Monday of every month, 5:30-7 p.m. Info, 371-4415. FREE

Burlington La Leche League: New moms bring their babies and questions to a breastfeeding support group. Older children welcome. Lending library available. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, second Tuesday of every month, 10:15 a.m., Info, 985-8228. FREE

La Leche League of the Northeast Kingdom: Expectant, novice and experienced moms join nursing experts for advice and support. Enter through the children’s section of the library. Siblings welcome. St. Johnsbury Athenaeum, second Tuesday of every month, 10:30 a.m.-noon. Info, 720-272-8841. FREE

CHITTENDEN

Burlington Farmers Market: Growers and artisans offer fresh and ready-to-eat foods, crafts and more in a bustling marketplace. Burlington City Hall Park, 8:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Info, 310-5172.

Fisher Brothers Farm Summer Movie Night: Rain or shine, a flick amuses families at this berry farm at 6:30 p.m. Bring a blanket or chair. Fisher Brothers Farm, Shelburne, 5:30-9 p.m.; food available from a local vendor for purchase. Info, 401-486-5920. FREE

Kids Building Workshop: Handy helpers learn doit-yourself skills and tool safety as they construct seasonal projects. Ages 5-12. Home Depot, Williston, 9 a.m.-noon; preregister at workshops. homedepot.com. Info, 872-0039. FREE

Saturday Drama Club: Junior thespians create a character, spin a story, and put on a performance, all in three hours. Ages 6-12. Old North End Community Center, Burlington, 10 a.m.-1 p.m., $15. Info, 355-1461.

Breastfeeding Café: Mamas nurse their babies, chat and ask for answers from a certified lactation consultant. Pregnant women, supportive dads and older siblings welcome. Ilsley Public Library, Middlebury, third Tuesday of every month, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Info, 349-3825. FREE

Breastfeeding Families Group: Nursing moms (and supportive dads, too!) gather for snacks and advice. Church of the Nazarene, Johnson, third Wednesday of every month, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Info, 888-3470. FREE

La Leche League Of Central Vermont: Breastfeeding mamas swap stories and support each other, with a professional available for consultation. Good Beginnings, Montpelier, third Thursday of every month, 9:30-11:30 a.m. Info, 999-7143. FREE

Central Vermont Nursing

Beyond a Year: Mothers discuss the joys and challenges of breastfeeding, including nighttime parenting, weaning, healthy eating habits and setting limits, in a supportive setting. Good Beginnings, Montpelier, third Friday of every month, 9:3011:30 a.m. Info, 999-7143. FREE

Toddler La Leche League Meeting: Moms who are nursing beyond a year share stories and solutions to nighttime parenting, mealtime tips, biting, weaning and other topics. St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, Middlebury, third Monday of every month, 1:30-2:30 p.m. Info, 388-0363. FREE

Mommy Group: Breastfeeding peer counselor Angela Scavo hosts mamas and answers questions in a relaxed setting. Middlebury Recreation Center, fourth Wednesday of every month, 9:30-10:30 a.m. Info, 349-9084. FREE

Shelburne Farmers Market: Musical entertainment adds merriment to this exchange of local fruits, veggies, herbs, crafts, maple syrup and more. Shelburne Village Green, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Info, 482-4279.

GRAND ISLE

Champlain Island Farmers Market: Growers, specialty food businesses and artisans sell their high-quality wares. St. Joseph Church, Grand Isle, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Info, 372-1883.

RUTLAND

Rutland Farmers Market: See August 2, 9 a.m.-2 p.m.

ORLEANS

Craftsbury Common Farmers Market: Locavores load up on garden-fresh produce, Vermont-made crafts, baked goods and more. Craftsbury Common, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.

WASHINGTON

Capital City Farmers Market Youth Day: Kid vendors join in with the farmers market, adding their homegrown produce and handmade crafts to this festive morning of locavorism. Downtown Montpelier, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Info, 793-8347.

Global Big Latch On: As part of a worldwide celebration of breastfeeding, local nursing mothers – and their family and friends – rally together for support and socializing. Registration at 10 a.m.; official count at 10:30 a.m. State House Lawn, Montpelier, 10 a.m. Info, 476-0155. FREE

Kung Fu: Athletes of all ages and abilities develop sound mind and body skills through traditional instruction. Ages 7 and up. Zenbarn Studio, Waterbury, 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m., $10 suggested donation. Info, 505-1688.

Waitsfield Farmers Market: Saturday shoppers search out handmade crafts and local produce, meat and maple products, while enjoying lunch fare and live music in this grassy outdoor venue. Mad River Green, Waitsfield, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

6 Sunday

CHITTENDEN

Essex Open Gym: Energy-filled kids flip, jump and tumble in a state-of-the-art facility. Ages 6 and under, 1 p.m.; ages 7-12, 2:30 p.m.; ages 13 and up, 4 p.m. Regal Gymnastics Academy, Essex, 1-5:30 p.m., $8-14. Info, 655-3300.

Family Gym: See August 4.

Winooski Farmers Market: Local produce, farm goods, artisan crafts, kids activities and tunes come together on the banks of the Winooski River. Champlain Mill, Winooski, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

LAMOILLE

Stowe Farmers Market: Live music and agricultural and craft vendors make for a bustling atmosphere. Stowe Farmers Market, 10:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Info, 279-3444.

WINDSOR

Antique Tractor Day: Visitors ogle retro farm machines from the 1920s to ’70s, take a tractordrawn wagon ride, participate in children’s activities and play in the sandbox. A parade of these restored beauties commences at 1 p.m. Billings Farm & Museum, Woodstock, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., regular museum admission, $4-15; free for children under 3. Info, 457-2355.

7 Monday

CHITTENDEN

A Circle of Parents: Moms and dads come together to strengthen parenting skills and socialize. New Life Fellowship Church, Milton, 6:30-8 p.m.; preregister. Info, 498-0607. FREE

A World of Stories: Little listeners enjoy stories, songs and rhymes. Ages 2-5. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 11-11:30 a.m. Info, 865-7216. FREE

Community Garden: Junior green thumbs tend the teaching garden’s veggies. Grades 1-5. Milton Public Library, 10-11:30 a.m.; preregister. Info, 893-4644. FREE

Lego Club: Inventive kiddos press together plastic-piece creations. Ages 5 and up. Essex Free Library, Essex Junction, 1-2 p.m. Info, 879-0313.

FREE

Magic Show with Tom Joyce: Families flock together for an evening of magical comedy. Dorothy Alling Memorial Library, Williston, 6:30 p.m. Info, 878-4918. FREE

Preschool Music: See August 3, 11 a.m.

Preschool Music: Bitty ones dance and sing to a brisk beat. Ages 3-5. Burnham Memorial Library, Colchester, 11:30 a.m. Info, 264-5660. FREE

Rockin’ Ron the Friendly Pirate: Shiver me timbers! Small swashbucklers make merry with interactive songs, packed with history lore and boatloads of wordplay. Ages 3-8. Burnham Memorial Library, Colchester, 2 p.m.; preregister. Info, 264-5660. FREE

Stories On The Screen: Cinema lovers relish refreshments and relax with a family-friendly flick. South Burlington Community Library, 10 a.m. Info, 652-7080. FREE

Summer Chess Club: Teens take out the library’s game sets and strategize with players of all ages. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 3-4 p.m. Info, 878-6956. FREE

Summer Stories with Teresa: Small ones snuggle in for picture book stories read by a volunteer. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 10-11 a.m. Info, 878-6956. FREE

Summer Story Time: Books and crafts stimulate small ones. Ages 3-6. Burnham Memorial Library, Colchester, 10:30 a.m.; preregister. Info, 264-5660. FREE

Webby’s Art Studio: Marbled Pendants: Museum visitors create a necklace ornament from clay. Daily, through August 13. Shelburne Museum, 11 a.m.-3 p.m., regular museum admission, $7-24; free for members and children under 5. Info, 985-334.

FRANKLIN

Recycled Wind Turbines: Junior engineers try their hands at building turbines from recycled materials and give their results an outside test. Ages 8 and up. Fairfax Community Library, 10-11:30 a.m.; preregister. Info, 849-2420. FREE

STEM Family Nights: Moms, Dads and kiddos test their science, technology, engineering and math skills with cool and collaborative projects. Highgate Public Library, Highgate Center, 6-7:30 p.m. Info, 868-3970. FREE

RUTLAND

Babies & Toddlers Rock: Mini-musicians ages 2 and under sing songs and engage in early literacy activities. Rutland Free Library, 10-10:30 a.m. Info, 773-1860. FREE

WASHINGTON

Kids Buti Yoga: Young yogis stretch into a blend of traditional moves and creative dance and music activities. Ages 6-14; younger children welcome with parental supervision. Zenbarn Studio, Waterbury, 4-5 p.m., $10. Info, 505-1688.

WINDSOR

Creative Arts Nature Studio: Fledgling artists explore, develop and hone skills both inside and outside the studio, in a mixture of mediums. Ages 5-12. ArtisTree/Purple Crayon, South Pomfret, 1-3 p.m., $15 per drop-in class. Info, 457-3500.

8 Tuesday

CHITTENDEN

Aerial Dance Classes: Using fabric, dance artist and teacher Nicole Dagesse instructs young performers in flying, hanging, climbing and spinning.

Kids ages 7-11, 3:15-4:30 p.m.; tweens and teens ages 11-16, 4:30-5:45 p.m. North End Studio, Burlington, $15; preregister. Info, 413-695-0659.

Ben & Jerry’s Summer Outdoor Movie Night: See August 1.

End of Summer Reading Program Party: Successful literati celebrate with a serving of cold, sweet stu . Milton Public Library, 1 p.m.; preregister. Info, 893-4644. FREE

Lego Fun: Budding builders bring out the blocks. Children under age 8 must be accompanied by a responsible caregiver. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 3-4:30 p.m. Info, 878-6956. FREE

Lunch Without Borders: Little bibliophiles munch a bag meal from home and savor the library’s dessert while listening to teens read aloud stories from di erent cultures. Grades K and up. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, noon-1 p.m. Info, 878-6956. FREE

Spanish Musical Kids: See August 1.

Story Hour at Adam’s Berry Farm: See August 1.

Teeny Tiny Explorers: See August 1.

Tuesday Night Trail Running: See August 1.

Winooksi Lego Club: See August 1.

FRANKLIN

Fairy Houses: Can you turn a seashell into a bathtub? Fantasy lovers of all ages fashion wee whimsical dwellings. Bent Northrop Memorial Library, Fairfield, 3 p.m. Info, 827-3945. FREE

Magic: The Gathering Drop-In Gaming

Tuesdays: See August 1.

Movie Matinee: Dim the lights and pass the popcorn! St. Albans Free Library, 2 p.m. Info, 524-1507. FREE

ORLEANS

End of Summer Reading STEM Fair: Hands-on activity stations using engineering and design, free books and ice cream make for a merry celebration of young readers. Craftsbury Public Library, Craftsbury Common, 4-5:30 p.m. Info, 586-9683. FREE

WASHINGTON

Dorothy Canfield Fisher Book Club: Bookworms in grades 4-7 gab about The Wild Robot by Peter Brown. Waterbury Public Library, 6-7 p.m.; preregister. Info, 244-7036. FREE

WINDSOR

Clay Studio: See August 1.

Lego Tuesdays: See August 1.

Time-Travel Tuesdays: See August 1.

9 Wednesday

ADDISON

Middlebury Farmers Market: See August 2.

CALEDONIA

Caledonia Farmers Market: See August 2.

CHITTENDEN

Booktivity: See August 2.

Colchester Dungeons & Dragons Night: Players don invented personas and use cleverness and luck to overcome challenges, defeat enemies and save the day. Beginners welcome. Ages 9-13. Burnham Memorial Library, Colchester, 6-7:30 p.m.; preregister. Info, 264-5660. FREE

Family Game Day: See August 2.

Gnome Houses & Fairy Forts: Fantasy lovers create fanciful structures in the garden. Ages 3 and up. Wheeler Homestead and Garden Park, South Burlington, 10-11 a.m. Info, 652-7080. FREE

Jericho Dungeons & Dragons: See August 2.

Leddy Park Beach Bites: Families relax during a lakeside afternoon lavish with kids’ activities, food trucks and entertainment. Leddy Park, Burlington, 5-8 p.m. Info, 864-0123. FREE

Lego Challenge: Builders fashion architecturally sound constructions with a creative challenge. Ages 5-10. Milton Public Library, 10 a.m. Info, 893-4644. FREE

Wednesday Night Mountain Biking: See August 2.

What Are Eclipses?: The Vermont Astronomical Society presents a program about sun-and-moon scientific info and cultural history. All ages. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 7-8 p.m. Info, 878-6956. FREE

Yoga for Kids: See August 2. Young Athletes: See August 2.

FRANKLIN

Fairfield Center School Garden Care: See August 2.

Three Little Pigs: Budding builders experiment with di erent materials and make a house to keep out the big bad wolf. Fairfax Community Library, 10-11 a.m.; preregister. Info, 849-2420. FREE

GRAND ISLE

Champlain Island Farmers Market: See August 2.

RUTLAND

Rutland Farmers Market: See August 2.

ORANGE

Lego Wednesdays: See August 2.

ORLEANS

The Lunchbox Summer Meal Program: See August 2.

WASHINGTON

Marshfield Story and Activity Time: See August 2.

Teen Yoga: See August 2.

WINDSOR

Fiber Arts Studio: See August 2.

Woodstock Market on the Green: See August 2.

10 Thursday

CALEDONIA

Cartooning Your World: Vermont comic artists, Mike Crosier and Jon Chad, talk about what they do and why, then lead a drawing workshop. All ages. Jeudevine Memorial Library, Hardwick, 1 p.m. Info, 472-5948. FREE

Lego Club: See August 3.

CHITTENDEN

Awesome Arcade Program: This end-of-summer shindig celebrates with activities, crafts and snacks based on classic games like Pac-Man and Tetris. Ages 5 and up. South Burlington Community Library, 10 a.m.-noon. Info, 652-7080. FREE

Dorothy Canfield Fisher Book Discussion: Young readers create sparkling conversation around Lucky Strikes by Louis Bayard while savoring ice cream sundaes. Milton Public Library, 6:30 p.m.; preregister. Info, 893-4644. FREE

Jericho Farmers Market: See August 3.

Keva Building Challenge: Junior constructionists tackle a goal to build the tallest tower or strongest bridge with small wooden planks. Ages 4 and up. Burnham Memorial Library, Colchester, 11 a.m.; preregister. Info, 264-5660. FREE

Lego Club: See August 3.

Milton Farmers Market: See August 3.

Picturing a Better World: Aspiring astronomers assemble a device to view the 2017 eclipse. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 2-3 p.m. Info, 878-6956. FREE

Preschool Music: See August 3.

Ukulele Kids: Musical ones try out instruments and dance to traditional children’s songs. All ages. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 10:30-11:15 a.m. Info, 865-7216. FREE

FRANKLIN

Drop-In Maker Space: See August 3.

Lego Thursdays: See August 3.

St. Albans Library Legos: Eager architects engage in construction projects with their peers. St. Albans Free Library, 1-5 p.m. Info, 524-1507. FREE

Weekly Trail Runs: See August 3.

LAMOILLE

Art on Park: See August 3.

Family Night in the Park: Summer’s sweetness is fêted in the open air with live music by Jon Gailmor, field and carnival games, a bounce house and more. Memorial Park, Stowe, 6-10 p.m.; food and game tickets for sale. Info, 253-6138. FREE

RUTLAND

Fair Haven Farmers Market: See August 3. Maker Camp: See August 3.

ORLEANS

The Lunchbox Summer Meal Program: See August 3.

WINDSOR

Arts and Crafts Studio: See August 3.

See Dr. First videos “First With Kids” at uvmhealth.org.

11 Friday

CALEDONIA

Hardwick Farmers Market: See August 4.

CHITTENDEN

Adventures with the Bookworms: See August 4.

ArtsRiot Truck Stop Burlington: See August 4.

Burger Night: See August 4.

Dungeons & Dragons: Players embark on invented adventures, equipped with their problem-solving skills. Grades 6 and up. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Info, 878-6956. FREE

Essex Summer Story Time: See August 4.

Family Gym: See August 4.

Family Music Time: Moms, dads and kids have fun with a rousing sing-along. All ages. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 10:30-11 a.m. Info, 863-3403. FREE

Friday Free for All: See August 4.

Kids Music With Linda ‘Tickle Belly’ Bassick: See August 4.

Kindergarten Story Time: Small students gearing up for their first school year come for tales, tunes and crafts. Milton Public Library, 10 a.m. Info, 893-4644.

LCATV Young Producers Workshop: Up-andcoming directors learn to use video equipment, put together a program and produce a take-home DVD. Ages 7-11. Burnham Memorial Library, Colchester, 2-3:30 p.m.; preregister. Info, 264-5660. FREE

Live-Action Role Play: LARPers create characters and plots in an amazing and imaginary adventure. For middle and high school students. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 3:30-5 p.m. Info, 878-6956. FREE

Richmond Farmers Market: See August 4.

Teen Secret Storage Book: Artsy adolescents hollow out an antique book to hide their valuables. Grades 8 and up. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 1-2:30 p.m. Info, 878-6956. FREE

ESSEX

The Lunchbox Summer Meal Program: See August 4.

FRANKLIN

Fairfield Summer Celebration: Outdoor games, food and festivities get this community party rolling, with Reptile Love of Vermont appearing at 1 p.m. with rescued critters. Bent Northrop Memorial Library, Fairfield, noon. Info, 827-3945. FREE

RUTLAND

Magic: The Gathering: See August 4.

ORLEANS

Lego Club: See August 4.

WASHINGTON

Family Story Time: See August 4.

Waterbury Ben & Jerry’s Summer Outdoor Movie Festival: See August 4.

WINDSOR

Foodways Fridays: See August 4.

12 Saturday

Stowe Living Room Birth Story Sesh: Women share birth stories in an intimate and supportive home setting, building positive community while enjoying chocolate and tea. Babes in arms welcome. On-site childcare available, with a potluck to follow at 5 p.m.

ADDISON

Middlebury Farmers Market: See August 2.

CALEDONIA

Caledonia Farmers Market: See August 5.

CHITTENDEN

Burlington Farmers Market: See August 5. KidSafe Community Yard Sale: Folks browse tons of tables filled with household essentials, children’s clothing, books, collectibles and more. Proceeds benefit the KidSafe Collaborative in its efforts to prevent and address child abuse and neglect. Donation times and info available at kidsafevt.org. This year, Champ makes an appearance Saturday, August 12, between 10:30-11:30 a.m. Champlain Valley Expo, Essex Junction, 8 a.m.-4 p.m., $1 suggested donation. Info, 863-9626.

Saturday Drama Club: See August 5. Shelburne Farmers Market: See August 5.

FRANKLIN

Book It for the Bookmobile 5K: Community members lace up their running shoes and support the Franklin/Grand Isle Bookmobile’s literary services, with a kids fun run first. Registration opens at 8 a.m. Lincoln Park, Enosburg Falls, 8:45 a.m., $15-20. Info, 868-5077.

Summer Reading Finale with Modern Times Theater: This ‘Punch and Judy’ show captives the audience with comedy and musical instruments including the ukulele and a bicycle pump. Cake and a grand prize drawing cap off the morning. Fairfax Community Library, 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Info, 849-2420. FREE

GRAND ISLE

Champlain Island Farmers Market: See August 5.

RUTLAND

Rutland Farmers Market: See August 2, 9 a.m.-2 p.m.

ORLEANS

Craftsbury Common Farmers Market: See August 5.

WASHINGTON

Capital City Farmers Market: Veggies, honey, maple syrup and more change hands at a celebration of locally grown food. Downtown Montpelier, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Info, 223-2958.

Children’s Plein Air: As part of the Great Vermont Plein Air Festival, amateur artists put paint to paper and display their masterpieces. Free watercolors available for children to take home. Bridge St. Alley, Waitsfield, 10 a.m.-noon. Info, 496-6682. FREE

Hamel Family Puppet Show & Craft Time: Little library-goers enjoy an animated performance, followed by an artsy project. Ages 3 and up. Waterbury Public Library, 10 a.m.; preregister. Info, 244-7036. FREE

Kids Trade & Play: Families exchange clean and gently-used clothing and toys, size newborn to 12. Capital City Grange, Berlin, 9:30-11:30 a.m., $3 per family. Info, 831-337-8632.

Kung Fu: See August 5.

Mini Golf to Help Homeless Animals: Families have fun on the course while assisting furry friends in need. Rain date Sunday, August 13.

Lots-O-Balls Mini Golf, Duxbury, 11 a.m.-3 p.m., $6-8; all proceeds donated to Central Vermont Humane Society. Info, 476-3811, ext. 110.

Waitsfield Farmers Market: See August 5.

13 Sunday

ADDISON

Pie & Ice Cream Social: Home-baked delicacies of the peach, apple and berry variety — topped with a scoop of cold, sweet stuff — make for a delicious gathering. Rokeby Museum, Ferrisburgh, 1-4 p.m., $5 per slice of pie, $6 a la mode; proceeds benefit the museum. Info, 877-3406.

CHITTENDEN

Essex Open Gym: See August 6. Family Gym: See August 4. KidSafe Community Yard Sale: See August 12, 10 a.m.-noon.

Winooski Farmers Market: See August 6.

LAMOILLE

Stowe Farmers Market: See August 6.

14 Monday

CHITTENDEN

Community Garden: See August 7.

First-Time Kindergarteners: Soon-to-be elementary school students meet their peers, then share stories, activities and thoughts. Everyone leaves with a free book. Burnham Memorial Library, Colchester, 10:30 a.m.; preregister. Info, 264-5660. FREE

Kindergarten Kickoff: Brand-new students and their parents from Williston and St. George meet other families, enjoy stories and get a library card. Dorothy Alling Memorial Library, Williston, 6:30 p.m.; preregister. Info, 878-4918. FREE

Kindergarten Story Time: Small ones entering school socialize with new buddies and listen to stories. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 6:30-7 p.m. Info, 878-6956. FREE

Lego Club: See August 7. Preschool Music: See August 3, 11 a.m.

Ongoing Exhibits

BOMBARDIER PARK, MILTON Info, 893-4922

Milton Story Walk: Page by page, wanderers work their way through Diana Mayo’s illustrated children’s book The House That Jack Built on the Bombardier West Trail. Through August 31. FREE

ECHO LEAHY CENTER FOR LAKE CHAMPLAIN, BURLINGTON Info, 864-1848

Butterflies, Live at ECHO: A pavilion of flying creatures enchants visitors who learn about these winged beauties’ lifecycle and how their natural environment can be protected. Through September 4.

FAIRBANKS MUSEUM & PLANETARIUM, ST. JOHNSBURY Info, 748-2372

Butterfly Tent: This living exhibit features fluttering painted ladies, monarchs, red admirals and more, including info about the life stages of these winged beauties and tips for creating a home butterfly garden. Through September 15.

Observation Beehive: Buzzing pollinators and their mighty queen occupy the museum’s rose garden. Through August 31.

‘We Are the Insects’: The traveling live exhibit from Montreal’s Insectarium features a batch of beetles, tarantulas, scorpions, cockroaches, stick insects and more in cases for up-close viewing. Through September 20.

FORT TICONDEROGA, N.Y. Info, 518-585-2821

A Corn Maze Adventure: Get lost! Families navigate their way through a life-size puzzle in the shape of the historic fort while searching for history clues among the stalks. August 12- 28; fall weekends through October 9.

HELEN DAY ART CENTER, STOWE Info, 253-8358

‘Exposed’: National and local outdoor sculpture of all sizes and shapes spreads through the town of Stowe. Through October 21. FREE

HENRY SHELDON MUSEUM OF VERMONT HISTORY, MIDDLEBURY Info, 388-2117

Draw Me a Story‚ Tell Me a Tale: Vermont Children’s Book Illustrators & Authors: Illustrations and artwork from 18 Green Mountain authors and artists delight visiting adults and children, including Mary Azarian’s garden-inspired alphabet drawings and Phoebe Stone’s colorful animals. Through October 15.

LAMOILLE FAMILY CENTER, MORRISVILLE Info, 888-5229

Morrisville Story Walk: Nature-loving families enjoy a stroll and a sweet story about an expectant mama hedgehog. Through August 31. FREE

MONTSHIRE MUSEUM OF SCIENCE, NORWICH Info, 649-2200

Making Music: The Science of Musical Instruments: The stories, ideas and science behind the creation of musical instruments mesmerize visitors. Through displays, videos and hands-on opportunities, music-lovers make and play a variety of instruments, using Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. Through September 4.

Preschool Music: See August 7.

Queer Care Support: Adult family members and caregivers of queer and/or questioning youth swap stories and resources in a supportive space. Adults only. Outright Vermont, Burlington, 6:30-8 p.m. Info, 865-9677. FREE

Summer Chess Club: See August 7.

Summer Stories with Teresa: See August 7. Vermont Lake Monsters: Our own local heroes read stories and sign your memorabilia. Burnham Memorial Library, Colchester, 11:30 a.m.; preregister. Info, 264-5660. FREE

FRANKLIN

STEM Family Nights: See August 7.

Summer Reading Finale with the Big Blue Trunk: Lit lovers celebrate their success with cake, prizes and ‘big, insane’ games. St. Albans Free Library, 2-4 p.m. Info, 524-1507. FREE

RUTLAND

Babies & Toddlers Rock: See August 7.

WASHINGTON

Kids Buti Yoga: See August 7.

WINDSOR

Creative Arts Nature Studio: See August 7.

15 Tuesday

CHITTENDEN

Aerial Dance Classes: See August 8.

Ben & Jerry’s Summer Outdoor Movie Night: See August 1.

Create Your Own Eclipse Craft: Artists of all ages drop in for celestial crafts to celebrate this astronomical event. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 10:30 a.m.-noon. Info, 878-6956. FREE

Medieval Games: Court Jester Mike from The Big Blue Trunk arrives with his castle playhouse and costumes. Games and activities lead little ones into the realm of knights, princesses and dragons. Ages 4-10. Burnham Memorial Library, Colchester, 3-5 p.m.; preregister. Info, 264-5660. FREE

Story Hour at Adam’s Berry Farm: See August 1. Tuesday Night Trail Running: See August 1. Winooksi Lego Club: See August 1.

FRANKLIN

Magic: The Gathering Drop-In Gaming

Tuesdays: See August 1.

Mr. K. Investigates Ants: Novice naturalists learn the whys and wherefores of these small critters. Ages 10 and under must be accompanied by an adult. Highgate Public Library, Highgate Center, 11:30 a.m. Info, 868-3970.

FREE

WINDSOR

Clay Studio: See August 1.

Lego Tuesdays: See August 1.

Time-Travel Tuesdays: See August 1.

NEW YORK

Plattsburgh Preschool Story Hour: Aspiring art connoisseurs and their caregivers listen to a picture book, look at original works and create a project to take home. Ages 3-5. Plattsburgh State Art Museum, 10 a.m., Preregistration appreciated. Info, 518-564-2474. FREE 16 Wednesday

ADDISON

Middlebury Farmers Market: See August 2.

See Dr. First videos “First With Kids” at uvmhealth.org.

CALEDONIA

Caledonia Farmers Market: See August 2.

CHITTENDEN

Chess Club: Smart players check out this strategy game and improve their skills with rooks, pawns and knights. All ages. Dorothy Alling Memorial Library, Williston, 5:30-7 p.m. Info, 878-4918. FREE

Cleo the Therapy Dog: See August 2, 10 a.m.

Family Game Day: See August 2.

Family Movie Night: See August 2.

Jericho Dungeons & Dragons: See August 2. Little One & Me Circle Time: Tiny tykes team together for movement, songs, play and snacks. Ages 5 and under. Jericho Town Library, 10-11 a.m. Info, 899-4686. FREE

Lyric Theatre Kick-Off Meeting: In preparation for the August 19 and 20 auditions, eager thespians make plans for their upcoming production, ‘A Christmas Story the Musical.’ Lyric Creative Space, South Burlington, 7 p.m. Info, 734-5657. FREE

Wednesday Night Mountain Biking: See August 2.

Writing Workshop & Book Discussion with Geof Hewitt: This Vermont poet, teacher and performer leads the library’s Young Writers’ Group, then participates in a 6 p.m. Brown Girl Dreaming discussion and pizza dinner. Ages 4-11. Burnham Memorial Library, Colchester, 4:30 p.m.; preregister. Info, 264-5660. FREE

GRAND ISLE

Champlain Island Farmers Market: See August 2.

RUTLAND

Rutland Farmers Market: See August 2.

ORANGE

Lego Wednesdays: See August 2.

ORLEANS

The Lunchbox Summer Meal Program: See August 2.

WASHINGTON

Just-For-Fun Movies: A wholesome flick fascinates viewers of all ages. Jaquith Public Library, Marshfield, 7 p.m. Info, 426-3581. FREE Marshfield Story and Activity Time: See August 2.

Teen Yoga: See August 2.

WINDSOR

Fiber Arts Studio: See August 2. Woodstock Market on the Green: See August 2.

Vermont Teddy Bears are more than fur & stuffing. Everyday we see Bears come to life in the arms of children, and we knew we needed to share this love with our fellow Vermonters. This is why we created The Vermont Cub Project.

Through this project, every Vermonter four years of age can come to our Bear Shop in Shelburne and pick

AUGUST CALENDAR

17 Thursday

CALEDONIA

‘Punch and Judy’: In this contemporary twist on classical puppetry, the world’s oldest clown, Mr. Punch, finds himself living in a trash heap and needs the help of smart children and their parents to learn to do – or do without. Jeudevine Memorial Library, Hardwick, 2 p.m. Info, 472-5948. FREE

Lego Club: See August 3.

CHITTENDEN

3rd & 4th Grade Parent Child Book Discussion: Readers strike up spirited discussion around The Return of the Dragon by Rebecca Rupp while savoring ice cream sundaes. Milton Public Library, 6:30 p.m.; preregister. Info, 893-4644. FREE

Story Times

After-Hours Teen Volunteer Pizza Party: Young summer helpers reap rewards. Grades 6 and up. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 5-7 p.m. Info, 878-6956. FREE

All-Ages Space Story Time: The sky takes center stage in tales celebrating the 2017 solar eclipse. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 2-2:40 p.m. Info, 878-6956. FREE

Bikes & Bites: See August 3.

Jericho Farmers Market: See August 3.

LCATV Young Producers Day: Aspiring filmmakers create their own television program, complete a themed project and produce a take-home DVD. Ages 8-9. Milton Public Library, 1 p.m.; preregister. Info, 893-4644. FREE

Lego Club: See August 3.

Milton Farmers Market: See August 3.

Preschool Music: See August 3. Ukulele Kids: See August 10.

FRANKLIN

Escape from Mr. Fairfax’s Library: Puzzle fans put their thinking caps on to solve a challenge with hidden clues. Recommended for ages 12 and up. Fairfax Community Library, 5:30-7:30 p.m.; preregister for a 30-minute session. Info, 849-2420. FREE

Lego Thursdays: See August 3.

PJ Story Hour: Tykes in nightwear snuggle in for nursery rhymes, snacks and crafts. St. Albans Free Library, 6:30 p.m. Info, 524-1507. FREE Weekly Trail Runs: See August 3.

LAMOILLE

Art on Park: See August 3.

Early literacy skills get special attention during these read-aloud sessions. Some locations provide additional activities such as music, crafts or foreign-language instruction. Contact the organizers for site-specific details.

Monday

ESSEX DROP-IN STORY TIME: Essex Free Library, 10:30-11:30 a.m. Info, 879-0313.

FRANKLIN STORY TIME: Haston Library, 10:30 a.m. Info, 285-6505.

HYDE PARK STORY TIME: Lanpher Memorial Library, 6 p.m. Info, 888-4628.

NORTHFIELD CHILDREN’S STORY TIME: Brown Public Library, 10-11 a.m. Info, 485-4621.

RICHMOND BABY LAP TIME: Richmond Free Library, 10:30 a.m. Info, 434-3036.

SHELBURNE STORY TIME: Pierson Library, 10:30 a.m. Info, 985-5124.

ST. ALBANS STORY HOUR: St. Albans Free Library, 10:30 a.m. Info, 524-1507.

STOWE STORY TIMES FOR 2-3-

YEAR-OLDS: Stowe Free Library, 10:30-11:30 a.m. Info, 253-6145.

WAITSFIELD STORY TIME: Joslin Memorial Library, 10:30 a.m. Info, 496-4205.

WATERBURY BABY & TODDLER

STORY TIME: Waterbury Public Library, 10 a.m. Info, 244-7036.

WOODSTOCK BABY STORY TIME: Norman Williams Public Library, 10:30-11:15 a.m. Info, 457-2295.

Tuesday

ALBURGH STORY HOUR: Alburgh Public Library, 10:30 a.m. Info, 796-6077.

COLCHESTER TODDLER STORY

TIME: Burnham Memorial Library, 10:30 a.m.; preregister. Info, 264-5660.

CRAFTSBURY STORY TIME: Craftsbury Public Library, 10 a.m. Info, 586-9683.

FAIRFAX PRESCHOOL STORY TIME: Fairfax Community Library, 9:30-10:30 a.m. Info, 849-2420.

HINESBURG YOUNGSTERS STORY

TIME: Carpenter-Carse Library, 9:30-10 a.m. Info, 482-2878.

MONTPELIER STORY TIME: KelloggHubbard Library, 10:30 a.m. Info, 223-3338.

WILLISTON SUMMER STORY TIME: Dorothy Alling Memorial Library, 10:30 a.m. Info, 878-4918.

WOODSTOCK PRESCHOOL STORY

TIME: Norman Williams Public Library, 10:30-11:15 a.m. Info, 457-2295.

Wednesday

BARNES & NOBLE STORY TIME: Barnes & Noble, 11 a.m. Info, 864-8001.

BRISTOL STORY HOUR: Bristol Town Green, 12:15 p.m. Info, 453-2366. FREE

HYDE PARK STORY TIME: See Monday, 10 a.m.

NORWICH WORD PLAY STORY TIME: Norwich Public Library, 10:30-11 a.m. Info, 649-1184.

QUECHEE STORY TIME: Quechee Public Library, 10 a.m. Info, 295-1232.

RANDOLPH PRESCHOOL STORY TIME: Kimball Public Library, 11 a.m. Info, 728-5073.

RICHMOND STORY TIME: Richmond Free Library, 10:30 a.m. Info, 434-3036.

STOWE STORY TIME FOR 3-5YEAR-OLDS: Stowe Free Library, 10:15-11:15 a.m. Info, 253-6145.

SWANTON STORYTIME: Swanton Public Library, 10-11 a.m. Info, 868-7656.

WARREN PRESCHOOL STORY & ENRICHMENT HOUR: Warren Public Library, 10 a.m. Info, 595-2582.

Thursday

BRISTOL STORY TIME: Lawrence Memorial Library, 10:30 a.m. Info, 453-2366.

NORTHFIELD CHILDREN’S STORY

TIME: See Monday.

RUTLAND STORY TIME: Rutland Free Library, 10-10:45 a.m. Info, 773-1860.

ST. ALBANS STORY HOUR: See Monday.

VERGENNES STORY TIME: Bixby Memorial Library, 10:30 a.m. Info, 877-2211.

WATERBURY PRESCHOOL STORY

TIME: Waterbury Public Library, 10 a.m. Info, 244-7036.

WESTFORD STORY TIME: Westford Public Library, 11 a.m. Info, 878-5639.

Friday

CRAFTSBURY STORY TIME: See Tuesday.

ENOSBURG MOMMY & ME STORY HOUR: Enosburgh Public Library, 9-10 a.m. Info, 933-2328.

ESSEX MUSICAL STORY TIME: Essex Free Library, 10:30-11:30 a.m. Info, 879-0313.

GEORGIA PRESCHOOL STORY TIME: Georgia Public Library, 10 a.m. Info, 524-4643.

HARDWICK STORY HOUR AT THE

FARMERS’ MARKET: Atkins Field, 3-4 p.m. Info, 472-5849. FREE

HUNTINGTON STORY TIME: Huntington Public Library, 10:45 a.m. Info, 434-4583.

KILLINGTON STORYTIME: Sherburne Memorial Library, 10:30-11 a.m. Info, 422-9765.

LINCOLN STORY TIME: Lincoln Library, 10:30 a.m. Info, 453-2665.

MONTPELIER STORY TIME: See Tuesday.

Big Blue Trunk: Kids get active with cannonball shooters, an obstacle course, ring toss and more. Memorial Park, Stowe, 1-3 p.m., $5. Info, 892-253-6138.

RUTLAND

Fair Haven Farmers Market: See August 3.

ORLEANS

The Lunchbox Summer Meal Program: See August 3.

WINDSOR

Arts and Crafts Studio: See August 3.

18 Friday

CALEDONIA

Hardwick Farmers Market: See August 4.

CHITTENDEN

ArtsRiot Truck Stop Burlington: See August 4.

Burger Night: See August 4.

Family Gym: See August 4.

Family Movie: Viewers enjoy a family-friendly film while feasting on free popcorn. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Info, 878-6956. FREE

RANDOLPH TODDLER STORY TIME: Kimball Public Library, 10:30-11 a.m. Info, 728-5073.

SOUTH BURLINGTON PAJAMARAMA: Barnes & Noble, 7 p.m. Info, 864-8001.

ST. JOHNSBURY STORY TIME: St. Johnsbury Athenaeum, 10:30 a.m. Info, 748-8291.

STOWE BABY & TODDLER STORY

TIME: Stowe Free Library, 10:1511:15 a.m. Info, 253-6145.

SWANTON STORYTIME: See Wednesday.

WINOOSKI STORY TIME: Winooski Memorial Library, 10:30 a.m. Info, 655-6424. Saturday

BARRE STORY TIME: Next Chapter Bookstore, 10:30 a.m. Info, 476-3114.

COLCHESTER SATURDAY DROP-IN

STORY TIME: Burnham Memorial Library, 10 a.m. Info, 264-5660.

ENOSBURG STORY HOUR: Enosburgh Public Library, 10-11 a.m. Info, 933-2328. FREE

FRANKLIN WALK-IN STORY HOUR: Haston Library, 10:30 a.m. Info, 285-6505.

MILTON DROP-IN SATURDAY STORYTIME: Milton Public Library, 10 a.m. Info, 893-4644.

WEEKEND STORYTIME: Essex Free Library, 10:30-11:30 a.m. Info, 879-0313.

Family Music Time: See August 11.

Friday Free for All: See August 4.

Kids Music With Linda ‘Tickle Belly’ Bassick: See August 4.

Richmond Farmers Market: See August 4.

Songs & Stories With Matthew: Musician Matthew Witten kicks off the morning with tunes and adventurous tales. All ages. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 10-10:45 a.m. Info, 878-6956. FREE

Summer Cinema Series: Film lovers relax with an outdoor flick, while savoring a picnic dinner or fare from a food truck. Movie begins at dusk. Battery Park, Burlington, 7:30-9 p.m. Info, 864-0123. FREE

The Big Blue Trunk Final Reading Celebration: Games galore amuse library lovers, with successful readers receiving certificates and free books. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 2:30-4:30 p.m. Info, 878-6956. FREE

ESSEX

The Lunchbox Summer Meal Program: See August 4.

RUTLAND

Magic: The Gathering: See August 4.

Miss Debbie’s Famous Tea Party: Small tea-sippers savor a sweet afternoon on the library’s lawn. For PK. Brandon Free Public Library, 3 p.m. Info, 247-8230. FREE

ORLEANS

Lego Club: See August 4.

WASHINGTON

Family Story Time: See August 4.

WINDSOR

Foodways Fridays: See August 4.

19 Saturday

ADDISON

Middlebury Farmers Market: See August 2.

CALEDONIA

Caledonia Farmers Market: See August 5.

CHITTENDEN

Burlington Farmers Market: See August 5.

Fisher Brothers Farm Summer Movie Night: See August 5.

Lyric Theatre Company Auditions for Children’s Roles: Aspiring performers meet the artistic team and put their best foot forward to try out for roles in the song-and-dance production of ‘A Christmas Story The Musical.’ Ages 8 and up. Fusion 802, South Burlington, 8 a.m.-noon. Info, 734-5657.

FREE

Milton Car Show: Old, new, classic and muscle cars line up for an admiring crowd. Music, refreshments and activities add to the festivities. Milton, Route 7, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., $2 donation to view, $10 to enter a vehicle; proceeds benefit the Children’s Miracle Network. Info, 893-4502.

Saturday Drama Club: See August 5.

Shelburne Farmers Market: See August 5.

Vermont Lake Monsters Princess and Superhero Night: Kids dressed up as their favorite princess or superhero participate in a pregame parade, with fireworks following the night’s final ball. Centennial Field, Burlington, 6:05 p.m., $5-14.25. Info, 655-6611.

GRAND ISLE

Champlain Island Farmers Market: See August 5.

RUTLAND

Rutland Farmers Market: See August 2, 9 a.m.-2 p.m.

ORLEANS

Craftsbury Common Farmers Market: See August 5.

WASHINGTON

Capital City Farmers Market: See August 12.

Kung Fu: See August 5.

Waitsfield Farmers Market: See August 5.

ON THE WEB

Milton Community Yard Sale Day: The town swaps tons of treasures in this Boy-Scoutorganized community-wide event. Maps available at Bombardier Park East’s Yard Sale Headquarters. Various locations, Milton, 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Info, 324-8108.

20 Sunday

CHITTENDEN

Essex Open Gym: See August 6.

Family Gym: See August 4.

Ice Cream Social: In celebration of its first 30 years, the Museum o ers tasty treats and thank yous, with door prizes, games and avian-inspired activities. Birds of Vermont Museum, Huntington, 2-4 p.m. Info, 434-2167. FREE

Lyric Theatre Company Auditions for Children’s Roles: See August 19, 8 a.m.-noon & 1-5 p.m.

Winooski Farmers Market: See August 6.

LAMOILLE

Stowe Farmers Market: See August 6.

21 Monday

CHITTENDEN

Eclipse Viewing Party: A curious community checks out this celestial event. Eye protection provided. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 1:30-3:30 p.m. Info, 878-6956. FREE

First-Time Kindergarteners: See August 14.

Lego Club: See August 7.

Preschool Music: See August 3, 11 a.m.

Preschool Music: See August 7.

Solar Eclipse Party: Weather-permitting, aspiring astronomers admire the eclipsed sun through protective eyewear. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 1:30 p.m. Info, 865-7216. FREE

Solar Eclipse Viewing Party: Amateur scientists gather for sky watching with provided eye protection, or live stream viewing if conditions are cloudy. Snacks served, too. Dorothy Alling Memorial Library, Williston, 1:30-4 p.m. Info, 878-4918. FREE

Summer Stories with Teresa: See August 7.

Vermont Lake Monsters Hot Dog Heaven: Twenty-five-cent hot dogs get baseball fans cheering. Centennial Field, Burlington, 7:05 p.m., $5-14.25. Info, 655-4200.

FRANKLIN

Solar Eclipse Viewing Party: Sky seekers use the library’s solar glasses for safe viewing of this celestial event. Fairfax Community Library, 1-3 p.m. Info, 849-2420. FREE

RUTLAND

Babies & Toddlers Rock: See August 7.

WASHINGTON

Kids Buti Yoga: See August 7.

WINDSOR

Creative Arts Nature Studio: See August 7.

22 Tuesday

CHITTENDEN

Read to Willy Wonka the Chocolate Lab: A certified reading pooch listens patiently to emerging readers. Ages 3-8. Burnham Memorial Library, Colchester, 4:15 p.m.; preregister. Info, 264-5660. FREE

Tuesday Night Trail Running: See August 1.

Winooksi Lego Club: See August 1.

FRANKLIN

Exordium presents: A Summer Field – a 100” Safari: Mr. K shares the secret life of a small patch of soil. Ages 2 and up. Fairfax Community Library, 10-11 a.m. Info, 849-2420. FREE

Magic: The Gathering Drop-In Gaming Tuesdays: See August 1.

WINDSOR

Clay Studio: See August 1.

Lego Tuesdays: See August 1.

Time-Travel Tuesdays: See August 1.

23 Wednesday

ADDISON

Middlebury Farmers Market: See August 2.

CALEDONIA

Caledonia County Fair: Old-fashioned festivities include a pig scramble, pony pulls, an escape artist, a demolition derby and rides. Check caledoniacountyfair.com for detailed schedule.

Caledonia County Fairgrounds, Lyndonville, $14-17, $30 carload price Wednesday evening. Info, 748-4208.

Caledonia Farmers Market: See August 2.

CHITTENDEN

Colchester Dungeons & Dragons Night: See August 9.

Family Game Day: See August 2.

Jericho Dungeons & Dragons: See August 2.

Kayak Discovery Program: Kids have a blast on the water while learning basic kayak skills and techniques. Swimming with a life guard, transportation and free meals included. Ages 8 and up. Leddy Park, Burlington, 3:30-6:30 p.m., $20; preregister. Info, 777-1621.

Leddy Park Beach Bites: See August 9.

Wednesday Night Mountain Biking: See August 2.

Yoga for Kids: See August 2.

GRAND ISLE

Champlain Island Farmers Market: See August 2.

RUTLAND

Rutland Farmers Market: See August 2.

ORANGE

Lego Wednesdays: See August 2.

ORLEANS

Kingdom Community Wind Tours: See August 2.

The Lunchbox Summer Meal Program: See August 2.

WASHINGTON

Marshfield Story and Activity Time: See August 2.

Teen Yoga: See August 2.

WINDSOR

Fiber Arts Studio: See August 2. Woodstock Market on the Green: See August 2.

24 Thursday

CALEDONIA

Caledonia County Fair: See August 23.

Lego Club: See August 3.

ShoeFly Trail Running & Walking Series: Fleetfooted families enjoy fitness together in a 5K, 10K or 1M walk/run. Ages 3 and up. Kingdom

Trails Yurt, E. Burke, 5-7:30 p.m., $45; free for children ages 10 and under; preregister. Info, 703-598-1934.

CHITTENDEN

Jericho Farmers Market: See August 3.

Lego Club: See August 3.

Milton Farmers Market: See August 3.

Preschool Music: See August 3.

FRANKLIN

Lego Thursdays: See August 3.

St. Albans Library Legos: See August 10, 1-5 p.m.

LAMOILLE

Art on Park: See August 3.

RUTLAND

Fair Haven Farmers Market: See August 3.

ORLEANS

The Lunchbox Summer Meal Program: See August 3.

WINDSOR

Arts and Crafts Studio: See August 3.

25 Friday

CALEDONIA

Caledonia County Fair: See August 23.

Hardwick Farmers Market: See August 4.

CHITTENDEN

ArtsRiot Truck Stop Burlington: See August 4.

Burger Night: See August 4.

Dungeons & Dragons: See August 11.

See Dr. First videos “First With Kids” at uvmhealth.org.

Essex Summer Story Time: See August 4.

Family Gym: See August 4.

Friday Free for All: See August 4.

Kids Music With Linda ‘Tickle Belly’ Bassick: See August 4.

Live-Action Role Play: See August 11.

Richmond Farmers Market: See August 4.

ESSEX

The Lunchbox Summer Meal Program: See August 4.

RUTLAND

Magic: The Gathering: See August 4.

ORLEANS

Lego Club: See August 4.

WASHINGTON

Family Story Time: See August 4.

WINDSOR

Foodways Fridays: See August 4.

26 Saturday

ADDISON

Middlebury Farmers Market: See August 2.

CALEDONIA

Caledonia County Fair: See August 23.

Caledonia Farmers Market: See August 5.

CHITTENDEN

Burlington Farmers Market: See August 5. Family Art Saturday: Families drop in and ignite their imaginations with a current exhibit, then get hands-on with an art activity. All ages. Burlington City Arts, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Info, 865-7166. FREE

Fisher Brothers Farm Summer Movie Night: See August 5.

Harry Potter Alliance: Fantasy fans rally together in Voldemort Can’t Stop the Rock. All ages. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 2-3:30 p.m. Info, 865-7216. FREE

Saturday Drama Club: See August 5. Shelburne Farmers Market: See August 5.

GRAND ISLE

Champlain Island Farmers Market: See August 5.

LAMOILLE

Drop-In Carving Open Studio for Steamroller Printmaking: Participants prepare their print plans for the upcoming steamrolling workshop by utilizing open studio tools, materials and space without instruction. Helen Day Art Center, Stowe, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., Free with $20 registration in the Sept. 16 workshop; includes 3 prints and a $20 gift certificate to Sushi Yoshi. Info, 253-8358.

RUTLAND

Rutland Farmers Market: See August 2, 9 a.m.-2 p.m.

ORLEANS

Craftsbury Common Farmers Market: See August 5.

26 Saturday (cont.)

WASHINGTON

Capital City Farmers Market: See August 12.

Kung Fu: See August 5.

Waitsfield Farmers Market: See August 5.

Playgroups

WINDSOR

Puppies and Pooches on Parade: This 3rd annual dog show on the green gets canine lovers clapping, with special categories, a ra e and a ribbon for every furry friend. Entries should arrive by 10 a.m. Norman Williams Public Library, Woodstock, 10:30 a.m.-noon., free to view; $10 registration

Kids enjoy fun and games during these informal get-togethers, and caregivers connect with other local parents and peers. The groups are usually free and often include snacks, arts and crafts, or music. Contact the organizer for site-specific details.

Monday

CHARLOTTE SUMMER PLAYGROUP: Charlotte Central School Early Education Program, 9:30 a.m. Info, bbfcharlotteplaygroup@gmail. com.

OPEN GYM: Central VT Gymnastics Academy, 10-11:30 a.m., $7. Info, 882-8324.

Tuesday

BRADFORD PLAYGROUP: Grace United Methodist Church, 9-11 a.m. Info, 685-2264, ext. 24.

BURLINGTON DROP-IN FAMILY PLAY: VNA Family Room, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Info, 862-2121.

EVOLUTION NEW FAMILY PLAYGROUP: Evolution Prenatal & Family Yoga Center, 11:15 a.m.-1:15 p.m. Info, 899-0339.

FATHERS AND CHILDREN TOGETHER: VNA Family Room, 4-7 p.m. Info, 862-2121.

Wednesday

BURLINGTON SUMMER PLAYGROUP: Ethan Allen Park, 9-10:30 a.m. Info, 578-6471. FREE

COLCHESTER PLAYGROUP: Colchester Village Meeting House, 9:30-11 a.m. Info, 557-8493.

FAIRFIELD SUMMER PLAYGROUP: Bent Northrop Memorial Library, 10-11:30 a.m. Info, 827-3945.

SHELBURNE SUMMER PLAYGROUP: Shelburne Community School, 9:30 a.m. Info, bbfcharlotteplaygroup@gmail.com.

SOUTH ROYALTON PLAYGROUP: United Church on the Green, 9:30-11 a.m. Info, 685-2264, ext. 24.

Thursday

ALBURGH PLAYGROUP: Alburgh Public Library, 9:30-11 a.m. Info, 527-5426.

BURLINGTON DROP-IN FAMILY PLAY: See Tuesday.

MILTON SUMMER PLAYGROUP: Bombardier Park, Aug. 10, 9:30-11 a.m. Info, 893-1457.

OHAVI ZEDEK SYNAGOGUE PLAYGROUP: Ohavi Zedek Synagogue, 9:30-10:30 a.m. Info, 864-0218.

RANDOLPH PLAYGROUP: St. John’s Church, 9:30-11:30 a.m. Info, 685-2264, ext. 24.

WILLISTON PLAY TIME: Dorothy Alling Memorial Library, 11 a.m.-noon. Info, 878-4918.

Friday OPEN GYM: See Monday.

RUTLAND PLAYGROUP: Rutland Free Library, 9:30 a.m. Info, 773-1860.

Saturday

MORRISVILLE BABY CHAT: Lamoille Family Center, second Saturday of every month, 10-11:30 a.m. Info, 888-5229.

STOWE PLAYGROUP: Kula Yoga Center, 1-2 p.m., $10 or free with attendance at yoga class at 11:45 a.m.

entry fee must be received by August 23. Info, 457-2295.

27 Sunday

CALEDONIA

Caledonia County Fair: See August 23.

CHITTENDEN

Essex Open Gym: See August 6. Family Gym: See August 4.

Winooski Farmers Market: See August 6.

Zoe’s Race: Community members partake in a 1K fun run or 5K run/walk to raise money for children and families who receive support from the Howard Center. Oakledge Park, Burlington, 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., $20-40; preregister. Info, 488-6910.

LAMOILLE

Stowe Farmers Market: See August 6.

28 Monday

CHITTENDEN

First-Time Kindergarteners: See August 14.

Lego Club: See August 7.

Preschool Music: See August 3, 11 a.m.

Preschool Music: See August 7.

Summer Stories with Teresa: See August 7.

RUTLAND

Babies & Toddlers Rock: See August 7.

WASHINGTON

Kids Buti Yoga: See August 7.

WINDSOR

Creative Arts Nature Studio: See August 7.

29 Tuesday

CHITTENDEN

Circle of Parents for Adoptive & Guardianship

Families: Moms and dads come together to socialize about their parenting experiences and strengthen skills. Free childcare and dinner. Howard Center, Burlington, 5-6:30 p.m.; preregister. Info, 864-7467. FREE

Read to Willy Wonka the Chocolate Lab: See August 22.

Spanish Musical Kids: See August 1.

Tuesday Night Trail Running: See August 1.

Winooksi Lego Club: See August 1.

FRANKLIN

Magic: The Gathering Drop-In Gaming

Tuesdays: See August 1.

Music & Movement With Ellie: Toddlers and preschoolers jump around to jolly tunes. Ages 5 and under. Highgate Public Library, Highgate Center, 10 a.m. Info, 868-3970. FREE

WINDSOR

Lego Tuesdays: See August 1.

30 Wednesday

ADDISON

Middlebury Farmers Market: See August 2.

CALEDONIA

Caledonia Farmers Market: See August 2.

CHITTENDEN

Family Game Day: See August 2.

Jericho Dungeons & Dragons: See August 2.

Yoga for Kids: See August 2.

Young Writers & Storytellers: Small ones spin their own yarns. Grades K-5. Burnham Memorial Library, Colchester, 4:30-5:30 p.m. Info, 264-5660. FREE

FRANKLIN

Music & Movement With Ellie: See August 29.

GRAND ISLE

Champlain Island Farmers Market: See August 2.

RUTLAND

Rutland Farmers Market: See August 2.

ORANGE

Lego Wednesdays: See August 2.

ORLEANS

Kingdom Community Wind Tours: See August 2.

WASHINGTON

Teen Yoga: See August 2.

WINDSOR

Woodstock Market on the Green: See August 2.

31 Thursday

CALEDONIA

Lego Club: See August 3.

CHITTENDEN

‘Once Upon.... A Trail of Breadcrumbs’: Professional storyteller Tracy Chipman spins a yarn celebrating our shared humanity. All ages. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 3:30 p.m. Info, 865-7216. FREE

Bikes & Bites: See August 3.

Jericho Farmers Market: See August 3.

Lego Club: See August 3.

Milton Farmers Market: See August 3.

Preschool Music: See August 3.

FRANKLIN

Fantasy Cartography: Atlas aficionados learn about endpaper maps in their favorite books and how to fabricate one of their own. Fairfax Community Library, 6-8 p.m.; preregister. Info, 849-2420. FREE

Lego Thursdays: See August 3.

LAMOILLE

Art on Park: See August 3.

RUTLAND

Fair Haven Farmers Market: See August 3.

See Dr. First videos “First With Kids” at uvmhealth.org.

Pee Patrol

Potty training a “threenager” — with a newborn at home

Two weeks into potty training my 3-year-old, Joni, I found a driedout turd on her bedroom floor. I thought it was a granola bar. I picked it up, brought it close to my face and sni ed it. Oh, the horror.

I washed my hands furiously, then dashed downstairs to my crying 2-month-old, Frankie. As I nursed the baby, Joni played, oblivious to the literal sh*tstorm that had descended on our home since potty training began.

Months earlier, when strangers saw me, heavily pregnant, walking around with Joni, they often asked about the age di erence. Three years, I’d tell them, and they’d look relieved, o ering, “Well, at least you won’t have two in diapers!”

“Ha!” I’d respond, giving Joni’s diapered behind a little pat.

At just shy of 3, Joni was passionately attached to her diapers. When I’d ask her if she filled her diaper, she would give me an icy look that seemed to say: You can pry my dirty diaper from my cold, dead hands.

I’d read that this is normal. From day one, babies have a pretty close relationship with their poop. Even if they don’t like the feeling of it in their diapers, it belongs to them, and they can get territorial about it.

When Joni first showed interest in the toilet, about 18 months ago, my husband, Daniel, and I bought her a potty seat. We talked to her about how we use the bathroom and let her watch us sit on the potty while she sat on hers.

But she quickly lost interest. When she was ready, we figured, she’d let us know.

Then Frankie was born. Three weeks later, I brought up the issue with Joni’s pediatrician. “No kid ever went to college in diapers,” he said. “She’s going through a lot right now, emotionally. I’d give her six months before you start potty training.”

This sounded reasonable. But then Joni got into preschool for the fall. The only requirement? Kids must be potty trained. We didn’t have six months; we had three.

Fortunately, a friend lent me Oh Crap! Potty Training: Everything Modern Parents Need to Know to Do

It Once and Do It Right, by the self-proclaimed Pied Piper of Poop, Jamie Glowacki. After Joni went to bed one night, Daniel bounced Frankie on an exercise ball while I read it aloud. Glowacki doesn’t believe most kids will decide to use the potty on their own. “The need to pee and poop is a primal one,” she writes. “Learning to put it somewhere specific is social, and social behavior must be taught.”

According to Glowacki, the magic window for potty-training success is between 20 and 30 months. If your kid is already 3 and not potty trained, she says, you’re screwed. Kids that age, she writes, “have free will, and they know how to use it.”

Daniel looked at me with dismay. “We have to do this now,” he said.

Here’s Glowacki’s technique: Clear your calendar for a week. Tell your kid she’s done with diapers and make a big deal of throwing them out. Then strip her down, don’t leave the house and watch her like a hawk all day long. Every time she starts to pee or poop, pick her up and plop her on the potty. By the end of the day, you should recognize what she looks like right before she’s gotta go, and she should become familiar with the feeling of doing it on the potty.

Soon, you should be able to get her on the potty before she goes. Eventually, she should be able to get there herself. The process can take as few as three days.

Ours took considerably longer.

Day one: Not a single hit in the potty. Joni peed all over the house, stopping her urine midstream the moment her buns made contact with that seat.

Day two: Miraculously, she got a tiny squirt of pee in the potty. That afternoon, she pooped in the potty. We celebrated by making chocolate chip cookies.

Day three: She peed on her bedroom carpet. Then pooped in her pink Cozy Coupe. I had to scrape it out of deep plastic grooves. Misery.

Day four: The stress of potty training and newborn sleep deprivation don’t mix well. I went nuclear, telling Joni we weren’t leaving the

bathroom until she peed in the potty. We locked horns for 90 minutes. Finally she peed.

The next day we went on an outing to our local library — where, after attempting to go on the toilet, Joni immediately peed on the dressup clothes.

I recognized a pattern: I’d tell Joni to sit on the potty when I noticed her pee dance. She’d sit but tell me nothing was coming out. Two minutes later, she’d pee on the floor.

It was maddening. I am being played, I thought. Was Joni the kid Glowacki describes as the “child from hell”? The nefarious munchkin who looks you straight in the eye while she pees on the rug? One afternoon Joni squatted over her baby sister’s car seat and peed directly into it.

We had nearly abandoned hope when, two weeks into training, we set o on an eight-hour road trip to Long Island. Joni enthusiastically peed in the toilet at our first rest stop. And then, while pulled over on the Long Island Expressway, she peed in the travel potty and tossed it out the window with glee. She had one accident but spent the rest of the week in Long Island using the toilet like a full-fledged big girl.

Joni hasn’t mastered the potty entirely. But we’re light-years ahead of where we were when we started six weeks ago. Something else has changed about Joni, too: her confidence. The other day at a playgroup, she said she had to go pee. “You stay there,” she told me. “I can do it myself.”

Parenting a small child often feels like a three-foot dictator rules your life. Potty training reminded Daniel and me who’s really in charge. And what a joy to discover, for the millionth time since she was the baby, that Joni is more capable than we ever could have imagined.

“Use Your Words” is a monthly essay in which writers reflect on parenting and childhood. Got a story to share? Email us at ideas@kidsvt.com.

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