Kids VT, December 2014-January 2015

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DEC 2014 / JAN 2015 V OL.21 NO.1 1 / 1 2

Sugar & Ice DOUBLE ISSUE

Youth hockey leagues groom girls for bigger rinks

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I can’t wait to watch her shine!

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Pick up a copy of Kids VT in 50 new locations across Vermont including:

kidsvt.com

Price Chopper, Rutland, West Rutland, St. Johnsbury, Malletts Bay and Colchester The Farm Store, Jeffersonville Bob’s Meat Market, St. Albans

December 2014 / January 2015

The Traveled Cup, St. Albans Mimmo’s Pizzeria and Restaurant, Essex and St. Albans Espresso Bueno, Barre The Bagel Place, South Burlington Winooski Memorial Library

Kids VT

Winooski City Offices (Lobby) Electric Youth Dance Co., Georgia

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For a full list of our 600+ locations, contact Kids VT at 802-985-5482 4t-LookHowWeveGrown-1214.indd 1

11/25/14 12:23 PM

VOL.21 NO .11 / 12

DEC 2014 / JAN 2015 Editor’s Note....................................................................5 See & Say ..........................................................................6 Coloring-Contest Winners ................................7 Birthday Club..................................................................52 Use Your Words: Essay ..........................................55

GIeeFsTe, WBinAeS&KSEwTeeS

ts

Ch

EAT. LEARN. PLAY

For teachers, care-takers, friends & someone special

Sugar & Ice ........... 18

The Kids Beat ..................................................................8 Check Up: Playing Doctor ....................................10 Fit Families: Karate ..................................................11 Bookworms: Wintry Reads ...............................12 Write-Your-Own Contest Winners ...........12 Digital Dilemmas: Techie Gifts .......................13 Mealtime: Maple-Roasted Chicken .............15 Go Ask Dad: Gun Safety.........................................16 The Art of: Paper Engineering .........................17

Youth hockey leagues groom girls for bigger rinks

1186 Williston Rd., So. Burlington VT 05403 (Next to the Alpine Shop)

802.863.0143

CALENDAR

Open 7 days 10am-7pm

Daily Listings ..................................................................27 Classes ..................................................................................29 Playgroups ........................................................................33 Ongoing Exhibits ........................................................38 Story Times ......................................................................46

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pump ..........22 Breastfeeding moms go to great lengths to go with the flow at work

HANDS-ON Write-Your-Own Contest ...................................49 Habitat: Winter Playground ..............................51 Puzzle Page ......................................................................52 Coloring Contest .........................................................54

Web & Mobile site: www.cheesetraders.com

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DANCE APPAREL & FOOTWEAR RETAILER

ON THE COVER Photographer Matthew Thorsen hit the rink to capture the Chittenden South Burlington U8 girls’ hockey practice.

STAFF & CONTRIBUTORS

• •

Editorial in Kids VT is for general informational purposes. Parents must use their own discretion for following the advice in any editorial piece. Acceptance of advertising does not constitute service/product endorsement. Kids VT is a proud member of the Parenting Media Association. Kids VT distribution is audited for accuracy.

Da Capo Publishing shall not be held liable to any advertiser for any loss that results from the incorrect publication of its advertisement. If a mistake is ours, and the advertising purpose has been rendered valueless, Da Capo Publishing may cancel the charges for the advertisement, or a portion thereof as deemed reasonable by the publisher. Da Capo Publishing reserves the right to refuse any advertising, including inserts, at the discretion of the publishers.

Copy Editor Paula Routly Proofreaders Marisa Keller Kathryn Wysockey-Johnson Production Manager John James Creative Director Don Eggert Designers Aaron Shrewsbury Rev. Diane Sullivan Circulation Manager Matt Weiner Business Manager Cheryl Brownell Contributing Writers: Sarah Baughman, Thea Lewis, Mary Ann Lickteig, Ken Picard, Erinn Simon, Robert Stuhlmann, Elaine Young Photographer: Matt Thorsen Illustrator: Ian Webb

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3

© 2014 Da Capo Publishing Inc. All rights reserved.

ext. 74 ext. 77 ext. 73 ext. 41 ext. 75 ext. 76 ext. 72

KIDS VT

Published 11x per year.

Circulation: 25,000 at 600+ locations throughout northern and central Vermont.

cathy@kidsvt.com colby@kidsvt.com megan@kidsvt.com brooke@kidsvt.com alison@kidsvt.com corey@kidsvt.com kaitlin@kidsvt.com

DECEMBER 2014 / JANUARY 2015

P.O. Box 1184 Burlington, VT 05402 802-985-5482 kidsvt.com

Cathy Resmer Colby Roberts Megan James Brooke Bousquet Alison Novak Corey Grenier Kaitlin Montgomery

KIDSVT.COM

Copublisher/Executive Editor Copublisher Managing Editor Lead Designer Associate Editor Marketing & Events Manager Account Executive

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Kids VT

JULY 2013 SPONSORED BY 7/2 TUE

Vermont Symphony Orchestra (VSO) TD Bank Summer Festival Tour @ Hunter Fairground, Manchester

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VSO TD Bank Summer Festival Tour @ Grafton Ponds, Grafton

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7/15 MON Vermont Summer Music Festival: Gilbert & Sullivan @ McCarthy Arts Center Recital Hall, Saint Michael’s College, Colchester

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7/17 WED Vermont Summer Music Festival: The Three Bs @ Basin Harbor Club, Vergennes 7/18 THU “Shrek, the Musical” (7/18-21) @ FlynnSpace

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KidsVt.cOm December 2014 / january 2015

Overhearing our conversation, One night last september, another mom chimed in. “She won’t Daniel and I decided to let our infant remember it,” she assured me. “You daughter, Joni, “cry it out.” We didn’t have a plan; we were just desperate for love her, right? That’s what counts.

You’re doing the best you can.” sleep. So we kissed her goodnight, put Sometimes that’s all you her in the crib and left the room. can do, because parenting is an She cried for 95 agonizing minutes unpredictable, emotionally before I broke down, burst into her challenging, room and scooped her up. I Joni and Megan in the straight-up nursed her, wrapping Kids VT Lactation Lounge. nutso job. I’m my body around hers reminded of as I whispered, that every “I’m so sorry. month I love you,” as I edit until she fell stories asleep. for We had Kids intended VT. to let her In cry it out this eventually double — and we issue, did, with we much less talk to drama and working happier results, moms who a month later. But sequester Joni wasn’t ready that themselves in September night. And “lactation lounges” the next day, to my horror, we several times a day so they can realized she was coming down with a provide their babies with breast milk cold.

I had left my sick baby to wail alone (“The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pump,” page 22). We ask dads if they for an hour and a half. I felt like a worry about guns in the homes where monster. their kids play (“Go Ask Dad,” page Joni got over it, of course. But even 16). And in an essay about his son with now, I feel a hot flush of guilt when I Down syndrome (“Rising Son,” page think of that night.

55), Robert Stuhlmann acknowledges The morning after our botched one of the hardest and craziest things CIO attempt, I came into the office about parenting: We can’t control how distraught. When Kids VT executive our kids turn out — and that’s OK. editor, copublisher and fellow parent I hope that reading these stories Cathy Resmer asked me how I was makes you feel the way did when I doing, I told her, through tears, what shared my experience with other had happened. mothers in my office: uplifted, “That’s nothing,” she said. “Just connected and eager to keep doing the wait ’til you discover all the other best you can. ways you can screw up your kids!”

And we both laughed.

Megan JaMes, Managing editor

Receive Your Primary Care from the Specialists in Natural Medicine Dr. Katina Martin & Dr. Sarah E. Wylie

Some of this month’s Kids VT contributors: Sarah Baughman (“Fit Families”) teaches high school English for the Brattleboro-based distance-learning school Oak Meadow. She lives in Irasburg with her family.

Kids Vt

Robert Stuhlmann (“Use Your Words”) is a retired Episcopal priest. He lives with his wife, Jean Guenther, in Burlington, and has three grown children. He blogs regularly at storiesfromapriestlylife.wordpress.com.

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EVENTS

SEE AND SAY

Readers Respond

Rose Knows Ken Picard’s November profile of Maris Rose [“Rose Knows: A child behaviorial expert teaches parents the dos and don’ts of discipline”] moved readers to rave about their experiences with the child-behavior expert.

Auditions

Young performers from all over the state stepped up to the Higher Ground stage in November. They were vying for a spot in the firstever Kids VT Spectacular Spectacular, a talent show for Vermont’s rising stars — and they sure did impress! More than 50 kids sang, danced, played instruments, performed comedy sketches and generally poured their hearts out before three discerning judges. Before they left, photographer Matthew Thorsen snapped headshots of the all the kids who auditioned.

The big show is SATURDAY, DECEMBER 13 AT HIGHER GROUND; doors open at noon, the show’s at 12:30 p.m. Check out the lineup of performers and get ticket information at kidsvt.com/talentshow.

Maris is one of the most gifted teachers I’ve ever known. She has been a huge blessing to so many children!

PAMELA BURTON-MACAULEY

Ella Grace Holter

CHARLOTTE

So thankful Maris was part of my childrens’ lives!

AMY MELNICK MACKAY WILLISTON

Maris is amazing! There are no words adequate enough to describe her magic.

SHERAMY TSAI SOUTH BURLINGTON

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KIDS VT

DECEMBER 2014 / JANUARY 2015

KIDSVT.COM

Book Winner

Lincoln Safran Gwen Lybarger, Emma Trombley, Grace Bendoski, Bridget O’Keefe, Daria NormanWehmeyer

Skylar Clarke, Ariel Felcan, Nora Jacobsen, & Claire Osmond

Li Lin Weinberger

Lucas Cannizzaro was one of the November winners of the Kids VT book-review contest. His mom wrote to tell us how thrilled he was to cash in on his prize: a gift certificate to Crow Bookshop in Burlington.

Lucas was so excited to spend his $25! He bought four books for himself: two Magic Tree House books and two Stepping Stones chapter books, The Secret Garden and Earth Magic. And he bought two books for his 3-and-a-half-year-old sister. She wants to do everything her big brother is doing — so she chose two Magic Tree House books!

THAMAR MULLER ESSEX JUNCTION

GOT A COMMENT? Email us at feedback@kidsvt.com.

Chasey Knight

Benjamin Weinstein

Savannah Mckee

Parrish & Jazaher Cormier

Best of the Kids VT Blog

On the Fly: Food & Love

began. In our family, anyway.

Cape Town is the birthplace of my

BY J E SS I C A LA RA TI CKTIN maternal grandmother and my father.

Kids VT contributor Jessica Lara Ticktin It’s also where I met and fell madly in is traveling the world with her family, love with Adam, in June of 1998. Adam homeschooling three daughters along the and I were transformed as much by way — while pregnant. Since September our passion for this beautiful, complishe has documented her family’s advencated, troubled, inspiring place as by tures on this four-month trip. our love for each other. The backdrop of our love was the Read more at Arriving in Cape Town, South new South Africa, a country kidsvt.com.

Africa, felt like a momentous full of hope and expectation occasion. We had made it only four years post-apartheid. through Asia’s challenges and were Our oldest daughter’s middle name is almost halfway through our trip. It Hope, named for this extraordinary also felt like a big deal because this time in our life and South Africa’s was the place where many things history…

COLORING CONTEST

More than 100 young artists submitted coloring contest entries in November, and 6-year-old Alyssa Bittner’s title perfectly captures their theme: “Beaver Fever!” We continue to be amazed by the way participants embellish and transform each month’s animal. Noah Rubel equipped his rodent with baseball cap and bat.

Ava Goyette added a distinctive beard and stovepipe hat to make a furry Abraham Lincoln. Ella Bird Matarazzo’s beaver-turned-monk was a revelation. Keep the creativity coming, and congratulations to all the winners!

The winners of our three $25 gift certificates to Creative Habitat are:

5 and under

Eliza Lynch, 5 ESSEX JUNCTION

“Mr. Confused”

HONORABLE MENTIONS SILLY BILLY

Avery Lozier, 3, Georgia CHEEKY CHECKERS

Naomi Myers, 8, South Burlington

SPORTY SENSATION

Noah Rubel, 11, Barre ANYTHING BUT NORMAL

Willa Long, 8, Washington

6 to 8

PRIESTLY BEAST

Williston mom Angela Arsenault chronicles her unusal date nights with her husband, Ryan Miller, in a series called “WILL YOU GO OUT WITH ME?” Read about their latest adventure, a trip to the Satori Float Spa in Shelburne, at kidsvt.com.

Ella Bird Matarazzo, 7, South Hero

Tess Adams, 7

GRAY-SCALE GREAT

ESSEX JUNCTION

Amelie Scharf, 9, Shelburne

“Captain Beaver”

LINCOLN’S LOG

Ava Goyette, 10, South Burlington PRETTY IN PINK

Fiona McCormick, 5, Hinesburg THE DARK HORSE

Home Cookin’: Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

SHERBET STYLE

Ruby Perham, 8, Hyde Park BEACHY KEEN

Aranne Jung, 8, South Burlington

TOP TITLES “CHOMPY CHOMPY”

Riordan Adams, 5, Essex Junction

Eva Goodwin, 10

9 to 12

MIDDLESEX

“The Feasting Pilgrim”

“THE TAIL END OF THE RAINBOW”

Aero Brunell, 6, Newport “BEAVER FEVER”

Alyssa Bittner, 6, Swanton

Find this month’s coloring contest on page 54. The deadline for submissions is January 15.

KIDS VT

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I love Thanksgiving. Since my extended family is fairly spread out geographically, it’s sometimes the only time we get together all year. There’s fantastic food, and many, many loved ones to enjoy it with. So why not start a baking tradition with my kiddos that we can share with the folks we love My kids loved the idea of making the most, when there’s more time to savor cream-filled confections to share with it? their aunts, uncles and cousins. I made I turned to the best — Martha a few adaptations to suit my Stewart — for inspiration, own taste preferences, and I’m and came up with a winner: Find the recipe happy to report: They were pumpkin whoopie pies. at kidsvt.com. amazing...

WINTRY MIX

Juniper Rinehart, 5, Richmond

DECEMBER 2014 / JANUARY 2015

BY E R I NN SI M O N

KIDSVT.COM

Samuel Scott, 2, Colchester

THE

BEAT

HEALTH

EDUCATION

Birth Marks

;

When the March of Dimes released its 2014 PREMATURE BIRTH REPORT CARD in November, Vermont was one of just five states that earned an “A.” According to the report, in 2013, Vermont had the lowest premature birth rate in the country. Just 8.1 percent of Vermont babies were born prematurely, spending less than 37 weeks in utero; that’s well below the national average of 11.4 percent. The nonprofit foundation notes that babies born early run a higher risk of developing a wide range of health problems.

Vermont’s A rating means healthier babies and lower health care costs. — C.R.

Different Strokes

2014 PREMATURE BIRTH REPORT CARD: Find the report at marchofdimes. org/reportcard.

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KIDS VT

DECEMBER 2014 / JANUARY 2015

KIDSVT.COM

ANIMALS

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Meet the Mammals Want to hang out with an arctic fox? Pet a Siberian husky?

Say hello to a reindeer? Get over to ECHO Lake Aquarium and Science Center in December for ILLUMINATE THE LAKE. The 19-day festival includes twinkling light shows and daily activities exploring the winter lives of Vermont’s fish, turtles, frogs and snakes.

The best part? Each Saturday, live mammals star in special interactive programs. ECHO’s director of animal care, Steve Smith, says the visiting skunks, groundhogs and porcupines “will help us tell a deeper story of winter, survival and the history of these animals and their habitats.” — M.J. 11/28/12 4:42 PM

BY ME G AN J AME S, MARY AN N LICKT E IG AN D CAT HY RE SME R

ILLUMINATE THE LAKE: Saturday, December 13, through Wednesday, December 31, at ECHO Lake Aquarium and Science Center in Burlington. Animal demonstrations are at 11:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. each Saturday. Regular admission price: $13.50 for adults; $10.50 for children ages 3 to 17; free for children 2 and under. echovermont.org

VERMONT’S 2015 TEACHER OF THE YEAR, Rebecca Haslam, wants to talk about teachers’ “cultural competency” — the ability to interact with people from different cultures and backgrounds “in a way that’s respectful and inclusive, and that considers the perspectives and experiences of those around you who are different from you,” she says. The Champlain Elementary School first-grade teacher is helping to develop the “equity conversations” the Burlington district requires for professional development. Topics include white privilege; gender identity and expression; and teachers’ personal biases and how they affect student achievement. Collectively, the Queen City’s students are 35 percent nonwhite and speak 47 different languages at home. They represent various economic backgrounds and gender identities. Their best shot to experience equal opportunity is in school, Haslam says. “Public education really is the foundation of democracy.”

— M.A.L. 2015 TEACHER OF THE YEAR: Learn more at education.vermont.gov

cOurTeSy OF TOm PreSKa PHOTOGraPHy

eaT. Learn. PLay. Kayhl Cooper, Connor Geer and Adam Turner took home an award last year for Best Cinematography.

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Quick, come up with a spy story featuring the following: a character who dies shortly after being introduced, a black-and-white photo of Ian McKellen, and the line, “Not since the accident...” Those were the prompts for this fall’s 50hour sTudenT film conTesT, a twice-yearly competition for middle and high school students from Vermont and New York. Teams had one weekend in which to write, shoot and edit a short movie including those details. “It was certainly a challenge,” says event organizer Nick Gordon, who participated in the contest when he was a student at Essex High School several years ago. “It’s very difficult to pull off a short film, but it’s rewarding. If you have the chance to see your film in a movie theater, that’s pretty cool.” — M.J. 50-hour sTudenT film conTesT: The premiere and awards night is Tuesday, December 9, 7 p.m., at Merrill’s Roxy Cinemas in Burlington. fiftyhourfilm.com

BooKs

KidsVT.com

Boo-tiful Journey

december 2014 / january 2015

Even reluctant young readers will find it hard to resist Johnny Boo Zooms To The moon!, a colorful new graphic novel from Burlington cartoonist and dad James Kochalka.

This sixth installment in Kochalka’s Johnny Boo series follows the young ghost as he attempts to skateboard to the moon, pulled by his pet ghost, Squiggle. Kochalka, Vermont’s first cartoonist laureate, is better known for his adult-themed comics, one of which has a name too racy to publish here. The continuing adventures of Johnny Boo prove that Kochalka’s an all-ages artist. — C.R.

Kids VT

80 Industrial Parkway Burlington VT 05401 802-660-3200 Facebook.com/BurtonBurlington

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Johnny Boo Zooms To The moon!: By James Kochalka.

Published by Top Shelf Productions, 40 pages, $9.95.

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Q CHECK UP

wit h d r. mary an n d on n e lly -d e bay

how should parents react if they discover kids exploring their bodies — or someone else's?

CHIlDrEn ArE nATUrAlly InqUISITIVE about their own and other people’s bodies.

Experts say innocent exploration is a healthy part of early-childhood development. Still, many parents are flustered if they find children “playing doctor.” This month, Dr. Mary Ann Donnelly-DeBay, a child psychologist in the Winooski School District, offers tips for handling those awkward situations.

FEB. 7, 2015 • WATERFRONT PARK, BURLINGTON

KIDS VT: When should parents begin talking with their kids about sexual reproduction?

MARY ANN DONNELLY-DEBAY: The idea is to start this conversation from the get-go. We know some kids fondle themselves in utero. When a boy’s diaper is being changed, an older sibling might see an erection and ask about it, or see mommy’s breasts and ask, “What are those?” Their curiosity starts very early.

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KIDS VT

december 2014 / January 2015

KIDSVT.Com

KVT: What should parents do if they discover their 4- or 5-year-old undressing with a friend?

MADD: That’s pretty normal behavior at 4 and 5. When they get to school, they realize that some things are private. So, if you’ve got a 10-year-old running down the street naked, that’s a lot different from having a 5-year-old who’s doing it. As kids mature, they pick up cues from adults.

KVT: Should adults interrupt such play?

MADD: It depends on the age of the child and the nature of the play. It’s important for parents and caregivers to react positively to children’s consensual sexual play. But if you’re thinking, This is more than I would expect from a kid this age, it’s worth talking to a pediatrician. If you walk in on two 5-year-olds playing doctor, they’d be exploring their bodies in a very normal and innocent way.

Healthy sex play is always noncoercive, mutual and between children of similar ages. When the ages between the children become greater, there are potential issues of exploitation because the older child is in a position to manipulate the younger child.

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KVT: What if a parent discovers a child masturbating?

MADD: Some young children fondle Apply online, visit a branch, or ask your mortgage lender to meet you in the comfort of your home or office! themselves because their anxiety levels are high and it relieves their stress. If they’re Whether building, buying or remodeling, Northfield Savings Bank will help you take the leap.

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Send them to ideas@kidsvt.com.

masturbating more often than you would expect, it might be worth talking with them about finding another way to relieve their anxiety.

Sometimes, kids exhibit overly sexualized behavior for their age if they’ve seen pornographic material or seen adults engaging in sex acts. In that case, a parent would want to intervene — not by telling them, “Your eyes will fall out,” but by stopping and redirecting the behavior in the moment. Then the parent should talk to the child’s health care provider.

KVT: Any advice for parents who find talking about such topics uncomfortable?

MADD: Read. One book I love, which is great for younger kids, is called It’s So Amazing: A Book About Eggs, Sperm, Birth, Babies and Families. A terrific book for older kids is It’s Perfectly Normal: Changing Bodies, Growing Up, Sex, and Sexual Health.

KVT: Do you recommend using anatomically correct terms?

MADD: Absolutely. When a child of 2 or 3 asks, “What’s that?” give them the correct term. It will help you later on, when you’re educating them about keeping their bodies safe and not letting other people touch them. Kids who can’t even describe their own body parts have a much harder time understanding this stuff. It’s never too late to start these conversations, but the longer you wait, the more difficult it is to begin. K

interview compiled and condenSed by ken picard

Museum on the Go!

EaT. LEarn. PLay. Q Fit FaMiLies B y Sara h B aughm an

Karate Japan is on the other side of the world from the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont. But each Friday night, Japanese flags hang from the ceiling of the Glover Town Hall during family karate class, transforming it into the Dynamic Defensive Dojo.

At a recent session, four adults and one teenager practice their kata, a series of movements, gliding quickly across the floor in unison. They’re preparing for their next belt tests, which allow them to

Our Educators will come to you!

Perfect winter programing for schools, clubs, homeschool groups, & anyone who loves to learn!

History, Music, Ecology, & More!

Families can build a bond training together. tiM Goad

(802) 475-2022 Open Daily 10-5

www.lcmm.org

It’s a handful!

Sarah Baughman

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The family class at Dynamic Defensive Dojo

9/25/14 1:20 PM

Try kidsvt.com for fun at your fingertips.

ready to Go to the dojo?

Karate family class meets from 6:30-8 p.m. on mondays and Fridays at the glover Town hall. Or catch the children’s class for ages 3-12 on Fridays from 5:30-6:30 p.m. monthly rates are $30 for one person; $50 for 2 people; $75 for a family of three or more. an additional $10 registration fee is charged each year.

For more information, find the Dynamic Defensive Dojo on Facebook, or contact Sensei Tim goad at 323-9851.

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“Fit Families” is a monthly feature that offers easy and affordable ways to stay active. Got an idea for a future FF? Email us at ideas@kidsvt.com.

Kids Vt

growth as a human being — it’s really impressive.”

Karate’s benefits aren’t just physical. A code of ethics forms the basis of this martial art. Students are taught to seek perfection of character, honor the path of truth, display courtesy, endeavor to excel and refrain from violent behavior.

“What gives karate a bad name is the media,” says Goad. “It’s actually the opposite of violent.” 

DEcEmBEr 2014 / January 2015

collaborative environment. “When people teach something,” he says, “they become better at doing it.”

Goad has taught karate for more than 25 years in Vermont; his fourth-degree black belt — of a possible five — puts him at nearly top rank. He makes his students work hard while emphasizing the importance of treating their bodies well.

“I love to see the progression,” says Goad. “To see a kid with no balance develop amazing balance, to watch the

KidsVt.coM

progress to higher levels of karate mastery.

They step and spin across the floor, hands moving before their faces in a series of strikes and blocks. Their motions are smooth, controlled and as graceful as they are powerful.

“This is a very family-friendly dojo,” says Tim Goad, the sensei, or teacher, of the class, which welcomes all ages.

“Families can build a bond training together.”

Goad and his students practice Shotokan karate, a style known for focusing equally on feet and hand movements. Although it can be difficult, this martial art is built upon a simple theory: “The straight line of movement is the most powerful,” Goad explains.

In addition to the kata, which students practice during every class, Goad also integrates speed drills, plyometrics ( jump training), foot-hand-eye coordination moves and circuit training to build his students’ strength and balance. For younger children, he uses games to encourage these skills. Wearing protective gear, students also practice carefully controlled sparring.

Family, Goad says, is the key to helping children stick with the sport. “Kids whose parents are involved, who have positive encouragement, are the most likely to continue with karate,” he says.

Students don’t just learn from their sensei, but from each other. Goad encourages his more advanced pupils to help those in a lower belt level, creating a

4472 Basin Harbor Road Vergennes, VT 05491

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11/21/14 3:35 PM

✱ BOOKWORMS

EAT. LEARN. PLAY.

Wintry Reads

In celebration of the year’s chilliest months, Kids VT asked outdoor educators to recommend great, winter-themed reads.

When Winter Comes

BY NANCY VAN LAAN ILLUSTRATED BY SUSAN GABER

When winter’s first snowflakes start flying, a family bundles up and heads outside with their dog. They explore what happens to flowers, fish, deer, birds, caterpillars and people during the coldest season.

“This book’s beautiful pictures and poetic words will inspire you to go on your own outdoor adventure in search of life in the Ages snow,” says Shelburne Farms family programs coordinator Cat 3-8 Wright.

Over and Under the Snow

BY KATE MESSNER ILLUSTRATED BY CHRISTOPHER SILAS NEAL ILLUSTRATE

Children learn about “the secret kingdom beneath the snow” in this picture book by a local author. A young girl and her father explore the forest on skis, searching for signs of animals. Several pages in the back of the book provide more information about the creatures featured in the story.

This “timeless” book is a great choice for young and older children, says Amy Butler, director of education at the North Branch Nature Center in Montpelier. “It is packed full of simple science concepts” relevant to the winter landscape of Vermont, and “supported with beautiful, descriptive Ages language,” she adds.

1+

Grandmother Winter

DECEMBER 2014 / JANUARY 2015 KIDSVT.COM

BY PHYLLIS ROOT ILLUSTRATED BY BETH KROMMES

Ages 4-8

This simple nature fable, inspired by a German folktale, explores the preparations Grandmother Winter undertakes during spring, summer and fall to bring about snow. Beth Krommes conveys the magic of winter in her scratchboard and watercolor illustrations, which depict minnows swimming under pond ice, mice sleeping tails to nose and six-pointed flakes.

“Grandmother Winter spins a cozy tale of the changing seasons and adaptations both wildlife and humans make to weather the winter,” says Gwendolyn Causer, the coordinator of public programs for Audubon Vermont.

The illustrations are “richly detailed,” she adds, and “Root’s rhythmic text makes for a wonderful read-aloud.”

Write-Your-Own Contest Winners We tried something new with our Book Review contest last month: We renamed it Write Your Own and asked kids to pen creative stories inspired by Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. We received numerous responses and loved reading about all the silly and unfortunate stuff that happened on these kids’ imagined bad days. We picked four winners, each of whom wins a $25 gift certificate from Crow Bookshop in Burlington. And we chose one story to share, below.

“When I woke up in the morning, I knew it was going to be a bad day. First, I tripped on my own clothes. Second, I stumbled on the stairs on my way down. When I got down, my breakfast was cold. It was raining at the bus stop and when I got to school, I realized I hadn’t done my homework! At math time, there was a test and I failed: 0 out of 30. At recess, I tripped on a rock and got a bloody nose.

When it was time to go home, I forgot my homework at school and had to go back.

What a bad day!”

Andy Yang, 10 SOUTH BURLINGTON

Other winners: Hannah Stein, 8 CHARLOTTE

Marissa Johnson, 9 VERGENNES

Evan Knoth, 10

12

KIDS VT

SOUTH BURLINGTON

Recommendations compiled by Alison Novak

Find the February book-inspired writing prompt on page 49.

The deadline is January 15. Happy reading … and writing!

Q DIGITAL DILEMMAS

By ELAINE y OUNG

My daughter’s birthday is in : Q January, so I need back-to-back gifts this time of year. I’m looking for a tech toy that’s high quality, but not too pricey, fun but educational. I’m overwhelmed!

A:

courtesy of GoldieBlox

It’s no wonder you’re overwhelmed! It can be tough to find something that’s fun, educational, affordable and capable of holding your child’s interest over time.

First, think about your daughter’s interests. Does she like to read? Does she like games? Does she like to create things with her hands?

Next, think carefully about the type of play the toy will encourage. Is your family trying to manage screen time?

LEGo MInDSTorMS EV3 (ages 10 and up): Aspiring programmers bring Legos to life. After you build these Lego robots, downloadable software and online tools help you and your child learn how to program them. Follow the templates, get inspired by others in the online community, or create your own designs. ozoBoT (ages 5 and up): Control this little spherical robot by drawing lines on paper, an iPad or an Android tablet. The color of the lines determines the action the Ozobot takes. Build racetracks, create choreographed movements and have fun!

LITTLEBITS (ages 8 and up): Tinkerers can use these “plug and play” electronic nodes to build, well, almost anything.

An online “makerhub” and lab provide inspiration and ideas. 

Don’t miss the fun!

Full contest details online starting in January: vermontpbs.org Sponsors:

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13

Elaine Young is the author of Tuned-In Family: How to Cope, Communicate & Connect in a Digital World, and is a professor at Champlain College, where she specializes in digital marketing and social media. Got a question about navigating the digital world with your family? Send it to ideas@kidsvt.com.

Contest opens Monday, January 5.

Entry deadline Friday, March 20.

Open to kids in Kindergarten through Grade 3!

DEcEMBEr 2014 / JANUAry 2015

AMAzon FIrE HD KIDS EDITIon (ages 3 to 10): If your child is a reader and explorer who wants her own tablet,

GoLDIEBLox (ages 4 to 12): Does your daughter like building and dolls? These engineering-inspired problem-solving kits, which are marketed directly to girls, come with an engineer doll named Goldie. The toy encourages children to build things — a zip line, a movie machine, a dunk tank — and then play with Goldie in what they’ve built. Some kits connect to a smartphone through an iOS app.

Kids – join the fun in our annual PBS KIDS Writers Contest as you write and illustrate your own original story!

Vermont winners go on to the national competition!

KIDSVT.coM

Many tech toys on the market pair with an iOS or Android app. Do you want your child to connect to a smartphone yet?

Finally, are you looking for a toy that simply entertains, or do you want it to teach her something, too?

Here are my recommendations for tech-enabled toys that will keep your child engaged far into 2015.

try the Fire HD Kids Edition. It’s built specifically for children, filled with kid-friendly books, movies, TV shows, educational apps and games, and it has good parental controls. A two-year guarantee means you won’t worry about it breaking.

20th Annual Contest!

10/24/14 1:49 PM

THE LEARNING CENTER AT HEALTHY LIVING

OLD FASHIONED BROWN BUTTER COOKIES Ingredients: 1 cup butter 3/4 cup sugar 2 tsp vanilla extract

Melt 1 cup butter over medium-high heat in heavy 2-quart saucepan. Continue cooking, watching closely, until butter foams and just turns a delicate golden color (3 to 5 minutes). Immediately remove from heat; refrigerate 30 minutes. Heat oven to 350°F. Combine browned butter, sugar, egg and vanilla in large bowl. Beat at medium speed until well mixed. Continue beating, gradually adding flour, until well mixed. Roll dough into 1-inch balls. Roll balls in decorator sugars. Place 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets. Flatten with tines of fork. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Let stand 1 minute; remove from cookie sheets. Cool completely.

KIDS IN THE KITCHEN IN DECEMBER • Pierogi • Saturday, 12/6 · 10:00 - 11:00am • $20 • Teacher Gifts • Wednesday, 12/17 · 4:00 - 6:00pm • $25 • Peanut Butter Banana Wontons • Saturday, 12/27 · 10:00 - 11:00am • $20 • Mashed Potato Sundaes! • Sunday, 12/28 · 10:00 - 11:00am • $20 All classes require pre-registration. For a full schedule, or to register, go to healthylivingmarket.com; or call Customer Service at 802.863.2569.

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Kids VT

December 2014 / January 2015

kidsvt.com

2 cups all purpose flour

Directions:

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11/21/14 1:19 PM

Q Mealtime By E rin n Sim o n

EAT. LEARN. PLAY.

Maple-Roasted Chicken PHOTOS: Sam simon

Seven years ago, celebrity chef Jamie Oliver convinced me to buy and cook a whole chicken. A former vegetarian, I felt strongly that if I was going to continue life as a meat eater, this was a skill I had to learn. Reading the laid-back and reassuring instructions in Oliver’s book, Jamie’s Dinners, gave me the confidence to take on the process — even though raw meat still made me squeamish.

I marched into Hannaford, determined. But when I picked up the shrinkwrapped bird, I shuddered. It was heavy, kind of floppy and still recognizable as the animal it had been. I frowned at it for a moment, then steeled myself and put it in the cart.

At home, I set to work. I removed the bird from its plastic casing, took a deep breath, poked my hand into the chicken and found — to my relief — that the organs were sealed inside a bag, which I pulled out. Next, I rubbed the bird inside and out with kosher salt and olive oil. I cut a lemon in two, stuffed half of it into the cavity and squeezed the juice from the other half over the top. Then I put the chicken in the oven and hoped for the best.

It was a little dry, under-seasoned and not quite as crispy as I’d hoped it would be. But that first attempt was a game-changer. My family ate it with potatoes — roasted right in the same pan — and a salad. Everyone loved it. At the time, it was the most grown-up dinner I’d ever made. Even now, I still feel a sense of pride and accomplishment whenever

Sadie Simon

I take a lovely, golden chicken out of the oven and serve it to my family.

In any dinner-themed cookbook, you’re bound to find a recipe for roasted chicken. And with good reason: It’s a classic. The best part? It works for just about any occasion. You can cook one for a big holiday get-together or a regular old family dinner.

My culinary idol, Nigella Lawson, summed it up best in her book, Feast: “It’s less a recipe than a blueprint for life.

There are few things that can’t be made better by a chicken roasting in the oven.”

I probably cook this dish every other week during the cold-weather months. I have tried at least a dozen methods, but the one that follows is my favorite. It uses a lemon, my one non-negotiable roastedchicken ingredient, and has a surprising, Vermonty twist. K

Maple-Roasted Chicken (Serves 4) Ingredients:

1 whole chicken (organic if possible), 3 ½-4 pounds 6 shallots, peeled and halved ¼ cup olive oil, plus some more for rubbing the chicken Salt and black pepper

½ cup maple syrup

Remove any organs from the chicken’s cavity.

Rinse the chicken in cold water and pat dry with a paper towel.

Put both lemon halves and two shallots inside the cavity and tie the chicken’s legs together with kitchen string.

Rub the chicken all over with olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper.

Roast for 30 minutes, then take it out and pour the maple syrup and the ¼ cup olive oil over the top.

Lower the oven temp to 375 degrees, and continue to roast for another 45-50 minutes.

Use an instant-read thermometer to check the temperature

Serve with a green salad.

15

“Mealtime” is a feature about families and food. Got a topic you’d like us to explore? Email it to ideas@kidsvt.com.

of the bird. Insert it into a thigh, making sure not to touch bone.

When you get a reading of 165 degrees, the chicken is done.

Feel free to give it an extra few minutes if you want the color darker or the skin a bit crispier (I usually do!). Take it out of the oven and let it rest for at least 10 minutes before carving.

Kids VT

Courtesy of Erinn simon

4 or 5 medium white potatoes, cut into 1- to 2-inch pieces

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Place the chicken in the center of a roasting pan, and scatter the potatoes and remaining shallots around it, then drizzle a little olive oil over them.

December 2014 / january 2015

1 lemon, cut in half

Directions:

kidsvt.com

Adapted from Eat and Make: Charming Recipes and Kitchen Crafts You Will Love, by Paul Lowe

Q go asK dad IntervIews cOmpILeD AnD cOnDenseD by tHeA LewIs

Q:

Have you ever asked the parents of your kids’ friends if they keep guns in the house?

Jason smiley, mILtOn compliance specialisT, dealer.com

Daughters Kyra, 20, and Hannah, 7

About a month ago, someone I know was asked by another father whether he keeps handguns in his home. My friend was pretty surprised by the question, and honestly, I never really considered the issue either until that point.

I do think it’s good to know if someone has guns in the house, and, if so, whether they’re kept out of reach and safely under lock and key. I am a hunter, and I have guns. Mine are kept doubly safe because they’re not only locked up, they also have trigger locks.

It’s good to know if Daughter Ellie, 7; son Jacob, 5 My kids have made most of someone their friends through soccer — I’m the coach. I’ve known these has guns in families for a while, and my wife and I both feel safe allowing the kids the house, to have play dates at their houses. The issue of guns is not something I really think about.

I have a recreational rifle, and I also have and, if so, a small handgun that belonged to my father, who brought it back from Vietnam. When the whether firearms were at my house, I kept everything separate — guns in one place, bullets in another. they’re kept I don’t keep my guns at the house anymore, though. Ever since Jacob expressed an interest out of reach in playing with toy guns about a year ago, I have kept everything at my in-laws’.

But the kids have seen my rifle. And around and safely October and November, when I go hunting, I talk with my own kids about gun safety. I’ve told under lock Jacob never to point a gun at someone. and key.

Jason roache, esseX

firsT-line mainTenance manager, iBm

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Contact us today to find out how WIC can help.

16

August 2013 January2015 2015 December 2014KidsVT.com / JAnuAry

My daughter, Celia, and I sometimes do an activity using the whiteboard in our playroom. It’s actually a lesson in disguise.

Several years ago, we explored the topic “Things to stay away from or not touch.” I’d put pictures on the board, and she would have to identify what each one was — a bottle of blue Windex, sharp scissors, matches, lighters and a handgun.

I made a game out of it. That’s the way I dealt with guns with her. In terms of other kids’ parents, though, I haven’t asked anything about guns. We live in a condo development, and there are four girls, all friends who hang out at each other’s houses, mine included. It’s a great neighborhood, and we have a wonderful camaraderie. Every night we all go out to the curb at 5 p.m. and chat. But do I know them well enough to know if there’s a handgun in their homes? Probably not. 

WIC is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

800-649-4357 healthvermont.gov/wic k4t-VTDeptHealth0213.indd 1

1/24/13 4:41 PM

“Go Ask Dad” is a monthly feature in which we ask fathers to answer a question.

Got a question or a pop you’d like to hear from? Email us at ideas@kidsvt.com.

EAT. LEARN. PLAY.

✱ THE ART OF BY A LISON NOVAK

Paper Engineering

A Think 3D! student in Brooklyn, New York

well as in Hanover, N.H., and Brooklyn, N.Y., with plans to develop more instructional materials and expand its reach in the near future. Think 3D! recently received a three-year grant from the U.S. Department of Education to assess the curriculum’s effectiveness. The company’s director of research and assessment, Holly Taylor — who runs the Spatial Cognition Laboratory at Tufts University — is spearheading that task.

Becky French, a fourth-grade teacher at Marion Cross School in Norwich, is a big fan of the program. Last year, her students participated in Think 3D! sessions once a week for six weeks. The program, she said, was well organized.

And because the materials weren’t “precious,” kids were encouraged to persist until they were successful.

After completing some of the preset challenges, French’s kids had the opportunity to “venture into their imaginations to make 3D structures that interested them,” she said, noting that some of her students made 3D versions of the Frozen cast.

“What we’re sharing with the kids is a set of tools,” Hutton says. “If you have those tools, this program will never be too easy for you. There’s no limit.”

17

“The Art of” spotlights creative skills that enrich kids’ lives. Got a class or teacher to recommend? Email us at ideas@kidsvt.com.

KIDS VT

it’s an approach to teaching spatialreasoning and engineering that’s intentionally low-tech, no computer required. Schools don’t have to invest heavily in new technology to use it.

A 2013 study published in Psychological Science found that strong spatial reasoning skills may be a greater predictor of future creativity and innovation than proficiency in math or reading. But most schools don’t explicitly teach spatial reasoning. When Hutton visits schools, she points out that these skills have countless applications, from visualizing the brain through an MRI to reading a contour map.

Packaging the curriculum was also important to the architect, who wanted to reinforce the importance of design. Each lesson comes in a sleek sleeve that contains all the necessary materials, including a onepage sheet of directions for the teacher.

Hutton has implemented the program in two Vermont elementary schools — in Norwich and Ludlow — as

DECEMBER 2014 / JANUARY 2015

Visit think3d.us.com to learn more.

A Think 3D! student in Hanover, New Hampshire

KIDSVT.COM

Interested in bringing Think 3D! to your school?

including those with behavioral and academic challenges.

The lessons are engaging for adults, too. During the Vermont Afterschool Conference in Stowe in October, I tried some of the Think 3D! challenges.

They weren’t easy. I had to use some real brainpower to figure out how to transform a piece of origami paper into a hopping frog and a folded piece of cardstock into a pop-up card.

Think 3D! is also appealing because it aligns with Common Core and Next Generation Science standards. And

COURTESY OF THINK 3D!

CAN KIDS LEARN MATH, science and engineering concepts by folding and cutting paper? Architect Allyson Hutton thinks so.

The Hanover, N.H.-based mom of two had a hand in designing the Mystic Aquarium in Connecticut and the Duke University Athletic Center. Four years ago, she was invited to teach her daughter’s fourth-grade class about architecture. Hutton accepted the challenge and took it one step further.

Inspired by the PBS documentary Between the Folds — which explores the connections between paper folding and science — Hutton created a three-year curriculum that introduces thirdthrough fifth-graders to architectural concepts including composing, decomposing, scaling up and down and using proportional reasoning. In 2012, she started a company called Think 3D! to teach elementary-age kids STEM-related skills through the simple processes of folding and cutting paper.

Each of her program’s three modules includes six one-hour lessons. Students start with basic origami before advancing to reverseengineering tasks, in which they take apart a 3D model and figure out how to rebuild it.

Next, they learn single-sheet engineering — folding and cutting a piece of paper to create a model. The module finishes with applied paper engineering, which involves gluing pieces of paper to a foundation page to make pop-up creations.

As students progress, the sequence of lessons remains the same but the tasks become more sophisticated.

When creating the program, Hutton says, she set out to design compelling lessons that would “cast a broad net” and engage kids at all skill levels,

Sugar & Ice Youth hockey leagues groom girls for bigger rinks

BY A LISON N OVAK PHOTOS BY M ATTHE W THOR S E N

18

KIDS VT

DECEMBER 2014 / JANUARY 2015

KIDSVT.COM

I

popular sport in wintry Vermont. But it’s also t’s the first game of the season for the a traditionally male-dominated one, with a Chittenden South Burlington U8 girls hockey team. The U8, or 8-and-under, team reputation for being aggressive. Despite the enthusiasm on display at Cairns, parents and is made up of 6- to 8-year-olds, but only the 10 most experienced girls are playing today. coaches say that convincing young female players to commit to hockey can be a challenge.

Their opponents, a coed team from Lyndonville, “For boys, you don’t have traveled all the way to Cairns to do the work,” says John Arena in South Burlington for Maddalena, who coaches the match. the Essex High School girls’ Hockey games at this level hockey team. “For girls, if are cross-ice — played on half you don’t get them hooked, the rink — with just three they’re not going to play.” players and a goalie per side and Maddalena saw this no score keeping. And they’re firsthand. When his 10-yearfast-paced: Every 90 seconds, a JULIE MILLER-JOHNSON, ESSEX old daughter, Nielsa, was new trio of players rotates onto YOUTH HOCKEY ASSOCIATION WOMEN’S DIRECTOR younger, she had to play the ice. As the skaters scramble hockey on a coed team with and slide around, the benched her brother because there girls rhythmically pound their weren’t enough players to form an all-girls team. sticks on the Plexiglas that separates them from the “She really lost interest for a couple of years,” he action, shouting “Let’s go, CSB!” In the stands, their parents are just as boisterous. says.

That’s not uncommon, says Scott Bushweller, “Come on, girls!” they shout, their eyes fixed on girls hockey director of CSB, which has 80 female the ice. “Nice job!” “Good race, Ava!” “Stick with it, players. He often hears about girls dropping out Sunshine!”

Stick with it: That’s exactly what coaches around of the sport between the ages of 6 and 10. It’s not the state are trying to get girls to do. Hockey is a because they don’t like hockey; it’s because they

There’s something really powerful for girls playing hockey. It makes them feel invincible.

don’t like how boys tend to monopolize the ice and they’d prefer to be on a team with just girls, he theorizes.

That’s why he started the all-girls U8 team, which draws participants from South Burlington, Shelburne, Charlotte, Williston, St. George and Hinesburg. Three years later, there are two dozen players on the roster.

“I have had so many parents come up to me and thank me for having the U8 girls program, because their daughter would not have tried hockey if it meant playing with the boys,” Bushweller says.

If it’s so hard to get girls to play, why bother encouraging them?

Taylor Hallowell, an Essex High School ice hockey alum who’s now a sophomore at Amherst College — and plays for that school’s field hockey team — says the sport had a lasting effect on her.

“I think that playing hockey as a young girl helped shape my competitive personality that has lead to

some of my successes in life,” she says. “I remember feeling like I wanted to prove myself, and that mentality carried over into other areas, like school.”

Julie Miller-Johnson, women’s director of the Essex Youth Hockey Association and mom to a 13-year-old, hockey-playing daughter, says that watching girls play is inspiring. “They develop a sense of self-confidence and self-esteem and physical strength that will serve them their whole life,” she says. “They walk off the ice feeling they stand two inches taller.”

Is it the gear? The speed? The ice? Whatever it is, Miller-Johnson says, “There’s something really powerful for girls playing hockey. It makes them feel invincible.”

A Winning Approach

Hockey definitely has some drawbacks. It’s “allconsuming” for everyone involved, says MillerJohnson. “Parents whose kids play hockey talk about it all winter long.” Practice times change each

week, and teams often travel for games, so “it takes a lot more mental space” than other sports, she notes.

And then there’s all that gear: sticks, helmets with cages, chest protectors with shoulder pads, padded hockey pants, shin guards, and knee and elbow pads. Thrifty parents can scour Play It Again Sports and find hand-me-downs on Front Porch Forum, but they’re probably going to spend at least $50 to $100 per kid, per year, on equipment alone.

Many youth hockey associations offer reduced enrollment costs, especially at the youngest levels, says Carol Weston of the Vermont State Amateur Hockey Association. But the investment of both money and time dissuades some families from getting — and staying — involved.

Even so, thanks to local coaches’ and program directors’ efforts, the number of young girls playing hockey in Vermont is on the rise. During the 2012-2013 season, 342 girls ages 8 and under played youth hockey in Vermont. The next season, 370 played, according to USA Hockey.

“It’s not so much about the competition but the camaraderie,” says Maddalena, whose daughter now plays on the Essex Youth Hockey Association girls

U10 team. “I think the social side of girls hockey is really important, and if you want to promote it, you need to recognize that.”

CSB girls director Bushweller’s 9-year-old daughter, Karina, has played on an all-girls team for three years. “The whole entire season, you hang out with your team,” she says, adding that the experience has enabled her to make friends from other towns. She especially likes the team-building parties, which happen several times each season.

Miller-Johnson has used a number of effective methods to recruit some of Essex Youth Hockey Association’s 90 female players. Every February, the league offers a Girls Try Hockey for Free event.

Her teams participate in the Essex Memorial Day Parade, where they proudly brandish a “Girls Play Hockey” banner, increasing their visibility in the community.

And then there’s Taste of Hockey, a three-day program at the Essex Skating Facility that introduces elementary-age girls to the sport each June.

“It’s like this magic recipe for success,” says SUGAR AND ICE, P. 20 »

CSB U8 coach Laurie Brown instructs her players during practice

KIDSVT.COM DECEMBER 2014 / JANUARY 2015 KIDS VT

19

Sugar and Ice

CSB U8 players fight for the puck during practice.

continued from p. 19

Miller-Johnson. At the start of the program, “they have no idea what they’re doing, but by the third day they think they’re, like, hockey stars.”

Playing With the Big Girls

Another way to encourage young girls to stick with hockey? Introduce them to older female players.

Laurie Brown, head coach of the CSB U8 girls team, invited the women’s ice hockey team from her alma mater, Middlebury College, to assist with instruction at a recent practice. The younger girls scattered to different parts of the rink to work in small groups with the collegiate athletes.

“How do you score goals?”

Middlebury junior Katie Mandigo asked her group. “You take a shot!”

She went on to demonstrate proper shooting form. “You always want the puck to be here, on the heel of the stick,” she said. She slammed the puck against the side of the rink, and the younger girls followed suit.

For girls, if you don’t get them hooked, they’re not going to play.

John Maddalena, Essex High School girls’ hockey coach

20

Kids VT

December 2014 / january 2015

kidsvt.com

The Next Step: High School In 2000, there were only four varsity girls hockey programs in the state. During the 2000-2001 season, Gov. Howard Dean — a hockey dad — offered a $10,000 grant to any high school that established a girls team, which increased the total to 14.

Between 2009 and 2011, girls’ high school hockey in Vermont hit its peak, with 22 teams. But since then, high schools have struggled to fill their rosters. In some cases, they’ve had to join forces.

Burlington High School hasn’t had enough players for a girls varsity team for the past several years, says the school’s athletic director Jeanne Hulsen. This year, BHS entered into a two-year agreement with Colchester High School to form a co-op team that will be known as BHCH. Two years ago, South Burlington High School and Mount Mansfield Union High School had a similar arrangement. And last year, SBHS merged with Champlain Valley Union High School to form a hybrid team.

According to EYHA’s Julie Miller-Johnson, some

girls have been pulled away from their local hockey leagues by the Vermont Stars, a select youth hockey program for girls ages 9 to 18 that competes during the regular hockey season throughout the northeast.

Many Stars players go on to play for Rice Memorial High School’s Girls Prep Hockey team.

Walter O’Brien founded the Stars 11 years ago to increase the rigor of girls hockey in the state. “Local teams don’t necessarily meet the needs of the really committed athlete,” O’Brien says. All of the Stars coaches are former NCAA women’s hockey players.

Still, some local hockey supporters feel that the exclusive Stars are doing a disservice to girls’ hockey.

“We don’t have enough girls in the state of Vermont to support two levels of hockey,” Miller-Johnson says.

The solution, she suggests, is something like the Shamrocks, a select girls’ hockey team founded in 2008 by SBHS principal, Pat Burke. Because the team plays in the off-season, it allows girls to compete at a higher level while also playing on their local high school teams.

Mandigo, who grew up in Cornwall, played youth hockey — primarily with boys — until she joined a girls high school team in ninth grade. She credits her work ethic, confidence and sense of accountability to her time on the ice.

It’s important for young players to have role models, says Maddalena.

His high school team attends some of the Essex Youth Hockey Association’s girls practices and games, and he’s even invited the younger girls into the high school locker room to sit in on team discussions.

Sometimes girls find mentors closer to home.

Eight-year-old Leighton Guyette, who’s on the CSB U8 team, decided to try hockey because “my sister played and said it was fun,” she says. What does she like about the sport? “You get to make a lot of goals!”

Game On

CSB coach Brown says she’s optimistic about the future of girls hockey, but

CSB U8 player Sophie Brown

THE

SCHOOLHOUSE Learn Naturally

Observation Mornings!

8:30-10 am!

!

December 11!

! January 8 & 22! or by appointment

Elementary Middle School!

Preschool! ! www.theschoolhousevt.org

KidsVT_illuminate_games_4.75x5.56.pdf 1 11/14/2014 1:55:25 PM

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say What?

A Hockey Glossary

Illuminate the Lake Winter Festival December 13 -31 Daily light show on the front windows of ECHO!

minimiTe: First-time hockey players, ages 7 and under

Special Saturday Animal Visitors:

sqUirT/U10: 9- and 10-year-olds Pee Wee/U12: 11- and 12-year-olds BAnTAm/U14: 13- and 14-year-olds

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

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NEXT EXHIBIT

opens Jan. 17

ECHO Lake Aquarium & Science Center @ECHOvt

Kids VT

cross-ice HocKey: boys and girls play this smaller variation of the game at the mite level.

Games are three-on-three, and played on half or one-third of the rink, which gives younger, less experienced players more playing time.

December 2014 / january 2015

cHecKinG: a defensive technique in which a player drives his body into an opponent to gain control of the puck. checking isn’t allowed in girls hockey; boys are allowed to check starting at the bantam level.

C

Dec. 13: Arctic fox, brown skunk, groundhog, porcupine, opossum Dec. 20: Siberian Husky Dogs Dec. 27: Reindeer Visit echovermont.org for full schedule

© Kurt Madison

miTe/U8: 6- to 8-year-olds

KidsVT.com

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notes that it’s important to focus on providing a good experience for her players right now.

“What I really want for our girls is for them to have opportunities that are parallel and equivalent to what boys have,” she says, “to be out there in the moment and have a great experience and push themselves in the vein of having fun.”

The fun is evident during the U8 girls game against Lyndonville.

Skaters rotating into the game propel themselves eagerly from the sidelines onto the ice, like penguins gliding into the water. Anticipating the action, the girls squeal with delight.

Meanwhile, Coach Brown pats benched players on the back as they slurp water from their sports bottles.

When the two 25-minute games are over, the girls line up on the ice and shake hands with the opposing team. They emerge from the rink, hot pink mouth guards dangling from their helmets, smiles on their sweaty faces. K

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The Sisterhood of the

Traveling Pump Breastfeeding moms go to great lengths to go with the flow at work

DECEMBER 2014 / JANUARY 2015 KIDS VT

22

I

ELL

NAN

MIG

fter my daughter, Joni, was born last April, I took three months of maternity leave from my job as managing editor of Kids VT.. On one of my first days back to work, I ran into a coworker while getting my morning coffee. A fellow new mom, she took one look at the black Medela breast pump bag slung over my shoulder and flashed a knowing smile — and an eye roll. She knew what was in that bag.

I replied with an exasperated sigh, and, just like that, became part of the sisterhood.

Not a member of the club?

Let me explain: The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that new mothers breastfeed their babies until age 1. Breast milk is incredible stuff. I knew it boosted the baby’s immune system and promoted brain, vision and digestive tract development. But I was surprised to learn it may also reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome, as well as protect from later-in-life diseases such as diabetes, some cancers and asthma. Like magic, breast milk meets a growing baby’s needs over time.

Producing it, though, depends entirely on demand — and for most American moms who work outside the home, maternity leave only lasts a few months. If we want to keep feeding our kids this liquid gold, we have to “express” it several times a workday while we’re away from our babies. Enter the breast pump.

My pumping-at-work days will account for only a brief period in my life as a mother. But right now, the commitment feels intense. I reported and wrote much of this story while hooked up to my pump, and, on at least one occasion, my interview subject was also pumping.

TT MA

KIDSVT.COM

BY MEGAN JAMES

It’s a maddeningly complicated contraption.

And using it feels truly bizarre.

I use an electric breast pump three times a day for 20 minutes. Other brands exist, but everyone I know uses Medela, a Swiss company that debuted its first nonhospital breast pump in the U.S. in 1991.

Before that, “electric breast pumps, sophisticated pieces of medical equipment, were generally available only in hospitals,” where they were used to “express milk from women with inverted nipples, and from mothers of infants too weak and tiny to suck,” according to a 2009 New Yorker article on the history of the pump.

This little machine, which I carry around in a black tote designed to look like a stylish handbag, gives me the freedom to pursue my career without sacrificing the health benefits of breast milk.

It’s also a maddeningly complicated contraption. And using it feels truly bizarre.

Pumping requires taking off my shirt, affixing two phonograph-shaped flanges to my boobs, either through holes cut into a sports bra or by holding them in place.

Next, I attach a bottle to the base of each flange and snap tubing into place. For the next 20 minutes or so, the machine wheezes rhythmically as it sucks my nipples into plastic tubes, contorting them into horrifying, finger-like shapes. If I’m stressed — anxiously watching the bottles, hoping I can fill them as quickly as Joni guzzles them at daycare — the milk just stops flowing.

After each session, I have to disassemble the pump and thoroughly wash each of its 16 parts.

The pump gets the job done, but it’s not as efficient as my baby, who uses her tongue to push on milk glands behind the areola while she sucks. She can empty the breast twice as quickly as the pump can.

THE SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELING PUMP, P. 24 »

MATTHEW THORSEN

HANDS-FREE BRA

CONNECTOR CASE

(Remember: Your nipples are poking out. Put your shirt back on before you answer that door.)

(You won’t get any suction unless this is fully snapped on.

Trickier than it sounds.)

BOTTLE CAP

(Left this at home? There must be some office Tupperware you can use, right?)

BOTTLE

(Screw this onto the connector before you start pumping — or you’ll end up with milk-drenched pants.)

MOTOR

(Everyone’s pump makes a unique sound.

Mine whines: “Why? Why? Why?”)

TUBING

(Uh, are you supposed to wash this, too?)

RUBBER DIAPHRAGM (the floppy bit)

FLANGE

(nipple squeezer)

Building a better pump

CONNECTOR

(Washing this by hand? Good luck.)

(Make sure that pack is fully frozen when you go through airport security.)

23

“Something that’s aesthetically pleasing,” says Brandi Thomas.

COOLER FOR ICE PACK

KIDS VT

“My idea — which is second to wishing that time travel existed — is that instead of the act of pumping, you could put a syringe in there and just suck the milk out,” says Suzanne Marchelewicz.

DECEMBER 2014 / JANUARY 2015

“The amount of parts is ridiculous,” says Ashley Laux. “All the tubing is ridiculous. The noise it makes is too loud.

Maybe if the tubing were flatter against your chest, you could wear it under clothes?”

KIDSVT.COM

Massachusetts Institute of Technology recently held a hackathon called “Make the Breast Pump Not Suck,” which drew 150 scientists, engineers, doctors, designers and lactation consultants interested in building a better pump. They shared ideas for improvements such as “The Helping Hand” bra, which helps relieve plugged milk ducts, and an adapter that makes it safe for women to share their pumps.

I asked fellow pumpers what kinds of improvements they’d like to see.

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pump Federal law requires employers with more than 50 employees to provide nursing mothers with “a place, other than a bathroom, that is shielded from view and free from intrusion from coworkers and the public, which may be used by an employee to express breast milk.”

I consider myself lucky here at Kids VT/Seven Days headquarters. Our “lactation lounge” is a soundproof, windowless former radio broadcast studio that’s now outfitted with a comfy sofa, a tray table for my laptop and a lock that decreases the odds that one of my coworkers will walk in on me, boobs a-pumpin’.

However, for women employed at smaller companies, or who work on

CONTINUED FROM P. 22

the go, finding a place to pump can be difficult.

Photographer Stina Booth faced this dilemma during the summer wedding crush after each of her two kids were born. Shooting a wedding is a demanding, eight-hour job. How could she sneak away to pump?

Breastfeeding mothers know this scramble all too well.

It doesn’t matter where you are. If you’ve been away from your baby for more than a few hours, your boobs begin to swell painfully with milk.

You begin to scan your surroundings for someplace private to pump. Go too long and you pay the price in engorged — even leaking — boobs and a drop in milk supply.

Oh, the places you’ll pump!

Several hours into a black-tie wedding at the Bowery Hotel in New York City, I went on the hunt for a place to pump. I have yet to splurge on the Medela pump battery pack, so I needed an electrical outlet. None of the bathrooms had them, and I wasn’t about to pump behind the bar. So I begged the ladies working the coat check to let me pump in their closet, which they did.

Here’s what other moms had to say about their strangest pumping experiences: “One time I had a friend visiting, and she and I pumped together at my house,” recalls Suzanne Marchelewicz. “We were just hanging out in my bathroom, sitting on the edge of the tub while the babies were sleeping.”

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DECEMBER 2014 / JANUARY 2015

KIDSVT.COM

“I was pumping in my office and I forgot to close the windows,” says Ashley Laux. “I looked out and there were some construction workers mulching something, and one of them was looking up at me pumping. The thing is, I didn’t really care.”

Seven Days staff writer Kathryn Flagg’s list of unusual pumping locations includes “several supply closets (in the dark days before the Seven Days lactation lounge); the main bathroom in the Statehouse (while talking to a state rep through the stall door); [and] my car, parked in front of a state correctional facility.”

“I was at the Philly Zoo for work, and I had to pump,” recalls Brandi Thomas. “I had to put my milk in the zoo fridge, which was filled with weird stuff like medication for animals.”

Some people are really worried about privacy, but I kind of threw that out the window pretty quickly.

STINA BOOTH

“A wedding schedule is a little insane to begin with,” says Booth, who pumped for her kids, now ages 3 and 18 months, primarily at weddings. “How do I cram some personal time into an already crazy day?”

Her solution: Pump in the car. “I’d sort of rig myself all up and then put a blanket over my chest,” she admits. If she had an assistant with her, he’d drive while she pumped in the backseat.

“The first few times I did it, I would look around to see if anyone could see,” Booth recalls. “Honestly, I don’t think anyone noticed. Some people are really worried about privacy, but I kind of threw that out the window pretty quickly.”

Even pumping in a private office can be awkward.

Ashley Laux, associate director of community engagement at Middlebury College, works in a converted old farmhouse where she pumps daily for her 5-month-old. The walls are thin and there’s a gap in her office door when it’s closed.

Laux puts on a white-noise machine to muffle the pump’s purr.

The eight other people in Laux’s building know not

to bother her when they hear that sound, but students who visit her aren’t often clued in.

“Sometimes I’ll get a very persistent student, knocking and knocking because they know I’m in there,” she says. “I unhook myself and come out all wild-eyed, like, ‘What?!’

And they’re like, What was she doing in there?”

Suzanne Marchelewicz, FlynnArts coordinator for the Flynn Center for the Performing Arts, is currently pumping at work for her 9-month-old.

Two years ago, after giving birth to her first child, she had high hopes of pumping in the car during her commute to and from her Huntington home. “But it was such a pain,” she says. “I mean, everyone knows pumping sucks. But the whole strapping on the hands-free bra, and the possibility of exposing myself in the parking lot…”

Marchelewicz also has her own office, so she can shut the door and get busy pumping. “I feel like I have a great situation, but I know that other people don’t,” she says, mentioning a friend who works in a local dental office and used to pump in a supply closet that didn’t lock. “She had to pump with her back against the door,” says Marchelewicz.

“Pumping is stressful enough as it is, so it’s nice to have a place to do it that’s relaxing and cozy,” says Lisa Sholk, an associate brand manager for Ben & Jerry’s who pumped at work — in a swanky lactation lounge — for both her children, now 4 and 2.

Sholk used a hands-free bra so she could keep working, responding to emails or making phone calls. “But pumping certainly affected my ability to take lunch or do anything else other than work,” says Sholk. “I would feel guilty going out for a walk or getting exercise because I had already spent so much of my day pumping.”

Lactation consultant Sally MacFadyen, who has been meeting

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Behind Closed Doors At the Ben & Jerry’s corporate office in South Burlington, nursing mamas have access to “The Milky Way,” a lounge tricked out with gliders and a changing table (for baby visits), a fridge (for storing milk and pump parts), a table full of magazines, and a bulletin board covered in photos of employees’ babies (for triggering the all-powerful let-down reflex that starts milk flowing).

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Weekend Classes begin the Week of January 11th

DECEMBER 2014 / JANUARY 2015

Seventh Generation’s lactation lounge is called “The Health Room.”

“I think maybe a guy named it [that], because he didn’t know what else to say,” says Brandi Thomas, who handles public relations for the company and uses the room regularly to pump for her 8-month-old. It’s equipped with a minifridge, a sink, a comfy chair, a table and a baby-photo bulletin board. Thomas and three other pumping moms book sessions in the room using Microsoft Outlook.

527-7100

277 Blair Park Rd. 878-5323

KIDSVT.COM

with breastfeeding mothers in Vermont for 17 years, helps prepare them for pumping at work. She says some women assure her they will have a designated place to pump in the office. But, she says, “by and large, that’s not the case.”

Support for Vermont’s breastfeeding mothers has grown since MacFadyen began her career, she says. But there’s still room for improvement. She’s spoken to teachers who have to pump in the school nurse’s office.

“If I were in charge of the world,” she says, she’d like to see breastfeeding-support groups such as La Leche League hold regular meetings at Vermont workplaces.

“Why not go into NRG or Ben & Jerry’s once a week and maybe have 45 minutes of talking about what’s working and what’s not working?”

No one really likes pumping, especially at work. But Brandi Thomas, who works and pumps at Seventh Generation, says there’s one thing she loves about it: “The camaraderie of the moms. You’re really in it together.”

S e Or n li n O p u n Sig 80 Mapleville Depot

11/21/14 11:05 AM

PRESENTS

A TALENT SHOW FOR VERMONT’S RISING STARS Kids ages 5-13 wow the crowd with two-minute acts showcasing their talents. Performances by Urban Dance Complex, Regal Gymnastics, McFadden Irish Dance Company and Very Merry Theatre provide additional entertainment. kidsvt.com

Saturday, December 13, at 12 p.m.

December 2014 / January 2015

Higher Ground Ballroom Kids 6 & under free $7 in advance, $10 at the door.

26

Kids VT

Visit kidsvt.com/talentshow for ticket information

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11/21/14 2:46 PM

Sponsored by:

DEC/JAN

Like The University of Vermont Medical Center on Facebook and get weekly updates from Dr. First!

See “First With Kids” videos at uvmhealth.org

CALENDAR SPOTLIGHTS & LISTINGS BY ALISON NOVAK

Dickensian Delight

Highlights Saturday, December 6

WINTER’S EVE CELEBRATION History buffs experience 18th-century Vermont life with live music, dancing, period demonstrations and lantern-lit tours of the property. All ages. Ethan Allen Homestead Museum, Burlington, 4-7 p.m. $4-8; free for children under 6. Info, 865-4556.

Friday, December 12-Sunday, December 14

WASSAIL WEEKEND ON THE FARM History lovers celebrate the holidays like it’s 1890 with traditional music, sleigh rides, crafts and more. All ages. Billings Farm & Museum, Woodstock, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Regular admission, $4-14; free for children under 3.

Info, 457-2355.

Sunday, January 4

‘THE SECRET GARDEN’ The Opera Theatre of Weston premiers its musical adaptation of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s classic tale of an orphan who unlocks a hidden world. Paramount Theatre, Rutland, 2 & 6 p.m. $15-30. Info, 775-0903.

Saturday, January 17

CLOTH DIAPERING MADE EASY Mamas learn the ins and outs, ups and downs, and wets and drys of this money-saving, environmentally sound diapering method. Good Beginnings, Montpelier, noon-2 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 595-7953.

KIDS VT

27

COURTESY OF FLYNN CENTER FOR PERFORMING ARTS

Thursday, January 22

DECEMBER 2014/JANUARY 2015

‘A CHRISTMAS CAROL’: Friday, December 12, at 7 p.m. at the Flynn Center for Performing Arts in Burlington. All ages. $15-42.

Info, 863-5966. flynncenter.org

Enter the world of 19th-century London, where crotchety Ebenezer Scrooge has an opportunity to go back in time to change his life and find his heart. Nebraska Theatre Caravan stages a musical adaptation of Charles Dickens’ ‘A CHRISTMAS CAROL’ with sumptuous costumes, a live orchestra and a 24-member cast. Special ghostly effects and moving renditions of holiday songs guarantee every member of the family is entertained.

Creative types of all ages make a silly stuffed sock creation for a community art show. ONE Arts Center, Burlington, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. $20 per family. Info, oneartscollective@gmail.com.

KIDSVT.COM

SOCK MONKEY CLASS

Dec calenDar 2 TUESDAY

Arts & crafts

creative Tuesdays: Artists engage their imaginations with recycled materials. All ages, but kids under 10 must be accompanied by an adult.

Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 3-4:30 p.m.

Free. Info, 865-7216.

Baby & maternity

Burlington Prenatal Yoga: Mothers-to-be build strength, stamina, comfort and a stronger connection to their baby in this all-levels class.

Evolution Yoga, Burlington, 4-5:30 p.m. $14.

Info, 864-9642. shelburne Prenatal Yoga: Yoga postures, breathing exercises and relaxation techniques nurture bodies and create a loving connection between moms-to-be and their babies. Women at all stages of pregnancy are welcome. Yoga Roots, Shelburne, 5:45-7:15 p.m. $15. Info, 985-0090.

Education

The Power of Play!: This community workshop, led by a professor of education, explores the importance of play in early childhood development. Childcare available. Vergennes Union High School, 6-7:30 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 877-6702.

Games

chess club: Checkmate! Kids with basic knowledge of rules and moves scheme winning strategies. Ages 6 and up. Fairfax Community Library, 3-4:15 p.m. Free. Info, 849-2420.

Health & Fitness

Essex open Gym: Energy-filled kids flip, jump and tumble in a state-of-the-art facility. Ages 6 and under. Regal Gymnastics Academy, Essex, 11 a.m.-noon. $8. Info, 655-3300. shelburne open Gym: Tumbling tots burn energy on trampolines, balance beams, rings and more. Gymstar Gymnastics, Shelburne, noon & 2 p.m. $3-6. Info, 985-8948.

Williston open Gym: Petite gymnasts bounce, bend and balance. Ages 9 months-6 years, accompanied by an adult. Green Mountain Gymnastics, Williston, 9:30-11 a.m. $10 per child; $15 per family. Info, 652-2454.

Library & Books

Fairfax Game Night: Moms, dads and kids bring their own boards — or borrow from the library's collection — for some tabletop fun.

Ages 5 and up. Fairfax Community Library, 6-8 p.m. Free. Info, 849-2420.

Gaming For Teens & Adults: Players of all skill levels engage in Magic: The Gathering and other amusements. Children under 13 must be accompanied by an adult or have parental permission to attend. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 5-7:45 p.m. Free. Info, 865-7216.

Read to a dog: Pet-loving kiddos share books with registered therapy pooches. Dorothy Alling Memorial Library, Williston, 3:30-4:30 p.m.

Free; preregister. Info, 878-4918.

music children's sing-Along With Lesley Grant: Parents sip coffee while wee ones break into song with a local musician and educator. Preschool-age kids and younger. The Bees Knees, Morrisville, 10-10:45 a.m. Free. Info, 888-7889. music With mr. chris: Singer and storyteller Chris Dorman leads kids in music and dance.

All ages. Buttered Noodles, Williston, 10-10:30 a.m. Free. Info, 764-1810.

Nature & science story Explorers: When it starts to snow: Curious kiddos listen to an enchanting story about the fluffy white stuff, then explore what woodland and farm animals do in winter. ECHO Lake Aquarium and Science Center, Burlington, 10:30-11 a.m. Regular museum admission, $10.50-13.50; free for children under 3. Info, 877-324-6386.

3 WEDNESDAY

Arts & crafts

Toddler Time Art class: Parents relax with free coffee while their kiddies ages 5 and under cut loose and create with provided art supplies and guidance. ONE Arts Center, Burlington, 9 a.m.noon, $8 per visit; $60 for a 10-class punch card.

Info, oneartscollective@gmail.com.

Baby & maternity

montpelier Postnatal Yoga: Brand-new mamas and their littles relax, stretch and bond. For moms with babies 1 and under.

Emerge Yoga, Montpelier, 10-11 a.m. $12. Info, 778-0300.

Food

candy-cane-making demo: Families make holiday memories as they watch confectioners in action, or they can get in on the fun and make twisted treats of their own. Preregister to participate. Laughing Moon Chocolates, Stowe, 11 a.m. Free to watch. $6 per person to make your own candy cane. Info, 253-9591.

Health & Fitness

Essex open Gym: See December 2. shelburne open Gym: See December 2, noon.

Williston open Gym: See December 2.

Library & Books

Book discussion for Homeschoolers: In separate groups, kids in grades K through 3 and 4 through 8 participate in activities related to award-winning reads. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 9-10 a.m. Free; preregister. Info, 878-6956. creative Writing club: Young wordsmiths let their imaginations take off on the page. Ages 9 and up. Essex Free Library, Essex Junction, 3:30-4:30 p.m. Free. Info, 879-0313.

submit your February events for print by January 15 at kidsvt.com or to calendar@kidsvt.com.

Personalized care throughout your pregnancy, labor and delivery

Our personable & attentive staff is here for you!

Childbirth Classes on-site: www.laboroflove.com Free Breastfeeding Classes by certified instructors Water Birth Available 96 Colchester Ave, Burlington 802-658-0505 • Toll Free 877-275-8929 www.affiliatesobgyn.com • Visit us on Facebook

28

Kids VT

December 2014/january 2015

KidsVT.com

Individualized Gynecological care for all stages of your life.

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Dorothy Canfield Fisher Book Discussion: Avid readers ages 8-11 engage in spirited conversations about award-winning titles.

Burnham Memorial Library, Colchester, 6:30 p.m. Free. Info, 264-5660.

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

Music Moving & Grooving With Christine: Tots let loose to the rhythms of rock and roll and world music. Recommended for ages 2-5, but all are welcome. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 11-11:30 a.m. Free. Info, 865-7216.

Preschool Music With Derek: Kids tap their toes in time to a fun, tune-filled gathering. Ages 3-5. Burnham Memorial Library, Colchester, 1 p.m. Free. Info, 264-5660.

Rockin' Ron the Friendly Pirate: Small scallywags "ooh" and "aargh!" during swashbuckling songs, movements and guessing games. Ages 7 and under, accompanied by an adult. Buttered Noodles, Williston, 10-10:45 a.m. Free. Info, 764-1810.

Burlington Prenatal Yoga: See December 2, 5:45-7:15 p.m.

Essex La Leche League: Moms bring their little ones to a discussion of parenting and breast-feeding. Pregnant and planning moms are also welcome.

First Congregational Church of Essex Junction, 7 p.m. Free. Info,

383-8544.

Infant Massage: New parents learn the techniques and benefits of this ancient tradition in a slow-paced, discussion-filled class. Tea provided. Babies ages 4 weeks to crawling with one or both parents or a caregiver. Yoga Roots, Shelburne, 10:30-11:30 a.m. $15. Info, 985-0090.

Community

4 THURSDAY

A Tree-mendous Event: Community members enjoy a presentation by Burlington's arborist —plus pizza and refreshments — while arboreal award winners claim their prizes. Burlington Parks & Recreation, 6 p.m. Free; RSVP to Gail Asbury at 660-2673 or gsasbu@gmail.com. Info, 660-2673.

Arts & Crafts

Health & Fitness

Pollywog Preschool Art Drop-In: Multimedia projects involving homemade play dough, finger paint and paper introduce young kids to artistic expression. Ages 6 months-5 years, accompanied by an adult. BCA Center, Burlington, 9:30-11:30 a.m. $6. Info, 865-7166.

Essex Open Gym: See December 2.

Itty Bitty Public Skating: Tiny feet learn the art of sliding on ice through fun and games.

Ages 5 and under. Leddy Park, Burlington, 1011:30 a.m. $8 per family; $1 skate rentals. Info, 865-7558.

Classes

List your class or camp here for only $20 per month! Submit the listing

by January 15th at kidsvt.com or to classes@kidsvt.com.

EvoKids at Evolution Yoga: Join us this winter for baby and kids yoga! Whether you are looking for a way to bond with your baby, tap into your toddler’s imagination, or give your child tools to focus and find confidence, our children’s yoga series for birth through teen offer a consistent way to bring yoga into your family’s life. Mondays: 9:45-10:30 am, Tots on the Move (ages 1.5-2.5); 10:45-11:30 am, Yoga Story Adventures (ages 4-5); 4:30-5:30 pm, Teen Yoga. Wednesdays: 9:45-10:30 am, Infant Yoga and Massage (6 wks.-6 mo.); 4:30-5:30 pm, After School Special (ages 5+). Fridays: 9:45-10:30 am, Tots on the Move (ages 1.5-2.5); 10:45-11:30 am, Kids Creative Yoga (ages 2.5-5). Saturdays: 9:15-10 am, New Explorers Yoga (walkers-18 mo); 10:15-11 am, Tots on the Move (ages 1.5-2.5). Sundays, 2:30-3:30 pm, YoGirls (ages 7-11).

Sessions begin January 11th. $78 for 6 weeks or $130 for 10 weeks. Location: Evolution Yoga, 20 Kilburn St., Burlington.

Info: 864-9642, evolutionvt.com.

Postnatal Yoga at Evolution Yoga: Join other mothers in Evolution Yoga’s postnatal yoga classes, and bring your body back to balance and strength. For mothers 6 weeks postpartum and on. Babies not yet crawling are welcome to come with mama!

Postnatal Yoga: Sundays 12:15 pm, Tuesdays, 10:40 pm. Postnatal Core: Fridays, noon. Drop-ins welcome. $15 per class or $130 for a 10-class pass. Location: Evolution Yoga, 20 Kilburn St., Burlington. Info: 864-9642, evolutionvt.com.

Kids Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu: The Vermont Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Kids Program is designed to promote self-esteem, discipline, “bully-proofing,” cooperation with peers and overall health and well-being. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu promotes mental toughness and perseverance and builds and instills courage and self-confidence. Your son or daughter will interact with other kids and have a chance to make new friends! Ages 4-7: Weekly on Wednesdays, 4:15 p.m. & Saturdays, 8:15 a.m.; Ages 8-14: Weekly on Wednesdays, 5 p.m. & Saturdays, 9 a.m. First class is free! Vermont Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, 55 Leroy Rd., Williston. Info: 660-4072 or julio@bjjusa.com, vermontbjj.com.

YMCA Aquatics: Make a splash in the new year! The Greater Burlington YMCA is the premier destination for swim lessons. We encourage you and your family to get involved in the water starting at 6 months through adulthood. Lessons occur Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Cost: $106 for members/$170 for nonmembers for 30-minute lessons; $114 for members/$178 for nonmembers for 45-minute lessons. View full schedule at gbymca.org. Winter season begins January 5. Contact Jess Lukas at 652-8143 or jlukas@gbymca.org to register.

4 THURSDAY, P.30

We know you’ve got your hands full.

TAKE A CLASS AT THE FLYNN

DANCE, THEATER, & MUSIC FOR ALL AGES

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Find information about local events and parenting resources every Thursday in the Kids VT Wee-Mail.

Visit kidsvt.com/wee-mail to subscribe today.

KIDS VT

REGISTER NOW Winter classes start January 19.

Show Choir auditions 1/17 Jazz Combo placement sessions 1/15

KIDSVT.COM DECEMBER 2014/JANUARY 2015

Financial aid is available for all classes.

11/20/14 4:48 PM

Dec calenDar 4 THuRsdAY (continueD)

shelburne open Gym: See December 2.

Yoga with danielle: Curious toddlers and preschoolers learn movement techniques through social interaction, repetition and play. Buttered Noodles, Williston, 10-10:30 a.m. Free. Info, 764-1800.

Library & Books

Lake Champlain

Waldorf School

OPEN HOusE Saturday, January 24

10:00 am – noon

Discover a dynamic education that weaves together academics, arts, movement, and a deep connection to nature. Pre-K through 12th grade.

Questions?

Contact Pam Graham at (802) 985-2827 x12 or pgraham@lakechamplainwaldorfschool.org 359 TurTle lane, Shelburne, VT 05482 • www.lakechamplainwaldorfSchool.org k4t-Waldorf1214.indd 1

11/21/14 1:49 PM

card making: Crafter Karen McNall provides inspiration and materials for older kids and adults to make their own paper greetings. Fairfax Community Library, 3-5 p.m. $1.50-2 per card made. Info, 849-2420.

Hinesburg Lego club: Interlocking blocks, board games, snacks and books entertain kids ages 6 and up. Carpenter-Carse Library, Hinesburg, 3-4 p.m. Free. Info, 482-2878.

Lego Thursdays: The library supplies the building materials, and kids bring their imagination and creativity. All ages. Haston Library, Franklin, 2-5 p.m. Free. Info, 285-6505.

Library Teen Advisory Group: Adolescents gather to plan library programs and munch on pizza. Grades 7-12. New members welcome!

Dorothy Alling Memorial Library, Williston, 4-5 p.m. Free. Info, 878-4918.

Literacy celebration: Families enjoy stories, crafts, singing and shopping. A percentage of sales goes to Rick Marcotte Central School in South Burlington for customers who specify at checkout. Barnes & Noble, South Burlington, 4-8 p.m. Free. Info, 652-7200.

Read to a dog: Book lovers choose stories to share with a furry friend. Ages 5-10. Fairfax Community Library, 3:15-4:15 p.m. Free; preregister for 15-minute time slot. Info, 849-2420.

KidsVT.com

Family Wheel drop-in: Parents and kids make bowls, cups and sculptures from clay. All ages.

BCA Print & Clay Studio, Burlington, 5:30-7:30 p.m. $6 includes one fired and glazed piece per participant; additional pieces are $5 each. Info, 865-7166.

December 2014/january 2015

Games

magic: The Gathering: Planeswalkers seek knowledge and glory in this trading-card game. New players welcome. Grades 6 and up.

Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 6-8 p.m.

Free. Info, 878-6956.

Health & Fitness

Essex open Gym: See December 2. shelburne open Gym: See December 2, noon, 2 & 6 p.m.

Williston open Gym: See December 2.

Holidays

Library & Books

Arts & crafts

dance

'The musical story of the Nutcracker': The Middlebury Community Players present an adaptation of the classic ballet. Town Hall Theater, Middlebury, 7 p.m. $6. Info, 382-9222.

Kids VT

candy-cane-making demo: See December 3.

Nature & science

5 FRIDAY

submit your February events for print by January 15 at kidsvt.com or to calendar@kidsvt.com.

30

Food

music for Preschoolers: Lively tunes with Peter Alsen or Derek Burkins strike the right note among the wee crowd. Ages 5 and under with a caregiver. Dorothy Alling Memorial Library, Williston, 10:30 a.m. Free; limited to one session per week per family. Info, 878-4918.

snug in the snow: Kiddos experience winter like meadow voles and river otters, nestling under the powder and sliding atop it. Ages 3-5 with adult companion. Green Mountain Audubon Center, Huntington, 9-10:30 a.m. $8-10 per adult/child pair; $4 per additional child; preregister. Info, 434-3068.

7/30/14 10:06 AM

Vermont international Festival: Crafts, food, music and dance from around the globe are showcased during this multicultural celebration. All ages. Champlain Valley Expo, Essex Junction, 5-8 p.m. $5-7; $20 per family; free for children under 6. Info, 223-3144.

deck the Halls: Visitors view the museum's decorated halls and make seasonal creations, from ornaments to gift boxes. Local musicians add joyous sounds to the festivities. Shelburne Museum, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Regular winter museum admission, $5-8; free for children under 5. Info, 985-3346. shelburne Tree Lighting & caroling: Kids and adults brave the cold for holiday songs and a tree lighting, followed by cocoa and cookie decoration at the Shelburne Country Store.

Shelburne Village Green, 5:45 p.m. Free. Info, 985-9550.

Waldorf Holiday Fair: Grown-ups take their pick of handcrafted gifts from more than 60 artisans while little ones enjoy storytelling, African drumming, magical activities and crafts. Friday is intended for adults and older teens; Saturday is all ages. Lake Champlain Waldorf School, Shelburne, 6:30-9 p.m. Free.

Info, 985-2827.

music

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Fairs & Festivals

Early Bird math: Young children and their caregivers put two and two together using interactive books, songs and games to explore arithmetic concepts. Ages 3-6. Richmond Free Library, 11-11:30 a.m. Free. Info, 434-3036. middle school Planners & Helpers: Students play games and plot cool projects for the library over snacks. Grades 6-8. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 3:30-4:30 p.m. Free. Info, 878-6956.

Young Adult Advisory Board: Teens help make the library a destination for their peers.

Ages 12-18. Burnham Memorial Library, Colchester, 5:30 p.m. Free. Info, 264-5660.

music Kids music With Linda 'Tickle Belly' Bassick: Toe-tapping tunes captivate kiddies. Radio Bean, Burlington, 11 a.m. Free. Info, 660-9346. music With derek: An immature audience shakes out its sillies with song-filled activities.

All ages. Buttered Noodles, Williston, 10-10:30 a.m. Free. Info, 764-1810. music With Robert: Families sing along with a local legend. All ages. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 10:30-11 a.m. Free. Info, 865-7216.

Nature & Science

Food

Full Moon Snowshoe Hike: Candy-Cane-Making Demo: See Hot chocolate fuels walkers for December 3, 11 a.m. & 2 p.m. a sparkling stroll under lunar Gingerbread Houses: Little ones See Dr. First videos light. Snowshoes provided. fashion gumdrop trees and frost“First With Kids” at North Branch Nature Center, ed rooftops. Grades K-4. Kids uvmhealth.org Montpelier, 7-8:30 p.m. $5-10; under 8 must be accompanied by preregistration recommended. an adult. Dorothy Alling MemoInfo, 229-6206. rial Library, Williston, 10:30 a.m.

Robins Nest Nature Playgroup: Free; preregister. Info, 878-4918.

Little explorers ages 5 and under and their Kids in the Kitchen: Pierogi!: Kids with a caregivers discover the sights, sounds and senculinary knack make tiny, fluffy pockets of sations of the forests and fields while learning cheesy-potato goodness, known and loved how the natural environment can be used as a in Eastern Europe for generations. All ages. tool for learning and play. Dress in water- and Healthy Living Market and Café, South Burmud-proof clothing. North Branch Nature Cenlington, 10-11 a.m. $20 per parent-child pair; ter, Montpelier, 9:30-11:30 a.m. Free; donations preregister. Info, 863-2569. welcome. Info, 229-6206.

Pancake Breakfast & Silent Auction: Flapjacks and maple syrup grace the cafeteria tables at this Theater community event with local goods and services ‘The Musical Story of the Nutcracker’: This to bid on and live entertainment. Proceeds benfamily-focused version of the classic holiday efit unique learning opportunities for students. tale, presented by the Middlebury CommuSustainability Academy at Lawrence Barnes, nity Players, features Tchaikovsky's music, Burlington, 8:30-11:30 a.m. $4-10; $10-25 per along with original lyrics and choreography. family; free for kids under 3. Info, 864-8480.

Middlebury Union High School, 7 p.m. $6. Info, 388-7432.

Health & Fitness

6 SATURDAY

Arts & Crafts

Family Clay: Creative kids and their parents make memories firing and glazing special pieces to be picked up later. All ages. ArtisTree Community Arts Center, South Pomfret, 10 a.m.-noon. $20 per parent-child pair; $5 per additional family member; preregister. Info, 457-3500.

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

Kids Craft: Felt Ornament: Drop-in crafters choose from four styles to create a cute, festive tree hanger. Ages 5 and up. Creative Habitat, South Burlington, 1-3 p.m. $5. Info, 862-0646.

Saturday Kids Drop-In Craft Class: Hand builders create clay projects with seasonal themes, including flower vases, fall leaves, animal creatures and coil pots. Shelburne Craft School, 10-11:30 a.m. $10 per child. Info, 985-3648.

Community

'The Musical Story of the Nutcracker': See December 5.

Fairs & Festivals

’ve ! e W ved 2095 Pomfret Road, South Pomfret, VT only 3 miles Mo

l Fal 4 201

from Woodstock!

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School Vacation Camps Birthday Parties Friday Night Kids Club Mini Monkeys: ages 5-8 Youth Climbing Team: ages 8-16

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KIDS VT

Vermont International Festival: See December 5, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

Breakfast with Santa: Christmas activities including card and ornament making, cookie decorating, storytelling with Mrs. Claus, face painting and holiday manicures accompany a hearty meal. St. John Vianney Church, South Burlington, 8:30-11:30 a.m. $10; children under 2 are free; preregister; proceeds benefit Joseph's House emergency outreach center. Info, 951-4290.

Christmas at the Farm: Fête the season the old-fashioned way, with 19th-century crafts, tours of the 1890 farmhouse and horse-drawn sleigh rides. All ages. Horse-drawn sleigh rides from December 26 to January 1. Billings Farm & Museum, Woodstock, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Regular admission, $4-14; free for children under 3.

Info, 457-2355.

Christmas Extravaganza: Fresh-cut evergreens, wreaths and baked goods are available for purchase at this PTO-sponsored holiday event. Christ the King School, Burlington, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Free. Info, 862-6696.

Deck the Halls: See December 5, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.

Old-Fashioned Visits With Santa: After Santa's arrival by firetruck, little ones share milk, cookies and their wish lists, while a juggler adds to the fun. Middlebury Community House, 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Free. Info, 377-3557.

Richmond Holiday Market: Let the merrymaking commence! Vendors sell seasonal gifts, Santa pops by, and attendees enjoy wagon rides, live music and food. Takes place at the library, Congregational Church and Town Hall.

Richmond Free Library, 9 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Free.

Info, 434-3979.

Santa's Arrival: Well-wishers line the streets as Saint Nicholas arrives in town via fire truck.

All ages. Downtown Middlebury, 9:45-10 a.m.

Free. Info, 377-3557.

Shelburne Holiday Craft Fair: Students sell food and handmade wares, including jewelry and holiday decorations, to benefit classrooms.

All ages. Shelburne Community School, 9:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Free. Info, 985-3331.

info@artistreevt.org www.artistreevt.org 802.457.3500

DECEMBER 2014/JANUARY 2015

Dance

Holidays

Art, Music Movement & More!

KIDSVT.COM

Winooski Train Show: Mini-locomotives and railroad gear captivate choo-choo enthusiasts at this event benefitting Winooski's Dollars for Scholars program. All ages. Winooski Educational Center, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. $1-5; free for children under 6. Info, 862-7634.

Winter's Eve Celebration: History buffs experience 18th-century Vermont life with live music, dancing, period demonstrations and lanternlit tours of the property. All ages. Ethan Allen Homestead Museum, Burlington, 4-7 p.m. $4-8; free for children under 6. Info, 865-4556.

Shelburne Open Gym: See December 2, 9 & 10:10 a.m.

Williston Open Gym: See December 2, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.

A division of

31

6 SATURDAY, P.32

DEC CALENDAR 6 SATURDAY (CONTINUED)

Vergennes Holiday Stroll: Cookie decorating, decoration making, a craft fair, a visit with Santa and musical performances are highlights of this festive community celebration in the Little City.

See full schedule at addisoncounty.com/holidaystroll. Downtown Vergennes, 7:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Various prices; most events are free. Info, 388-7951, ext. 1.

Waldorf Holiday Fair: See December 5, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

Winter Holidays Party: Gingerbread making and holiday crafts keep kids busy while adults help decorate the library for the giving season.

Dorothy Alling Memorial Library, Williston, 10:30 a.m. Free. Info, 878-4918.

Wreath Making: Kids and adults fashion a basic ring of greenery, with fancy embellishments available for purchase. Ages 10 and up. Fairfax Community Library, 10 a.m.-noon. $12-20; preregister. Info, 849-2420.

Library & Books

Therapy Dogs of Vermont: Canine enthusiasts visit with a friendly pooch from Therapy Dogs of Vermont. Ages 3 and up. Milton Public Library, 10:30 a.m. Free. Info, 893-4644.

Music Vermont Fiddle Orchestra Winter Concert: This annual presentation includes youth performers, a silent auction and refreshments.

On the green in front of College Hall Chapel.

Vermont College of Fine Arts, Montpelier, 7 p.m. $12-15; free for children 12 and under. Info, 229-4191.

Nature & Science

Theater The Musical Story of the Nutcracker: See December 5.

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

7 SUNDAY

Baby & Maternity

Burlington Postnatal Yoga: Moms bring their pre-crawling kids to an all-levels flowing yoga class focused on bringing the body back to strength and alignment in a fun, nurturing environment. Evolution Yoga, Burlington, 12:15-1:30 p.m. $14. Info, 864-9642.

Burlington Prenatal Yoga: See December 2.

10:05-11:30 a.m.

Dance

'The Musical Story of the Nutcracker': See December 5, 2 p.m.

Education

High School Open House: Prospective families join administrators, teachers and coaches to learn more about this Catholic high school, then take a self-guided tour of the renovated campus.

Rice Memorial High School, South Burlington, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 862-6521.

Fairs & Festivals

Vermont International Festival: See December 5, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Food

Candy-Cane-Making Demo: See December 3.

Health & Fitness

Essex Sunday Open Gym: Little gymnasts stretch, bounce and jump in an open play space.

The under 7 crowd is welcome from 1-2:30 while the 7 to 12-year-olds come from 2:30-4 followed by ages 13 and up from 4-5:30. Regal Gymnastics Academy, Essex, 1-5:30 p.m. $8.

Info, 655-3300.

Ice Skating for Dads & Kids: Male role models and family members bring the kids in their lives to the rink for some fun-filled gliding and refreshments. Central Vermont Memorial Civic

Center, Montpelier, 4-5:15 p.m.

Free. Info, 595-7953.

Montpelier Kids Yoga: Young yogis cap off their weekend with themed classes that open with a short meditation and encourage creativity and collaboration.

Ages 3-7. Grateful Yoga, Montpelier, 4:15-5:15 p.m. $12. Info, 224-6183.

Holidays

Christmas at the Farm: See December 6.

Christmas Extravaganza: See December 6.

Christmas-Tree Lighting & Caroling: 'Tis the season for decorative evergreens! The Colchester Community Chorus provide a festive soundtrack for crafts, hot cocoa and cookies. All ages. Burnham Memorial Library, Colchester, 4 p.m. Free. Info, 264-5660.

Deck the Halls: See December 5.

Holiday Concert & Sing Along: The Milton Community Band presents a performance of seasonal music, with lots of familiar tunes. Milton High School, 2 p.m. Free. Info, 893-4922.

Nature & Science My Sky: See December 6.

Theater

Curious George: The Golden Meatball: The unquenchably inquisitive monkey of Margret and H.A. Rey's beloved book series comes to the stage in a fun-filled, globe-trotting and delicious adventure. Ages 5 and up. The Moore Theater.

Hopkins Center for the Arts, Hanover, 3 p.m. $13-23. Info, 603-646-2422.

The Musical Story of the Nutcracker: See December 5, 2 p.m.

8 MONDAY

Arts & Crafts

Crafternoon: Art-minded kids get the weekend off to a creative start. Grades 4 and up. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 3-4:30 p.m. Free. Info, 878-6956.

Toddler Time Art Class: See December 3.

Submit your February events for print by January 15 at kidsvt.com or to calendar@kidsvt.com.

Baby & Maternity

Montpelier Prenatal Yoga: Pregnant mamas focus on movements that will ready their bodies for the next phase of life. Yoga Mountain Center, Montpelier, 5:30-7 p.m. $15. Info, 778-0300.

Vergennes Prenatal Yoga: Moms-to-be learn different breathing techniques and positions in preparation for birth. 2 Wolves Holistic Center, Vergennes, 6-7:15 p.m. $14. Info, 870-0361.

Health & Fitness

Essex Open Gym: See December 2.

Itty Bitty Public Skating: See December 4.

Little Yogis: Music, games and playful poses encourage the bitty set to learn and have fun.

Ages 18 months-3 years with a caregiver. 2 Wolves Holistic Center, Vergennes, 9-10 a.m. $14. Info, 870-0361.

Montpelier After-School Yoga: This community-cultivating class for kids ages 8-12 explores themes including animals, plants, outer space and superheroes. Grateful Yoga, Montpelier, 4:15-5:15 p.m. $12. Info, 224-6183.

Shelburne Open Gym: See December 2, 10 a.m., noon & 5:30 p.m.

Tots Yoga: Preschool posers develop their practice away from caregivers with tunes, storytelling and creative movement. Ages 3-5. 2 Wolves Holistic Center, Vergennes, 10:30-11:30 a.m. $14. Info, 870-0361.

Williston Open Gym: See December 2.

Music

Kids Music with Raphael: Local favorite Raphael Groton plays tunes to make the little ones dance and giggle. All ages. The Skinny Pancake, Burlington, 11-11:30 a.m. $3 per family. Info, 540-0188.

Music for Preschoolers: See December 4. 11 a.m.

9 TUESDAY

Arts & Crafts

Creative Tuesdays: See December 2.

Baby & Maternity

Burlington La Leche League: New moms bring their questions to a breast feeding support group. Babies and older children welcome.

Lending library available. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 10:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m. Free. Info, 879-3000.

Burlington Prenatal Yoga: See December 2.

! s r e t i r W g n u o Y g n i ll a C y Day? What’s ow n S he T ad re u Have yo do in the snow? to g in th te ri o v your fa y 15 for a chance ar u n Ja y b it t u o Write ab Crow Bookshop! to rd ca ft gi 25 $ to win a tails.

See page 12 for de

32

KIDS VT

DECEMBER 2014/JANUARY 2015

KIDSVT.COM

Exploring Magnets: Budding scientists experiment with invisible pull. All ages. Montshire Museum of Science, Norwich, 11 a.m. Regular museum admission, $11-14; free for members and children under 2. Info, 649-2200.

Lab Coat Investigations: Young scientists explore a range of topics, from extracting DNA to making batteries. Ages 9 and up. Montshire Museum of Science, Norwich, 3 p.m. Regular museum admission, $11-14; free for members and children under 2. Info, 649-2200.

My Sky: Astronomy enthusiasts learn about celestial objects in this program geared toward kids ages 3-8. Fairbanks Museum & Planetarium, St. Johnsbury, 12:30 p.m. $2; $5 per family.

Info, 748-2372.

Story Explorers: When it Starts to Snow: See December 2.

K4h-Bookworms1214.indd 1

11/21/14 3:00 PM

Shelburne Prenatal Yoga: See December 2.

Chess Club: See December 2.

Food

Gingerbread Houses: See December 6, 3:30 p.m.

Playgroups

Williston Open Gym: See December 2.

Games

Library & Books

Health & Fitness

Essex Open Gym: See December 2.

Shelburne Open Gym: See December 2.

Gaming For Teens & Adults: See December 2.

Read to a Dog: See December 2.

Music

Children's Sing-Along With Lesley Grant: See December 2.

Music With Mr. Chris: See December 2.

10 WEDNESDAY, P.34

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 playgroup organizer or visit kidsvt.com for site-specific details. Most playgroups follow the school calendar.

MONDAY

WEDNESDAY

Barre Open Gym: Sunrise Gymnastics, Mondays, 10 a.m.-noon, $10 per child; $5 for additional siblings. Info, 223-0517.

Burlington Crawlers, Waddlers & Toddlers: St. Joseph School, 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Free.

Info, 862-2121.

Burlington Playgroup: Robert Miller Community & Recreation Center, 9-10:30 a.m. Free.

Info, 578-6471.

Charlotte Playgroup: Charlotte Central School, 9:30-11 a.m. Free. Info, 764-5820.

Fusion 802 Playgroup: Fusion 802, 9:30-11 a.m. Free. Info, 876-7555.

Jericho Playgroup: Jericho Community Center, 9:30-11 a.m. Free. Info, 899-4415.

Richford Playgroup: Richford Elementary, 9:30-10:30 a.m. Free. Info, 370-4797.

Swanton Playgroup: Swanton Elementary School, 9:30-11 a.m. Free. Info, 527-5426.

Waldorf Playgroup: Orchard Valley Waldorf School Main Campus, 1-2:30 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 456-7400.

Williston Playgroup: Alice in Noodleland: Buttered Noodles, 10-11 a.m. Free. Does not meet June 23. Info, 764-1810.

Barre Open Gym: See Monday.

Burlington Playgroup: See Monday.

Colchester Playgroup: Colchester Village Meeting House, 9:30-11 a.m. Free. Info, 264-5643.

Essex Building Bright Futures Baby Playgroup: Move You Fitness Studio, 9-10:30 a.m.

Free. Info, 876-7555.

Fairfield Playgroup: Bent Northrop Memorial Library, 9:30-11 a.m. Free. Info, 827-3945.

Hinesburg Playgroup: Hinesburg Town Hall, 10-11:30 a.m. Free. Info, 482-4667.

Richmond Playgroup: Richmond Free Library, 8:45-10:15 a.m. Free. Info, 899-4415.

Shelburne Playgroup: Trinity Episcopal Church, 9:30-11 a.m. Free. Info, 764-5820.

South Royalton Playgroup: United Church on the Green, 9:30-11 a.m. Free. Info, 6852264, ext. 24.

St. Albans Building Better Families Playgroup: NCSS Family Center, St. Albans, 9-10:30 a.m. Free. Info, 527-5426.

Williston Babytime Playgroup: Dorothy Alling Memorial Library, first Wednesday of every month, 6-7:30 p.m. Free. Info, 878-4918.

Williston Evening Playgroup: Dorothy Alling Memorial Library, first Wednesday of every month, 6-7:30 p.m. Free. Info, 876-7555.

TUESDAY

THURSDAY Alburgh Playgroup: NCSS Family Center, Alburgh, 9:30-11 a.m. Free. Info, 527-5426.

Brandon Stories & Crafts: Brandon Free Public Library, 9:30 a.m. Free. Info, 247-8230.

Burlington Playgroup: See Monday.

Essex Junction Building Bright Futures Playgroup: See Tuesday. 9:30-11 a.m.

FRIDAY Barre Open Gym: See Monday. 10:30 a.m.12:30 p.m.

Colchester Playgroup: See Wednesday.

Essex Center Motor-Based Playgroup: Memorial Hall, Dec. 19, 9-10:30 a.m. Free. Info, 876-7555.

Huntington Playgroup: Huntington Public Library, 10:30 a.m.-noon. Free. Info, 899-4415.

Montgomery Tumble Time: Montgomery Elementary School, 10-11 a.m. Free. Info, 347-1780.

Randolph Toddler Time: Kimball Public Library, 10:30 a.m. Free. Info, 728-5073.

Swanton Playgroup: Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, 9-10:30 a.m. Free. Info, 868-3033.

Underhill Playgroup: Underhill Central School, 9:30-11 a.m. Free. Info, 899-4415.

Williston Playgroup: Allen Brook School, 9:30-11 a.m. Free. Info, 876-7555.

Worcester Playgroup: Doty Memorial School, 9:30-11 a.m. Free. Info, 223-1312.

SATURDAY Essex Junction Building Bright Futures Preschool Open Gym: Maple Street Recreation Center, Every other Saturday, 3-4:30 p.m. Free.

Info, 878-1613.

Franklin Tumble Time & Playgroup: Franklin Central School, Dec. 6, 9-11:15 a.m. Free.

Meets December 7 and January 11. Info, 370-0838.

SUNDAY Barre Older Kid Open Gym: Sunrise Gymnastics, 5-7 p.m. $10 for one child; $5 for additional siblings. Info, 223-0517.

KIDSVT.COM

Bradford Playgroup: Grace United Methodist Church, 9-11 a.m. Free. Info, 685-2264, ext. 24.

Brookfield Playgroup: First Congregational Church of Brookfield, 9:30-11:30 a.m. Free.

Info, 685-2264, ext. 24.

Burlington Dad’s Night: VNA Family Room, 3-7 p.m. Free. Info, 860-4420.

Essex Junction Building Bright Futures Playgroup: Maple Street Recreation Center, 9-10:30 a.m. Free. Info, 876-7555.

Johnson Baby Chat: Church of the Nazarene, fourth Tuesday of every month, 10-11:30 a.m.

Free. Info, 888-3470.

Essex Junction Building Bright Futures Spanish Playgroup: Maple Street Recreation Center, first Thursday of every month, 11 a.m.12:30 p.m. Free. Info, 876-7555.

Hinesburg Infant Playgroup: CarpenterCarse Library, 10:30 a.m.-noon. Free. Info, 482-4667.

Montgomery Playgroup: Montgomery Town Library, 9-10:30 a.m. Free. Info, 527-5426.

Morrisville Baby Chat: First Congregational Church of Morrisville, first Thursday of every month, 10-11:30 a.m.

Free. Info, 888-3470.

Randolph Playgroup: White River Craft Center, 9:30-11:30 a.m. Free. Info, 6852264, ext. 24.

West Fairlee Playgroup: Westshire Elementary Playgroup, 9-11 a.m. Free. Info, 685-2264, ext. 24.

DECEMBER 2014/JANUARY 2015 KIDS VT

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A Jolly Ol’ Month

Courtesy of Better Middlebury Partnership

Soak up some holiday magic during A very merry middleburY, a town-wide celebration that runs through December. On the first Saturday of the month, horse-drawn carriages offer rides while kids wait for a chance to meet Old Saint Nick. The next Saturday, seasonal characters — including a snowman, reindeer, Santa, and Anna and Elsa from Frozen — join families for a pancake breakfast. Find at least six tiny reindeer hidden in downtown shop windows and enter to win “Middlebury Money” for local shopping or one of the framed reindeer, created by children’s book author Ashley Wolff.

A very merry middlebury: Monday, December 1, through Wednesday, December 31, at various locations in downtown Middlebury. All ages. Info, verymerrymiddlebury@gmail.com. experiencemiddlebury.com

Nature & Science

Story Explorers: You are a Lion!: Through simple yoga moves, kids explore what it's like to use their bodies to mimic animals. ECHO Lake Aquarium and Science Center, Burlington, 10:30-11 a.m. Regular museum admission; $10.50-13.50; free for children under 3. Info, 877-324-6386.

10 WEDNESDAY

34

Kids VT

December 2014/january 2015

kidsvt.com

Arts & Crafts

Toddler Time Art Class: See December 3.

Baby & Maternity

Montpelier Postnatal Yoga: See December 3.

Education

History for Homeschoolers: Homeschooled kids learn about topics related to Vermont history, from the Abenaki to skiing. Ages 6-12.

Vermont History Museum, Montpelier, 1-3 p.m. $4-5; free for parents and nonparticipating children; preregister. Info, 828-1314.

Food

Candy-Cane-Making Demo: See December 3.

Kids in the Kitchen: Gingerbread Houses: Budding architects craft fanciful dwellings decorated with gum drops, candy canes and chocolate kisses. All ages. Healthy Living Market and Café, South Burlington, 4-5 p.m. $20 per parent-child pair; preregister. Info, 863-2569.

Games

Family Game Night: Players sit down for friendly competitions of Candy Land, checkers and Monopoly. Bring your own board or borrow from the library. Georgia Public Library, Fairfax, 6:30-7:30 p.m. Free. Info, 524-4643.

Health & Fitness

Essex Open Gym: See December 2.

Shelburne Open Gym: See December 2, noon.

Williston Open Gym: See December 2.

Library & Books

Lego Club: Mini-makers participate in surprise challenges with colorful interlocking blocks.

Ages 6 and up. Fairfax Community Library, 3-4 p.m. Free. Info, 849-2420.

Pajama Story Time: Flannel-clad kiddos bring their favorite stuffed animals for tales, crafts and a bedtime snack. Dorothy Alling Memorial Library, Williston, 6:30 p.m. Free. Info, 876-7555.

Music

Moving & Grooving With Christine: See December 3.

Preschool Music With Derek: See December 3.

Rockin' Ron the Friendly Pirate: See December 3.

Song Circle: Community Sing-Along: Songbirds raise their voices while Rich and Laura Atkinson accompany on a variety of

instruments. All ages. Jaquith Public Library, Marshfield, 6:45 p.m. Free. Info, 426-3581.

the library's giant collection. All ages. St. Albans Free Library, 3-5 p.m. Free. Info, 524-1507.

11 THURSDAY

Health & Fitness

Arts & Crafts

Needle Felting Class: Budding fiber artists make a sweet ornament with the help of a cookie cutter. Ages 6 and up. Children under 14 must be accompanied by an adult. Fairfax Community Library, 6-8 p.m. Free. Info, 849-2420.

Pollywog Preschool Art Drop-In: See December 4.

Baby & Maternity

Burlington Prenatal Yoga: See December 2, 5:45-7:15 p.m.

Infant Massage: See December 4.

Community

Stuttering Support Group: School-age children with stutters and their families are invited to join these community-building gatherings.

Meets at Pomeroy Hall. University of Vermont, Burlington, 4:14-5:15 p.m. Free. Info, 656-0250.

Education

History for Homeschoolers: See December 10.

Games

St. Albans Legos: Block lovers keep busy with

Essex Open Gym: See December 2.

Itty Bitty Public Skating: See December 4.

Shelburne Open Gym: See December 2.

Yoga with Danielle: See December 4.

Library & Books

Hinesburg Lego Club: See December 4.

Lego Thursdays: See December 4.

Music

Music for Preschoolers: See December 4.

12 FRIDAY

Arts & Crafts

Family Wheel Drop-In: See December 5.

Community

Wassail Weekend on the Farm: History lovers celebrate the holidays like it's 1890 with traditional music, sleigh rides, crafts and more. All ages. Billings Farm & Museum, Woodstock, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Regular admission, $4-14; free for children under 3. Info, 457-2355.

Woodstock Wassail Weekend: Townwide festivities include visits with Santa, an equestrian parade, theater and musical performances, a

Submit your February events for print by January 15 at kidsvt.com or to calendar@kidsvt.com.

Community

home tour and a craft fair. All ages. Various locations, Woodstock. Prices vary by event. Info, 457-3555.

Education

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

Homeschool Project Day: Outof-classroom learners share their current projects with an audience of parents and siblings. Grades K through 12. Milton Public Library, 2:30 p.m.

Free. Info, 893-4644.

Food

Candy-Cane-Making Demo: See December 3.

Health & Fitness

Essex Open Gym: See December 2.

Shelburne Open Gym: See December 2, noon, 2 & 6 p.m.

Williston Open Gym: See December 2.

Holidays Essex Village Tree Lighting & Train Hop: Everything is illuminated during this festive celebration with model train displays, the Roaming Railroad and a bonfire. Essex Junction (Downtown), 6-9 p.m. Free,. Info, 878-6944.

Library & Books

Early Bird Math: See December 5.

Train Hop: Families view model choo choos at the library. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, Free. Info, 878-6956.

Music Kids Music With Linda 'Tickle Belly' Bassick: See December 5.

Music With Derek: See December 5.

Music With Robert: See December 5.

Nature & Science

Robins Nest Nature Playgroup: See December 5.

Theater

'A Christmas Carol': Nebraska Theatre Caravan stages a musical adaptation of Charles Dickens' classic tale of Ebenezer Scrooge with colorful costumes, a live orchestra and showstopping special effects. (See calendar spotlight on page 27.) Flynn MainStage, Burlington, 7 p.m. $15-$42. Info, 863-5966.

Arts & Crafts

Candy-Cane-Making Demo: See December 3, 11 a.m. & 2 p.m.

Health & Fitness

Shelburne Open Gym: See December 2. 9 & 10:10 a.m.

Yoga Tots: Young yogis stretch it out in exercises meant to build self-esteem and positive attitudes toward physical activity. Ages 1-8.

Highgate Town Office Building, 9 a.m. Free; preregister. Info, 868-3970.

Holidays

Christmas at the Farm: See December 6.

Gingerbread House Decorating: Sweettoothed kids make and take a sturdy confection.

Highgate Public Library, Highgate Center, 10 & 11 a.m. Free; preregister. Info, 868-3970.

Holiday Character Breakfast: Revelers join Anna and Elsa, a gingerbread man, candy cane and reindeer for pancakes, coloring, balloons and a photo booth with props. All ages. Middlebury Inn, 8:30 & 10 a.m. $5-8. Info, 377-3557.

Holiday Market & Tree Cutting: Seasonal shoppers browse locavore candles, soap, produce, sweets and pizza while partaking in complimentary food-focused demos. Green Mountain Girls Farm, Northfield, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Free entry. Info, 276-0787.

Old-Fashioned Visits With Santa: Deserving kids read their holiday wish lists to jolly Saint Nick in a real toy workshop. Maple Landmark Woodcraft, Middlebury, 10 a.m.-noon. Free.

Info, 377-3557.

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Moving Light Dance coMpany presents the 8th annuaL

Green Mountain Nutcracker The holiday dance classic with an original made-in-Vermont twist!

Library & Books

Manga Club: Like-minded peers share their favorite Japanese comics. Grades 6 and up.

Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 3-4 p.m.

Free. Info, 878-6956.

Nature & Science

Bird-Monitoring Walk: Beginning birders embrace ornithology on an identification walk.

Appropriate for older children. Green Mountain Audubon Center, Huntington, 8-10 a.m.

Donations appreciated. Info, 434-3068.

Illuminate the Lake: This 19-day celebration of winter, animals and lights features live animal visits on three consecutive Saturdays, including arctic fox, Siberian huskies and reindeer. ECHO Lake Aquarium and Science Center, Burlington, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Regular museum admission; $10.50-13.50; free for children under 3. Info, 877-324-6386.

My Sky: See December 6.

Theater

'An Irish Christmas in America': Sprightly singers and dancers transport family audiences to the Emerald Isle. Recommended for ages 7 and up. Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center, Stowe, 7 p.m. $20-38. Info, 760-4634.

Sat. Dec. 20 @7pm • Sun. Dec. 21 @ 2pm Barre opera house, Barre, vt.

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Darkroom Class: Fledgling photogs develop unique images using light and objects. Ages 8-12. BCA Center, Burlington, 1:30-3:30 p.m. $25; preregister. Info, 865-7166.

Family Day: Seasonal art activities, including gingerbread-house building, make for a creative afternoon for families. Helen Day Art Center, Stowe, 1-4 p.m. Free. Info, 253-8358.

Winter Gifts: Using recycled and natural materials as inspiration, fans of handmade crafts make beautiful "green" objects and prepare yummy treats. All ages. Shelburne Farms, 9:3011:30 a.m. & 12:30-2:30 p.m. $20-23 per parent/ child pair; $15-17 per each additional child; preregister. Info, 985-8686.

Food

Dr. Christine Murray and Dr. Peter Casson are pleased to announce the opening of Northeastern Reproductive Medicine.

KIDSVT.COM DECEMBER 2014/JANUARY 2015

13 SATURDAY

Wassail Weekend on the Farm: See December 12, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Woodstock Wassail Weekend: See December 12.

DEC CALENDAR Kids VT Spectacular Spectacular: Vermont's rising stars ages 5-13 wow the crowd with two-minute acts showcasing their talents.

Performances by Urban Dance Complex, Regal Gymnastics, McFadden Irish Dance Company and Very Merry Theatre provide additional entertainment. Higher Ground, South Burlington, noon. $7-10; free for children under 7. Info, 985-5482.

14 SUNDAY

Arts & Crafts

Gingerbread House & Ornament Making: Hot cocoa and holiday music set the stage as families decorate graham cracker structures and create dangly baubles to hang from the tree. ONE Arts Center, Burlington, 10 a.m.-noon. $25 per family; preregister. Info, oneartscollective@gmail.com.

Baby & Maternity

Burlington Prenatal Yoga: See December 2.,10:05-11:30 a.m.

Community

Wassail Weekend on the Farm: See December 12, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Woodstock Wassail Weekend: See December 12.

Education

Hebrew School Open House: Before the synagogue's Chanukah party, visitors check out classes for kids ages 3-12. Ohavi Zedek Synagogue, Burlington, 10:30-11:30 a.m. Free. Info, 864-0218.

Candy-Cane-Making Demo: See December 3.

Health & Fitness

Essex Sunday Open Gym: See December 7.

Montpelier Kids Yoga: See December 7.

Holidays

Christmas at the Farm: See December 6.

Holiday Market & Tree Cutting: See December 13, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

KIDSVT.COM

Nature & Science

Gardening for Kids: Green-thumbed kiddos learn simple and fun techniques to grow fresh salad greens all winter. Ages 3 and up with an adult. City Market, Burlington, 12-1 p.m. $5-10; adults free with a paid child; preregister. Info, 861-9757.

Illuminate the Lake: See December 13, 10 a.m.5 p.m.

My Sky: See December 6.

15 MONDAY

Arts & Crafts

Toddler Time Art Class: See December 3.

Baby & Maternity

Montpelier Prenatal Yoga: See December 8.

Vergennes Prenatal Yoga: See December 8.

Games

After-School Games: Gamers bring their own Magic, Pokémon or Yu-Gi-Oh! cards, or borrow a deck from the library. Snacks provided.

Grades 3 and up. Dorothy Alling Memorial Library, Williston, 3-4 p.m. Free. Info, 878-4918.

Lego Club: Builders fashion architecturally sound constructions. Ages 7-12. Milton Public Library, 3:30-5 p.m. Free. Info, 893-4644.

Health & Fitness

Food

Mom!

Essex Open Gym: See December 2.

Itty Bitty Public Skating: See December 4.

Little Yogis: See December 8.

Montpelier After-School Yoga: See December 8.

Shelburne Open Gym: See December 2, 10 a.m., noon & 5:30 p.m.

Tots Yoga: See December 8.

Williston Open Gym: See December 2.

Breastfeeding Café: Moms nurse their babies, chat and pose questions to a certified lactation See Dr. First videos consultant. Pregnant women, “First With Kids” at dads and siblings welcome. Ilsley uvmhealth.org Public Library, Middlebury, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Free. Info, 349-3825.

Library & Books Burlington Prenatal Yoga: See December 2.

Babies & Toddlers Rock: Little musicians ages 24 months and under sing songs Shelburne Prenatal Yoga: See December 2. and engage in early literacy activities. Rutland Free Library, 10-10:30 a.m. Free. Info, 773-1860.

Games 'Star Wars' Club: Costumed young fans chanChess Club: See December 2. nel the Force as they chat about their favorite characters. Popcorns and drinks provided. All Health & Fitness ages. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 4:30Essex Open Gym: See December 2.

5:30 p.m. Free. Info, 878-6956.

Shelburne Open Gym: See December 2.

Music Williston Open Gym: See December 2.

Kids Music with Raphael: See December 8.

Library & Books Music for Preschoolers: See December 4, 11 Gaming For Teens & Adults: See December 2. a.m.

Read to a Dog: See December 2.

Nature & Science

Books & Beyond: Science for Preschoolers: Children’s literature and hands-on activities combine for fun science learning and exploration. Ages 3-5 with a parent or caregiver.

Montshire Museum of Science, Norwich, 10:1511 & 11:30 a.m.-12:15 p.m. Regular museum admission, $11-14; free for children under 2.

Info, 649-2200.

Illuminate the Lake: See December 13, 10 a.m.5 p.m.

16 TUESDAY

Arts & Crafts

Music

Children's Sing-Along With Lesley Grant: See December 2.

Music With Mr. Chris: See December 2.

Nature & Science

Illuminate the Lake: See December 13. 10 a.m.5 p.m.

17 WEDNESDAY

Arts & Crafts

Toddler Time Art Class: See December 3.

Creative Tuesdays: See December 2.

Preschool Story Hour: Fishing for Art: Wee ones and their caregivers listen to the book Matisse's Fish, then tour the museum's sculpture court and make a fish print. Ages 3-5.

Plattsburgh State Art Museum, N.Y.,10-11:30 a.m. Free; preregistration appreciated. Info, 518-564-2498.

Baby & Maternity

Montpelier Postnatal Yoga: See December 3.

Food

Candy-Cane-Making Demo: See December 3.

Q go ask dad is a monthly feature asking fathers to answer a question.

Have a question idea? Email us at ideas@kidsvt.com

Why don’t you go ask dad!

Open daily 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

1302 Main Street, St. Johnsbury, VT fairbanksmuseum.org

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Baby & Maternity

Holiday Doodles: Young artists grab a pencil and explore different ways to draw and create elf-like characters. South Burlington Community Library, 4-4:30 p.m.

Free. Info, 652-7080.

Explore YOUR universe in northern New England’s Museum of Natural History.

Yes honey?

Where was my brother before he was in your belly?

Holidays

KIDS VT

DECEMBER 2014/JANUARY 2015

Holiday Pageant: Very Merry Theatre youth performers put on a seasonal show. 333 Stage Performing Arts Studio, Burlington, 2 p.m. Free.

Info, 355-1461.

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Kids in the Kitchen: Teacher Gifts: Parents finish their own holiday shopping while kids of all ages get busy making shortbread cookies, caramel sauce, hot chocolate mix and peppermint bark pretzels. Healthy Living Market and Café, South Burlington, 4-6 p.m. $25 per child; preregister. Info, 863-2569.

Health & Fitness

Essex open Gym: See December 2. shelburne open Gym: See December 2, noon.

Williston open Gym: See December 2.

Library & Books

Read to a dog: See December 4.

movies

marshfield Family-Themed movies: A wholesome flick entertains viewers of all ages.

Jaquith Public Library, Marshfield, 7 p.m. Free.

Info, 426-3581.

music

moving & Grooving With christine: See December 3.

Preschool music With derek: See December 3.

Rockin' Ron the Friendly Pirate: See December 3.

Nature & science

illuminate the Lake: See December 13, 10 a.m.5 p.m.

18 THURSDAY

Arts & crafts

Knitting for Kids: Novices learn how to knit a hat on the library's looms. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 3-4:30 p.m. Free. Info, 878-6955.

Pollywog Preschool Art drop-in: See December 4.

Baby & maternity

Burlington Prenatal Yoga: See December 2.

5:45-7:15 p.m. infant massage: See December 4.

montpelier La Leche League: Breastfeeding moms make new friends as they discuss the joys and challenges of nursing. Snacks provided. Lending library available. Babies and toddlers welcome. Good Beginnings, Montpelier, 9:30-11:30 a.m. Free. Info, 244-1254.

Food

Kids in the Kitchen: Gingerbread Houses: See December 10.

Health & Fitness

Essex open Gym: See December 2. itty Bitty Public skating: See December 4. shelburne open Gym: See December 2.

Yoga with danielle: See December 4.

Holidays

military Kids Holiday "drop & shop': Kids with parents in the armed services enjoy a fun-filled night of activities, games and food, while the grown-ups take care of their to-do lists. Ages 6-13 and younger siblings ages 3-5 if potty-trained. Camp Johnson, Colchester, 4-9 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 656-2073. stories on The screen: Kiddos make ornaments and eat cookies as they watch an animated holiday film based on a popular picture book. Ages 3 and up. South Burlington Community Library, 4-4:45 p.m. Free. Info, 652-7080.

Library & Books

community Book discussion: Readers chat about author Rainbow R. Rowell, author of Eleanor & Park and Fangirl. Milton Public Library, 7 p.m. Free. Info, 893-4644.

Hinesburg Lego club: See December 4.

Lego Thursdays: See December 4.

'The Gingerbread Boy': The Traveling Storyteller presents this cute, seasonal tale, followed by a craft suited to preschoolers. Fairfax Community Library, 6-7:30 p.m. Free. Info, 849-2420.

movies middle school Books-to-Film discussion: In December, bookworms read A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens in advance, then watch the movie version over snacks. Milton Public Library, 3:30 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 893-4644.

Food

music

music for Preschoolers: See December 4.

candy-cane-making demo: See December 3.

Games

Nature & science

illuminate the Lake: See December 13, 10 a.m.5 p.m.

Parenting

Winter Warming Party: Tots and their parents celebrate the interior of the Nest, Good Beginnings' new space for families, with a chili lunch and gingerbread decorating. Good Beginnings, Montpelier, noon-2 p.m. Free. Info, 595-7953.

Theater

'The christmas Revels': Help solve the Mystery of Haddon Hall! Drama and processionals, festive dance and glorious carols and music from the Middle Ages to the early 20th Century combine for a holiday extravaganza. Family night on December 18 gives audience members the opportunity to meet the cast and see the instruments used in the show at 6 p.m. before the performance. Recommended for ages 4 and up. Hopkins Center for the Arts, Hanover, 7 p.m. $8-38. Info, 603-556-3083.

19 FRIDAY

Arts & crafts

Parents Night out: Artistic kiddos engage in fun, creative activities while parents enjoy some "me time." Pizza dinner with veggies provided. ONE Arts Center, Burlington, 5:30-9:30 p.m. $30 for the first child; $10 for an additional child; preregister. Info, oneartscollective@ gmail.com.

Family Wheel drop-in: See December 5.

dungeons & dragons: Players exercise their problem-solving skills in imaginary battles and adventures. Grades 6 and up. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 6-8 p.m. Free. Info, 878-6956.

Health & Fitness

Essex open Gym: See December 2. shelburne open Gym: See December 2, noon, 2 & 6 p.m.

Williston open Gym: See December 2.

Holidays

Holiday Artist market: From pen-and-ink drawings to bike-part art, local artisans offer one-of-a-kind, handmade gifts. All ages. Burlington City Hall Auditorium, 4-8 p.m. Free. Info, 865-7166.

Library & Books

Early Bird math: See December 5.

Teen Advisory Board: Young adults think up original characters, then design them with marshmallows during this monthly gathering.

Grades 9-12. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 3:30-5 p.m. Free. Info, 878-6956.

movies

Holiday movie: 'Jack Frost': A father who has died returns as a snowman so he can make things right with his son in this heartwarming film. All ages. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 6:30 p.m. Free. Info, 878-6956.

submit your February events for print by January 15 at kidsvt.com or to calendar@kidsvt.com.

19 FRidAY, p.38

Visit the Shelburne Museum store for special sales on ornaments and unique holiday gifts!

AT SHELBURNE MUSEUM

Free for Museum Members or with Museum Admission.

December 2014/january 2015

Join us for a celebration of seasonal sounds, artistic activities and new exhibitions including Natural Beauties: Jewelry from Art Nouveau to Now and Homefront & Battlefield: Quilts and Context in the Civil War.

KidsVT.com

December 5–7, 11 a.m.–4 p.m.

Kids VT

6000 Shelburne Road Shelburne, VT ShelburneMuseum.org

37

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dec calendar 19 Friday (Continued)

Music

Flights of Fancy An evil sorcerer’s curse turns a beautiful princess into a swan in the folktale-inspired ‘swan lake’. The classic Tchaikovsky ballet premiered in Moscow in 1877; in January, the State Ballet Theatre of Russia brings it to Vermont as part of a U.S. tour. The company, which hails from celebrated dancer Rudolf Nureyev’s hometown of Ufa, is no stranger to the Green Mountain State. Its performance of Sleeping Beauty captivated audiences in Stowe just last year. If you missed that show, here’s a second chance to be enchanted.

‘Swan Lake’: Saturday, January 31, at 7 p.m. at Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center in Stowe. Recommended for ages 7 and up. $20-75; 25 percent discount for a Family 4-Pack. Info, 760-4634. sprucepeakarts.org

Kids Music With Linda 'Tickle Belly' Bassick: See December 5.

Music With Derek: See December 5.

Music With Robert: See December 5.

Nature & Science

Illuminate the Lake: See December 13, 10 a.m.5 p.m.

Ongoing Exhibits BURLINGTON TOWN CENTER Info, 658-2545 Santa at Burlington Town Center: Wishful kids visit with the big guy in red.

Through December 24.

DOWNTOWN MIDDLEBURY Info, experiencemiddlebury.com A Very Merry Middlebury: The college town is awash in holiday magic with an I Spy 10 Tiny Reindeer Contest, cut-outs of seasonal characters, free gift wrapping and a 25-cents-a-cup Hot Cocoa Hut in Cannon Park. (See calendar spotlight on page 31.) Visit bettermiddleburypartnership.org for more information. All ages. Through December 31.

ECHO LAKE AQUARIUM AND SCIENCE CENTER, burlington Info, 864-1848 ‘Coffee: The World in Your Cup’: Visitors to this traveling exhibit learn how coffee ‚“one of the world’s most widely traded commodities‚“ affects cultures economies and environments around the world. The beverage’s origins, methods of production and producers are also explored. Through January 4.

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Kids VT

December 2014/january 2015

kidsvt.com

MONTSHIRE MUSEUM OF SCIENCE, norwich Info, 649-2200 ‘Only Owls’: Forty two-dimensional artworks from the Woodson Art Museum’s collection provide insight into the fascinating world of these wise old birds. Through December 7.

VERMONT FOLKLIFE CENTER, middlebury Info, 388-4964 Gingerbread House Exhibit: Visitors feast their eyes on small abodes made out of sweet treats. Opening reception Friday, December 5 from 4-6 p.m. Through December 20.

WONDERFEET KIDS’ MUSEUM, rutland Fridays and Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Info, 282-2678 Wonderfeet Kids’ Museum: This children’s museum features interactive exhibits that allow kids to explore, role-play and create.

Holiday with the Animals: A family-friendly party includes holiday refreshments, face paint'The Christmas Revels': See Deing, dog- and cat-toy making, and cember 18. shelter animal visits. Humane See Dr. First videos Nightfires: This winter solstice Society/Central Vermont, East “First With Kids” at celebration, rooted in ancient traMontpelier, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Free; uvmhealth.org dition, features poetry and dance. donations appreciated. Info, Town Hall Theater, Middlebury, 8 476-3811. p.m. $20-24. Info, 382-9222.

Old-Fashioned Visits With 'Shrek the Musical': Rutland Santa: The round guy in red fields last-minute Youth Theatre presents this irreverently funny gift requests before he heads back up to the show about an ogre on a mission to rescue North Pole. All ages. Danforth Pewter, Middlefeisty Princess Fiona. All ages. Paramount Thebury, 10 a.m.-noon. Free. Info, 377-3557. atre, Rutland, 7 p.m. $10-12. Info, 775-0903.

Theater

20 SATURDAY

Arts & Crafts

Library & Books

Therapy Dogs of Vermont: See December 6, 10:30 a.m.

A Solstice Craft: Here comes the sun! Kids ages 5 and up celebrate its cycle by transforming a glass jar into a colorful "stained-glass" candle holder. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 10 a.m.-noon. Free. Info, 865-7216.

Nature & Science

Community

Theater

Shelburne Farms Sleigh Rides: Weather permitting, jingling horses trot visitors over the snow on a wintry tour of rolling acres. Rides leave every 20 minutes; seats are first come, first served. Shelburne Farms, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. $8-10; free for children under 3. Info, 985-8686.

'The Christmas Revels': See December 18. 2 & 7 p.m.

Nightfires: See December 19. 4 & 8 p.m.

'Shrek the Musical': See December 19, 2 & 7 p.m.

Dance

21 SUNDAY

Illuminate the Lake: See December 13, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

My Sky: See December 6.

Vermont's Own 'Nutcracker': Graceful ballerinas conquer the Mouse King and journey to the Land of Sweets in Vermont Ballet Theater's annual production of this holiday classic. Flynn MainStage, Burlington, 2 & 7 p.m. $22-35; children under 12 receive a 10 percent discount.

Info, 863-5966.

Arts & Crafts

Food

Baby & Maternity

Candy-Cane-Making Demo: See December 3, 11 a.m. & 2 p.m.

Burlington Prenatal Yoga: See December 2.

10:05-11:30 a.m.

Games

Community

Chess Club: Game players have fun with the library's sets. All ages but children 8 and under must be accompanied by an adult. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 3-4 p.m. Free. Info, 878-6956.

Candle Making for Kids: Participants mind their own beeswax as they make sources of light. Ages 3 and up with an adult. City Market, Burlington, 10:30-11:30 a.m. $5-10; adults free with paid child; preregister. Info, 861-9731.

Proud of your project?

✱ HABITAT

Invite us over!

Get home and garden ideas from your neighbors in Kids Vt. Habitat (page 51) celebrates places where Vermont families live and play. Do you have a creative space? Email us at ideas@kidsvt.com

8h-Kvt_Habitat.indd 1

11/21/14 2:34 PM

The place to gear your family up for winter

Dance

Holidays

Food

KIDSVT.COM

Shelburne Open Gym: See December 2, 9 & 10:10 a.m.

Williston Open Gym: See December 2, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.

Candy-Cane-Making Demo: See December 3.

Health & Fitness

Essex Sunday Open Gym: See December 7.

Holidays

Christmas at the Farm: See December 6, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Nature & Science

Illuminate the Lake: See December 13, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

My Sky: See December 6.

Powerplaysports + Route 100, Morrisville, VT + 802-888-6557

KIDS VT

39

Submit your February events for print by January 15 at kidsvt.com or to calendar@kidsvt.com.

XC Ski Packages | New and used skates and hockey sticks | Snowshoes

DECEMBER 2014/JANUARY 2015

Celebration of Lights: Crafts and activities help teach about Christmas, Chanukah, Kwanzaa and Winter Solstice during this multicultural celebration. Carnival-themed games provide additional amusement. F. H. Tuttle Middle School, South Burlington, 3-5 p.m. Free.

Info, 864-4108.

Christmas at the Farm: See December 6, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Holiday Artist Market: See December 19, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

11/24/14 11:08 AM

Shelburne Farms Sleigh Rides: See December 20, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.

‘The Nutcracker’: The beloved ballet, with Tchaikovsky’s soaring music, is brought to the stage by the Albany Berkshire Ballet. Paramount Theatre, Rutland, 2 & 6 p.m. $29.50-39.50. Info, 775-0903.

Vermont's Own 'Nutcracker': See December 20, 1 & 6:30 p.m.

Health & Fitness

k8h-Bellwether1214.indd 1

21 SUNDAY, P.40 4kt-Powerplay1214.indd 1

11/19/14 12:43 PM

DEC CALENDAR

Far Out

EARTH AND SPACE DAY: Saturday, January 31, 10:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. at Montshire Museum of Science in Norwich. Regular museum admission, $11-14; free for children under 2. Info, 649-2200. montshire.org

21 SUNDAY (CONTINUED)

Theater

40

KIDS VT

DECEMBER 2014/JANUARY 2015

KIDSVT.COM

'The Christmas Revels': See December 18, 1 & 5 p.m.

Nightfires: See December 19, 2 p.m.

Holiday

Christmas at the Farm: See December 6, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Health & Fitness

22 MONDAY

Itty Bitty Public Skating: See December 4.

Little Yogis: See December 8.

Tots Yoga: See December 8.

Arts & Crafts

Library & Books

Christmas Ornament Workshop: Festive tweens make beautiful decorations for the holidays. Ages 10-12. Milton Public Library, 1 p.m.

Free; preregister. Info, 893-4644.

Toddler Time Art Class: See December 3.

Baby & Maternity

Montpelier Prenatal Yoga: See December 8.

Vergennes Prenatal Yoga: See December 8.

Community

Shelburne Farms Sleigh Rides: See December 20, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.

Winter Solstice Celebration: The longest night of winter and the return of the sun is marked with stories, songs, crafts and snacks.

First session for grades 3-5. Second session for grades 6-8. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 2-3:30 & 4-5:30 p.m. Free. Info, 878-6956.

PHOTOS: MONTSHIRE MUSEUM OF SCIENCE

What are stars made of? How can the Big Dipper help humans measure time? What’s daily life like for an astronomer? Budding scientists find out during Montshire Museum’s EARTH AND SPACE DAY, an event devoted to planetary and astronomical exploration. Hands-on learners make mini-air-powered rockets, sundials and solar-system models, then sit back for a puppet show that illustrates the rock cycle. A Night Sky Tour in the museum’s theater reveals the constellations and planets kids will be able to see after the sun goes down. Bring on the night!

23 TUESDAY

Music With Mr. Chris: See December 2.

Arts & Crafts

Nature & Science

Creative Tuesdays: See December 2.

Baby & Maternity

Burlington Prenatal Yoga: See December 2.

Shelburne Prenatal Yoga: See December 2.

Community

Christmas at the Farm: See December 6, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Shelburne Farms Sleigh Rides: See December 20, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.

Games

Kids Music with Raphael: See December 8.

Music for Preschoolers: See December 4, 11 a.m.

Lego Fun: Budding builders share blocks.

Grades K and up; kids under 5 are welcome to participate with adult supervision. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 2-4 p.m. Free. Info, 878-6956.

Nature & Science

Library & Books

Music

Illuminate the Lake: See December 13, 10 a.m.5 p.m.

Submit your February events for print by January 15 at kidsvt.com or to calendar@kidsvt.com.

Gaming For Teens & Adults: See December 2.

Read to a Dog: See December 2.

Music

Children's Sing-Along With Lesley Grant: See December 2.

ECHO Story Explorers: Jack Frost: Little listeners enjoy a winter story, then pretend they're melting icicles and experiment with ice. ECHO Lake Aquarium and Science Center, Burlington, 10:30-11 a.m. Regular museum admission; $10.50-13.50; free for children under 3. Info, 877-324-6386.

Illuminate the Lake: See December 13, 10 a.m.5 p.m.

24 WEDNESDAY

Baby & Maternity

Montpelier Postnatal Yoga: See December 3.

Community

Shelburne Farms Sleigh Rides: See December 20, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.

Holiday

Christmas at the Farm: See December 6.

Music

Rockin' Ron the Friendly Pirate: See December 3.

Community

adult-child pair; preregister. Info, 863-2569.

Holiday

Christmas at the Farm: See December 6, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Library & Books

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

Spanish Musical Playgroup: Rhymes, books, songs and crafts en español entertain niños. Snacks provided.

Ages 5 and under. Dorothy Alling Memorial Library, Williston, 10:30 a.m. Free. Info, 878-4918.

Nature & Science

Bird-Monitoring Walk: Eagle-eyed participants bring binoculars to search the museum's property for fluttering feathers. Best for adults and older children. Birds of Vermont Museum, Huntington, 8-9:45 a.m. Donations welcome; preregister. Info, 434-2167.

Illuminate the Lake: See December 13, 10 a.m.5 p.m.

My Sky: See December 6.

Theater

'Ruckus: A Cirque Spectacular': Aerialists, acrobats, jugglers and vaudeville characters wow audiences in this family-friendly circus show.

Recommended for ages 5 and up. Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center, Stowe, 7 p.m. $20-46.

Info, 760-4634.

28 SUNDAY

Arts & Crafts

Webby's Art Studio: See December 26, 11 a.m.3 p.m.

Baby & Maternity

Burlington Prenatal Yoga: See December 2, 10:05-11:30 a.m.

Community 25 THURSDAY

Merry Christmas!

26 FRIDAY

Arts & Crafts

Library & Books

Early Bird Math: See December 5.

Movies

Movie Day at the Library: Film buffs catch a flick on the big screen. Call for film title. Snacks provided. Milton Public Library, 1 p.m. Free.

Info, 893-4644.

Music

Kids Music with Raphael: See December 8.

Music for Preschoolers: See December 4, 11 a.m.

Nature & Science

Illuminate the Lake: See December 13, 10 a.m.5 p.m.

30 TUESDAY

Arts & Crafts

Webby's Art Studio: See December 26, 11 a.m.3 p.m.

Baby & Maternity

Burlington Prenatal Yoga: See December 2.

Shelburne Prenatal Yoga: See December 2.

27 SATURDAY

Christmas at the Farm: See December 6, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Christmas at the Farm: See December 6, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Arts & Crafts

Nature & Science

Library & Books

Illuminate the Lake: See December 13, 10 a.m.5 p.m.

Shelburne Farms Sleigh Rides: See December 20, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.

Food

Arts & Crafts

Toddler Time Art Class: See December 3.

Webby's Art Studio: Build a Book: See December 26, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

Baby & Maternity

'Little Red Riding Hood': The Traveling Storyteller presents a fairytale puppet show for kids ages 2-12. Milton Public Library, 10 a.m. Free.

Info, 893-4644.

Gaming For Teens & Adults: See December 2.

Read to a Dog: See December 2.

Movies

Vacation Movie: 'Maleficent': Angelina Jolie stars in the story of a vengeful fairy driven to curse an infant princess. Popcorn and drinks provided. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 2 p.m. Free. Info, 878-6956.

30 TUESDAY, P.42

41

Montpelier Prenatal Yoga: See December 8.

Vergennes Prenatal Yoga: See December 8.

Chocolate-Bar Making: See December 26.

KIDS VT

Chocolate-Bar Making: See December 26.

Kids in the Kitchen: Peanut Butter Banana Wontons: A lunchtime classic finds a different shape as kids learn how to seal and stuff wonton wrappers, then pan-fry their creations to crunchy perfection. Healthy Living Market and Café, South Burlington, 10-11 a.m. $20 per

29 MONDAY

Food

DECEMBER 2014/JANUARY 2015

Community

Illuminate the Lake: See December 13, 10 a.m.5 p.m.

My Sky: See December 6.

Shelburne Farms Sleigh Rides: See December 20, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.

KIDSVT.COM

Christmas at the Farm: See December 6, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Intergenerational Dessert Book Discussion: Lit lovers gather for a good read-and-rant session, complete with something sweet. Grades 6 and up. Burnham Memorial Library, Colchester, 6:30 p.m. Free. Info, 264-5660.

'Rumpelstiltskin': The Traveling Storyteller presents the classic fairy tale of a little man who promises to spin straw into gold. All ages.

Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 2-3 p.m. Free.

Info, 878-6956.

Holiday

Webby's Art Studio: See December 26, 11 a.m.3 p.m.

Holiday

Library & Books

Holiday

Kids Music With Linda 'Tickle Belly' Bassick: See December 5.

Community

Chocolate-Bar Making: Budding chocolatiers temper and mold the sweet stuff, then create and wrap four goody-filled bars to take home.

Children under 9 must be accompanied by an adult. South End Kitchen, Burlington, 3 p.m. $25; preregister. Info, 864-0505.

Little Yogis: See December 8.

Tots Yoga: See December 8.

Community

Nature & Science

Food

Food

Health & Fitness

Kids in the Kitchen: Mashed Potato Sundaes!: Gravy, cheddar cheese, scallions, bacon bits, sour cream and chili turn a fluffy plate of potatoes into a flavorful masterpiece. All ages. Healthy Living Market and Café, South Burlington, 10-11 a.m. $20 per adult-child pair; preregister. Info, 863-2569.

Music

Webby's Art Studio: Young artists get creative during the holiday break with changing activities each day, from snowman sock puppets to accordion books. All ages. Shelburne Museum, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Regular winter museum admission, $5-8; free for children under 5. Info, 985-3346.

Shelburne Farms Sleigh Rides: See December 20, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.

Shelburne Farms Sleigh Rides: See December 20, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.

Christmas at the Farm: See December 6, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Shelburne Farms Sleigh Rides: See December 20, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.

DEC/JAN CALENDAR 30 TUESDAY (CONTINUED)

Community Shelburne Farms Sleigh Rides: See December 20, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.

Music

Children's Sing-Along With Lesley Grant: See December 2.

Music With Mr. Chris: See December 2.

Nature & Science

Illuminate the Lake: See December 13, 10 a.m.5 p.m.

31 WEDNESDAY

Baby & Maternity

Montpelier Postnatal Yoga: See December 3.

Holidays

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

Christmas at the Farm: See December 6, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

First Night Burlington: Circus arts, theater, music, dance and fireworks at 5:40 p.m. and midnight make for a fun-filled New Year’s Eve celebration for kids and adults alike. All ages. (See calendar spotlight on page 42.) Downtown Burlington, noon-midnight. $5-20 First Night button; free for children under 3; $5 tickets required for Circus Smirkus and Vermont Youth Orchestra and Taiko Drummers at the Flynn. Info, 863-6005.

First Night St. Johnsbury: Thousands of revelers convene for first-rate entertainment, from the amazing feats of Nimble Arts’ Ruckus Circus to the fun-filled, family-oriented songs of Steven Lindholm. Downtown St. Johnsbury, 4 p.m.-midnight. $10-20 First Night button; free for preschoolers. Info, 748-2600.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 1

Happy New Year!

Community

Shelburne Farms Sleigh Rides: See December 20, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.

Health & Fitness

Preschool Music With Derek: See December 3.

Rockin' Ron the Friendly Pirate: See December 3.

FirstRun New Year’s Day 5K: Families greet 2014 with their best foot forward at this jaunty, costumed race. Registration and packet pickup, 9:30-10:45 a.m.; kids fun runs, 10:30 a.m.; 5K, 11 a.m.; afterparty, 11:30 a.m. Memorial Auditorium, Burlington. $5-35. Info, 863-8412

Nature & Science

Holidays

Music

Illuminate the Lake: See December 13, 10 a.m.5 p.m.

Christmas at the Farm: See December 6.

Party Like It’s 2015

KIDS VT

42

FIRST NIGHT BURLINGTON: Wednesday, December 31, from noon to midnight at various locations in downtown Burlington. All ages. $15-20 for adult buttons; $5 for kids buttons; free for kids under 3; additional $5 tickets required for Circus Smirkus, Vermont Youth Orchesta and Burlington Taiko.

Info, 862-6005. firstnightburlington.com

COURTESY OF STEVEN MEASE

DECEMBER 2014/JANUARY 2015

KIDSVT.COM

Why wait until the sun goes down to celebrate the New Year? The Queen City gets an early start on the holiday with its annual allages event, FIRST NIGHT BURLINGTON. Cheer on a parade of dancing dragons. Feel the beat of traditional Japanese drums. Laugh it up at a kid-friendly comedy show. Stop by the Greater Burlington YMCA for make-and-take crafts or a dip in the pool. And see talented circus performers, musicians, dancers and theater troupes at a variety of downtown venues. The best part? The fireworks show starts at 5:40 p.m., which ensures the kids make it home before bedtime.

2 FRIDAY

Food

chocolate-Bar making: See December 26.

Library & Books

Early Bird math: See December 5.

music Kids music With Linda 'Tickle Belly' Bassick: See December 5.

3 SATURDAY

Looking for a babysitter?

• Babysitters & Eventyou Sitters can’t see What

$8-10; free for children under 3; preregister.

Info, 985-8686.

Games

• Full & Part Time Nannies • Temporary Nannies Available • Gift Certificates Available

Health & Fitness

What you iscan’t see Lead dust invisible.

can hurt you.

Lego club: See December 15, 3:30-5 p.m.

We are Vermont’s oldest & most experienced childcare placement agency.

Our providers have undergone an intensive screening process.

vermontnannyconnection.com • 872.1VNC(1862)

itty Bitty Public skating: See December 4.

Little yogis: See December 8.

Tots yoga: See December 8.

can hurt you.

What you can’t see What you can’t see can hurt you.

Lead dust is invisible. can hurt you.

Library & Books

12h-VtNanny1213.indd 1

shelburne Farms sleigh Rides: See December 20, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.

Babies & Toddlers Rock: See December 15, 10-10:30 a.m.

Write Now!: Best-selling authors-to-be get inspired to start penning a book or poem. Grades 6-12. Burnham Memorial Library, Colchester, 6:30 p.m. Free. Info, 264-5660. young adult advisory Board: See December 5.

Food

music

arts & crafts

Kids Building Workshop: See December 6.

community

chocolate-Bar making: See December 26.

Health & Fitness

yoga Tots: See December 13.

Library & Books

Therapy dogs of Vermont: See December 6.

Nature & science my sky: See December 6.

4 SUNDAY

Baby & maternity

Burlington Postnatal yoga: See December 7.

Burlington Prenatal yoga: See December 2, 10:05-11:30 a.m.

community

shelburne Farms sleigh Rides: See December 20, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.

Nature & science my sky: See December 6.

Theater

5 MONDAY

leaD Dust is invisible.

Lead dust is invisible.

Kids music with Raphael: See December 8. music for Preschoolers: See December 4, 11 a.m.

We can help

6 TUESDAY

Baby & maternity

Burlington Prenatal yoga: See December 2. shelburne Prenatal yoga: See December 2.

 Home built before 1978

Games

 Burlington or Winooski  Young children

chess club: See December 2.

Health & Fitness

CALLWe865-LEAD can help

Library & Books

Fairfax Game Night: See December 2.

Read to a dog: See December 2.

music

for FREE help  protecting family Home builtyour before 1978 from lead-

We can help  Burlington or Winooski based paint hazards

children's sing-along With Lesley Grant: See Home built before 1978 December 2. music With mr. chris: See December 2.  Burlington or Winooski



7 WEDNESDAY

arts & crafts

CALL 865-LEAD We can help

 Young children

CALL 865-LEAD for FREE help protecting  Homeyour builtfamily beforefrom 1978lead-

We can help

for FREE help protecting your family from paint lead- hazards  Burlington or Winooski based based paint hazards  Young children

Toddler Time art class: See December 3.

Baby & maternity

 Young children

montpelier Postnatal yoga: See December 3.

 Home built before 1978 www.burlington leadprogram.org

call 865-leaD

 Burlington or Winooski for FRee help protecting your family  Young children from lead-based paint hazards

Health & Fitness

Toddler Time art class: See December 3.

Essex open Gym: See December 2. shelburne open Gym: See December 2, noon. www.burlington leadprogram.org Williston open Gym: See December 2.

Baby & maternity

Library & Books

montpelier Prenatal yoga: See December 8.

Vergennes Prenatal yoga: See December 8.

community

Full moon sleigh Ride: Draft horses pull bundled-up winter revelers along snowy paths to gaze at the stars. Weather permitting. All ages. Shelburne Farms, 5:30, 6:05 & 6:40 p.m.

www.burlington leadprogram.org CALL 865-LEAD

dorothy canfield Fisher Book discussion: See December 3.

music

Rockin' Ron the Friendly Pirate: See December 3.

(We like you, too!) » facebook.com/kidsvt 12h-facebook.indd 1

www.burlington leadprogram.org

43

submit your February events for print by January 15 at kidsvt.com or to calendar@kidsvt.com.

Like us on Facebook.

11/25/14 10:55 AM

Kids VT

7 WEdNEsday, p.44

for FREE help protecting your family from leadbased paint hazards

k3v-BurlingtonLeadProgram1214.indd 1

December 2014/january 2015

arts & crafts

KidsVT.com

'The secret Garden': The Opera Theatre of Weston premiers its musical adaptation of Frances Hodgson Burnett's classic tale of an orphan who unlocks a hidden world. Paramount Theatre, Rutland, 2 & 6 p.m. $15-30.

Info, 775-0903.

11/11/13 10:46 AM

3/25/11 8:04 AM

Real Science.

REAL FUN!

JAN CALENDAR 8 THURSDAY

Games

St. Albans Legos: See December 11.

Health & Fitness

Essex Open Gym: See December 2.

Itty Bitty Public Skating: See December 4.

Shelburne Open Gym: See December 2.

Library & Books

VISIT

Montshire Museum!

• 125+ Hands-on Exhibits • Daily Activities • Visiting Exhibitions • Science Park • Nature Trails • Live animals & aquariums • Museum Store • Free parking

Hinesburg Lego Club: See December 4.

Library Teen Advisory Group: See December 4.

Music

OPEN DAILY 10-5

Montshire Museum of Science

montshire.org • 802.649.2200 Exit 13 I-91, Norwich, VT

KIDSVT.COM

Full-time and part-time openings Richmond 434-3891

Berlin 229-2869

Education

Homeschool Project Day: See December 12.

Essex Open Gym: See December 2.

Shelburne Open Gym: See December 2, noon, 2 & 6 p.m.

Williston Open Gym: See December 2.

Library & Books

DECEMBER 2014/JANUARY 2015

Private Lessons: piano, Suzuki and traditional violin, viola, cello, percussion, low brass, trumpet, saxophone, clarinet, guitar, and voice.

Composition and Theory study Jazz Improvisation Chamber Music Coaching Young Singers Chorus Jazz and Blues Ensemble

Community

Shelburne Farms Sleigh Rides: See December 20, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.

Health & Fitness

Shelburne Open Gym: See December 2, 9 & 10:10 a.m.

Snowshoe Demos: Explore the farm trails atop snowshoes on free rentals provided by EMS. Shelburne Farms, 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Free.

Info, 985-8686.

Williston Open Gym: See December 2, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.

Nature & Science

My Sky: See December 6.

Playdate! Winter on the Farm: Little ones have a hoot with indoor educational activities and a visit from a live owl. Ages 2-5, accompanied by an adult. Drop-ins welcome. Shelburne Farms, 9:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. $3-5. Info, 985-8686.

11/19/14 12:41 PM

cember 2.

Health & Fitness

Essex Open Gym: See December 2.

Shelburne Open Gym: See December 2.

Williston Open Gym: See De-

Library & Books

Read to a Dog: See December 2.

Music

Children's Sing-Along With Lesley Grant: See December 2.

Music With Mr. Chris: See December 2.

Essex Sunday Open Gym: See December 7.

14 WEDNESDAY

Nature & Science

Arts & Crafts

Drawing Birds in Motion: Working from photos, videos and live subjects, fledgling artists spend an artistic afternoon exploring the anatomy and artistry of feathered creatures.

Ages 12 and up. Green Mountain Audubon Center, Huntington, 1-4 p.m. $15-20; preregister.

Info, 434-3068.

My Sky: See December 6.

Arts & Crafts

director@montverdimusic.org • 229-9000 www.monteverdimusic.org

k16t-Monteverdi1214.indd 1

Burlington Prenatal Yoga: See December 2.

10:05-11:30 a.m.

Music

Dads Derby Day: Kids and their pops create race tracks, then let cars zoom down. Ages 9-12.

12/13/10 6:05 PM Milton Public Library, 10 a.m.-noon. Free; preregister. Info, 893-4644.

for lessons and ensembles!

Baby & Maternity

12 MONDAY

44

KIDS VT

Now Enrolling

11 SUNDAY

Early Bird Math: See December 5.

Library & Books

PlaycareED Apr10.indd 1

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

Health & Fitness

Community

Monday - Friday 7:00 am to 5:30 pm for children ages 6 weeks - Pre-K

Chess Club: See December 2.

9 FRIDAY

10 SATURDAY

Early Childhood Programs designed specifically for the developmental needs of children.

Games

Shelburne Farms Sleigh Rides: See December 20, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.

Kids Music With Linda 'Tickle Belly' Bassick: See December 5.

8/27/14 2:35 PMMusic With Derek: See December 5.

k8v-Montshire0914.indd 1

Saturday Drama Club: Thespians help Very Merry Theatre produce a show in just three hours. Ages 5-12. 333 Stage Performing Arts Studio, Burlington, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. $15 or pay what you can. Info, 863-6607.

Music for Preschoolers: See December 4.

Health & Fitness $2 Off Admission! When you subscribe to Montshire’s eNews at montshire.org.

Theater

Toddler Time Art Class: See December 3.

Baby & Maternity

Montpelier Prenatal Yoga: See December 8.

Vergennes Prenatal Yoga: See December 8.

Games

After-School Games: See December 15.

Health & Fitness

Essex Open Gym: See December 2.

Itty Bitty Public Skating: See December 4.

Little Yogis: See December 8.

Shelburne Open Gym: See December 2, 10 a.m., 12 & 5:30 p.m.

Tots Yoga: See December 8.

Williston Open Gym: See December 2.

Toddler Time Art Class: See December 3.

Baby & Maternity

Montpelier Postnatal Yoga: See December 3.

Education

History for Homeschoolers: See December 10.

Games

Family Game Night: See December 10.

Health & Fitness

Essex Open Gym: See December 2.

Shelburne Open Gym: See December 2, noon.

Williston Open Gym: See December 2.

Library & Books

Lego Club: See December 10.

Music

Rockin' Ron the Friendly Pirate: See December 3.

15 THURSDAY

Education

History for Homeschoolers: See December 10.

Health & Fitness

Library & Books

Pajama Story Time: See December 10.

Essex Open Gym: See December 2.

Itty Bitty Public Skating: See December 4.

Shelburne Open Gym: See December 2.

Music

Library & Books

Kids Music with Raphael: See December 8.

Music for Preschoolers: See December 4, 11 a.m.

13 TUESDAY

Baby & Maternity

Burlington La Leche League: See December 9.

Burlington Prenatal Yoga: See December 2.

Shelburne Prenatal Yoga: See December 2.

Hinesburg Lego Club: See December 4.

Music

Music for Preschoolers: See December 4.

16 FRIDAY

Arts & Crafts

Parents Night Out: See December 19.

Submit your February events for print by January 15 at kidsvt.com or to calendar@kidsvt.com.

Health & Fitness

Essex open Gym: See December 2. shelburne open Gym: See December 2, noon, 2 & 6 p.m.

Williston open Gym: See December 2.

Library & Books

Early Bird math: See December 5.

music Kids music With Linda 'Tickle Belly' Bassick: See December 5. music With derek: See December 5.

Nature & science montshire Unleashed: An Evening for Adults: The museum opens its doors after hours so grown-ups can let their inner curiosity run wild. Beer and wine available for purchase.

Montshire Museum of Science, Norwich, 6-9 p.m. $14 museum admission; free for members.

Info, 649-2200.

17 SATURDAY

Arts & crafts

sock monkey class: Creative types of all ages make a silly stuffed sock creation for a community art show. ONE Arts Center, Burlington, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. $20 per family. Info, oneartscollective@gmail.com.

community

shelburne Farms sleigh Rides: See December 20. 11 a.m.-2 p.m.

Health & Fitness

Nature Walk: Budding naturalists walk to the edge of the woods in search of animals, tracks and nature sounds. All ages. Weather dependent. Fairfax Community Library, 10-11 a.m.

Free. Info, 849-2420. shelburne open Gym: See December 2. 9 & 10:10 a.m.

Library & Books

Therapy dogs of Vermont: See December 6. third Saturday of every month, 10:30 a.m.

music

Nature & science

shelburne Farms sleigh Rides: See December 20, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.

Health & Fitness

Essex sunday open Gym: See December 7.

Nature & science my sky: See December 6.

Toddler Time Art class: See December 3.

Baby & maternity

montpelier Postnatal Yoga: See December 3.

Education

Toddler Time Art class: See December 3.

Baby & maternity

Health & Fitness

Arts & crafts

montpelier Prenatal Yoga: See December 8.

Vergennes Prenatal Yoga: See December 8.

community

Essex open Gym: See December 2. shelburne open Gym: See December 2, noon.

Williston open Gym: See December 2.

martin Luther King Jr. day celebration: Family-friendly programming honors the legacy of Dr. King. ECHO Lake Aquarium and Science Center, Burlington, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Special $4 admission price. Info, 877-324-6386.

movies

Games

Rockin' Ron the Friendly Pirate: See December 3.

Lego club: See December 15.

Health & Fitness

Essex open Gym: See December 2. itty Bitty Public skating: See December 4.

Little Yogis: See December 8. shelburne open Gym: See December 2, 10 a.m., noon & 5:30 p.m.

Tots Yoga: See December 8.

Williston open Gym: See December 2.

Library & Books

Babies & Toddlers Rock: See December 15.

music

Kids music with Raphael: See December 8.

20 TUESDAY

Baby & maternity

Breastfeeding cafe: See December 16.

Burlington Prenatal Yoga: See December 2. shelburne Prenatal Yoga: See December 2.

Games

chess club: See December 2.

Theater

music

Essex open Gym: See December 2. shelburne open Gym: See December 2.

Williston open Gym: See December 2.

marshfield Family-Themed movies: See December 17.

music

22 THURSDAY

Baby & maternity

cloth diapering made Easy: Mamas learn the ins and outs, ups and downs, and wets and drys of this money-saving, environmentally sound diapering method. Good Beginnings, Montpelier, noon-2 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 595-7953.

Health & Fitness

Essex open Gym: See December 2. itty Bitty Public skating: See December 4. shelburne open Gym: See December 2.

Library & Books

Hinesburg Lego club: See December 4.

Tea Party story Hour: Kids cozy up with a warm cuppa for books and crafts. Come in tea party attire. Recommended for ages 3-8. Carpenter-Carse Library, Hinesburg, 6-7 p.m. Free. k6h-OnionRiverKids1214.indd 1 Info, 482-2878.

music

music for Preschoolers: See December 4.

Nature & science

Predator Prowl: Preschoolers and their parents practice crunching with their canines, catching with their talons and munching with their mandibles as they learn about animals who hunt. Ages 3-5. Audubon Vermont, Huntington, 9-10:30 a.m. $8-10 per adult-child pair; $4 for each additional child. Info, 434-3068.

Planning a winter kids event?

List it for free in the Kids VT monthy calendar.

Submit your February event by January 15th online at kidsvt.com or to calendar@kidsvt.com

Library & Books

Read to a dog: See December 2.

calendar 12v-calendar.indd 1

45

23 FRidAY, p.46

Kids VT

children's sing-Along With Lesley Grant: See December 2. music With mr. chris: See December 2.

Baby & maternity

Burlington Prenatal Yoga: See December 2, 10:05-11:30 a.m.

11/20/14 10:47 AM

December 2014/january 2015

Health & Fitness

18 SUNDAY

Arts & crafts

one-on-one Tutoring: Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences students school elementary-age kids in reading, math and science. Ages 6-12. Burnham Memorial Library, Colchester, 4-7 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 264-5660.

19 MONDAY

my sky: See December 6.

Winter Wildlife detectives: Young naturalists learn about animals who are active in the colder months, then search for tracks, scat and pellets around the farm. Ages 5 and up. Shelburne Farms, 10 a.m.-noon. $10-12 per parent-child pair; $5-6 for each additional child; preregister.

Info, 985-8686.

saturday drama club: See January 10.

21 WEDNESDAY

KidsVT.com

Tap Along with miss Flora: Little music makers hum, wiggle and bounce along for a rockin' morning of singing, dancing and storytelling.

Ages 5 and under. ONE Arts Center, Burlington, 9-10:15 a.m. $8-10; $3 for siblings. Info, oneartscollective@gmail.com.

community

11/25/14 10:46 AM

JAN CALENDAR 23 FRIDAY

Health & Fitness

Essex Open Gym: See December 2.

Shelburne Open Gym: See December 2, noon, 2 & 6 p.m.

Williston Open Gym: See December 2.

Library & Books

Early Bird Math: See December 5.

Movies

'Grease' Sing-A-Long-A: Don't forget your Pink Ladies jacket for a spirited showing of the John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John classic.

Audience participation essential! Flynn Center for the Performing Arts, Burlington, 8 p.m. $1520. Info, 863-5966.

Barre Children’s Story Hour: Aldrich Public Library, 10:30 a.m. Free. Info, 476-7550.

Burlington Stories With Megan: Fletcher Free Library, 11-11:30 a.m. Free. Info, 865-7216.

Essex Drop-In Story Time: Essex Free Library, 10:30-11:30 a.m. Free. Info, 879-0313.

Milton Infant Story Time: Milton Public Library, 10-11 a.m. Free. Info, 893-4644.

Northfield Children’s Story Time: Brown Public Library, 10-11 a.m. Free. Info, 485-4621.

St. Albans Story Hour: St. Albans Free Library, 10:30-11:30 a.m. Free. Info, 524-1507.

Stowe Story Time for 2- to 3-Year-Olds: Stowe Free Library, 10 a.m. Free. Info, 253-6145.

Waitsfield Story Time: Joslin Memorial Library, 10 a.m. Free. Info, 496-4205.

Waterbury Baby & Toddler Story Time: Waterbury Public Library, 10 a.m. Free. Info, 244-7036.

Woodstock Baby Story Time: Norman Williams Public Library, 10:30 a.m. Free. Info, 457-2295.

46

KIDS VT

DECEMBER 2014/JANUARY 2015

KIDSVT.COM

TUESDAY Alburgh Story Hour: Alburgh Community Education Center, 10:30-11:30 a.m. Free. Info, 796-6077.

Barre Children’s Story Hour: See Monday.

Burlington Stories with Megan: Robert Miller Community & Recreation Center, 11-11:30 a.m. Free. Info, 865-7216.

Colchester Toddler Story Time: Burnham Memorial Library, 10:30 a.m. Free; preregister.

Info, 264-5660.

Essex Junction Baby & Toddler Story Time: Brownell Library, 9:10-9:30 a.m. Free; preregister. Info, 878-6956.

Essex Junction Preschool Story Time: Brownell Library, 10-10:45 a.m. Free; preregister. Info, 878-6956.

Fairfax Preschool Story Time: Fairfax Community Library, 9:30-10:30 a.m. Free; preregister. Info, 849-2420.

Georgia Pajama Story Time: Georgia Public Library, third Tuesday of every month, 6:307:30 p.m. Free. Info, 524-4643.

Highgate Story Time: Highgate Public Library, 10 a.m. Free. Info, 868-3970.

Friday Nights for Teen Tinkerers: Would-be Ben Franklins create, design or build something cool. Grades 6-9. Montshire Museum of Science, Norwich, 6:30-8 p.m. Regular museum admission, $11-14; preregistration encouraged.

Info, 649-2200.

24 SATURDAY

Community

Shelburne Farms Sleigh Rides: See December 20, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.

Education

One-on-One Tutoring: See January 21, 9:30 a.m.-3 p.m.

Music Kids Music With Linda 'Tickle Belly' Bassick: See December 5.

Music With Derek: See December 5.

Story Times MONDAY

Nature & Science

Health & Fitness

Shelburne Open Gym: See December 2, 9 & 10:10 a.m.

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 story-time organizer or visit kidsvt.com for details. Most story times follow the school calendar.

Hinesburg Preschool Story Time: Carpenter-Carse Library, 11 a.m.-noon. Free. Info, 482-2878.

Hinesburg Toddler Story Time: CarpenterCarse Library, first Tuesday of every month, 9:30 a.m.-10 a.m. Free. Info, 482-2878.

Milton Preschool Story Time: Milton Public Library, 10-11 a.m. Free. Info, 893-4644.

Montpelier Story Time: Kellogg-Hubbard Library, 10:30 a.m. Free. Info, 893-4644.

Richmond Story Time: Richmond Free Library, 10:30-11 a.m. Free. Info, 434-3036.

South Burlington Tiny Tot Time: South Burlington Community Library, 9:15 & 10:30 a.m.

Free. Info, 652-7080.

Williston Story Time: Dorothy Alling Memorial Library, 11 a.m. Free. Info, 878-4918.

Woodstock Preschool Story Time: Norman Williams Public Library, 10:30 a.m. Free. Info, 457-2295.

WEDNESDAY Colchester Pajama Story Time: Burnham Memorial Library, Dec. 17 and Jan. 14, 6:30 p.m. Free. Info, 264-5660.

Essex Junction Preschool Story Time: See Tuesday. 10-10:45 a.m.

Essex Toddler Story Time: Essex Free Library, 10:30-11:30 a.m. Free. Info, 879-0313.

Highgate Story Time: See Tuesday.

Johnson Story Time: Johnson Public Library, 10-11 a.m. Free. Info, 635-7141.

Marshfield Story Time & Playgroup: Jaquith Public Library, 10-11:30 a.m. Free. Info, 426-3581.

Norwich Story Time: Norwich Public Library, 10:30-11 a.m. Free. Info, 649-1184.

Quechee Story Time: Quechee Public Library, 10 a.m. Free. Info, 295-1232.

Randolph Morning Story Time: Kimball Public Library, 11 a.m. Free. Info, 728-5073.

South Burlington Baby Book Time: South Burlington Community Library, 10:30 a.m.

Free. Info, 652-7539.

South Burlington Story Time: Barnes & Noble, 11 a.m. Free. Info, 864-8001.

Swanton Story Hour: Swanton Public Library, 10-11 a.m. Free. Info, 868-7656.

Warren Preschool Story & Enrichment Hour: Warren Public Library, 10-11 a.m. Free.

Info, 595-2582.

THURSDAY Essex Preschool Story Time: Essex Free Library, 10:30-11:30 a.m. Free. Info, 879-0313.

Fairfax PJ Story Time: Fairfax Community Library, Dec. 4, 6-7 p.m. Free. Info, 527-5426.

Northfield Children’s Story Time: See Monday. 10-11 a.m.

Rutland Story Time: Rutland Free Library, 10-10:45 a.m.

Free. Info, 773-1860.

Shelburne Story Time: Pierson Library, 10:30 a.m. Free.

Info, 985-5124.

St. Albans Story Hour: See Monday.

Vergennes Story Time: Bixby Memorial Library, 10:30 a.m.

Free. Info, 877-2211.

Westford Story Time: Westford Public Library, 11 a.m.

Free. Info, 878-5639.

Winooski Preschool Story Time: Winooski Memorial Library, 10:30 a.m.

Free. Info, 655-6424.

FRIDAY Brandon Preschool Story Time: Brandon Free Public Library, 1 p.m. Free. Info, 247-8230.

Essex Musical Story Time: Essex Free Library, third Friday of every month, 10:30 a.m.

Free. Info, 879-0313.

Enosburg Story Hour: Enosburg Public Library, 9-10 a.m. Free. Info, 370-4797.

Fletcher Story Time: Fletcher Memorial Library, 10:30-11 a.m. Free. Info, 228-8921.

Georgia Preschool Story Time: Georgia Public Library, 10 a.m. Free. Info, 524-4643.

Huntington Story Time: Huntington Public Library, 10 a.m. Free. Info, 434-4583.

Lincoln Toddler/Preschool Story Time: Lincoln Library, 10:30 a.m. Free. Info, 453-2665.

Milton Toddler Story Time: Milton Public Library, 10-11 a.m. Free. Info, 893-4644.

Montpelier Story Time: See Tuesday.

South Burlington Pajamarama: Barnes & Noble, 7 p.m. Free. Info, 864-8001.

South Burlington Story Time Adventures: South Burlington Community Library, 9:30 a.m. Free. Info, 652-7539.

St. Johnsbury Story Time: St. Johnsbury Athenaeum, 10:30 a.m. Free. Info, 748-8291.

Stowe Baby & Toddler Story Time: Stowe Free Library, 10-10:30 a.m. Free. Info, 253-6145.

Waterbury Preschool Story Time: Waterbury Public Library, 10 a.m. Free. Info, 244-7036.

SATURDAY Barre Story Time: Next Chapter Bookstore, 10:30 a.m. Free. Info, 476-3114.

Burlington Story Time at Phoenix Books: Phoenix Books, 11 a.m. Free. Info, 448-3350.

Colchester Saturday Drop-In Story Time: Burnham Memorial Library, 10 a.m. Free; preregister. Info, 264-5660.

South Burlington Story Time: See Wednesday.

St. Johnsbury Story Time: See Friday. First Saturday of every month, 10:30 a.m.

Swanton Story Hour: See Wednesday. 10:30 a.m.

Winooski Saturday Story Time: Winooski Memorial Library, 10:30 a.m. Free. Info, 655-6424.

SUNDAY Williston Russian Story Time: Buttered Noodles, 11-11:45 a.m. Free. Info, 730-2673.

Health & Fitness

Williston Open Gym: See December 2, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.

Music Tap Along with Miss Flora: See January 17.

Nature & Science

Essex Sunday Open Gym: See December 7.

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

Saturday Drama Club: See December 6.

25 SUNDAY

Baby & Maternity

Burlington Prenatal Yoga: See December 2, 10:05-11:30 a.m.

Community

Shelburne Farms Sleigh Rides: See December 20, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.

Fairs & Festivals

Ice on Fire Festival: The community pays tribute to winter with a parade, games, theater, singing, storytelling and a huge closing bonfire.

All ages. North Branch Nature Center, Montpelier, 2-5 p.m. $1-5 suggested donation. Info, 229-6206.

My Sky: See December 6.

26 MONDAY

My Sky: See December 6.

Theater

Nature & Science

Arts & Crafts

Toddler Time Art Class: See December 3.

Baby & Maternity

Montpelier Prenatal Yoga: See December 8.

Vergennes Prenatal Yoga: See December 8.

Education

One-on-One Tutoring: See January 21, 58 p.m.

Health & Fitness

Essex Open Gym: See December 2.

Itty Bitty Public Skating: See December 4.

Little Yogis: See December 8.

Shelburne Open Gym: See December 2, 10 a.m., noon & 5:30 p.m.

Tots Yoga: See December 8.

Williston Open Gym: See December 2.

Library & Books

Music

Intergenerational Dessert Book Discussion: See December 29.

Music

Kids Music with Raphael: See December 8.

Music for Preschoolers: See December 4, 11 a.m.

Burlington Prenatal Yoga: See December 2.

Shelburne Prenatal Yoga: See December 2.

Games

Montpelier Postnatal Yoga: See December 3.

Nursing Beyond a Year: See December 24.

Education

One-on-One Tutoring: See January 21.

Chess Club: See December 2.

Health & Fitness

Essex Open Gym: See December 2.

Shelburne Open Gym: See December 2.

Williston Open Gym: See December 2.

Read to a Dog: See December 2.

Arts & Crafts

Baby & Maternity

Baby & Maternity

Library & Books

28 WEDNESDAY Toddler Time Art Class: See December 3.

27 TUESDAY

Health & Fitness

Children's Sing-Along With Lesley Grant: See December 2.

Music With Mr. Chris: See December 2.

Essex Open Gym: See December 2.

Shelburne Open Gym: See December 2, noon.

Williston Open Gym: See December 2.

Library & Books Music

Rockin' Ron the Friendly Pirate: See December 3.

Submit your February events for print by January 15 at kidsvt.com or to calendar@kidsvt.com.

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JAN CALENDAR

$10-12 per adult-child pair; $5-6 per each additional child; preregister. Info, 985-8686.

29 THURSDAY

• Private party space staffed by a Vermont Teddy Bear Ambassador.

Health & Fitness Essex Open Gym: See December 2.

Itty Bitty Public Skating: See December 4.

Shelburne Open Gym: See December 2.

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

Shelburne Open Gym: See December 2, 9 & 10:10 a.m.

Library & Books

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December 27.

Music

Hinesburg Lego Club: See December 4.

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Health & Fitness

Spanish Musical Playgroup: See

Music

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30 FRIDAY

Mr. Chris Concert: The local children's musician performs songs to engage little listeners.

Recommended for ages 8 and under. Carpenter-Carse Library, Hinesburg, 3 p.m. Free. Info, 482-2878.

Health & Fitness

Nature & Science

k6h-VTTeddyBear0614.indd 1

Essex Open Gym: See December 2.

Music for Preschoolers: See December 4.

Jamie Two Coats Toyshop

5/28/14 5:03 PM

Shelburne Open Gym: See December 2, noon, 2 & 6 p.m.

Williston Open Gym: See December 2.

Library & Books

Early Bird Math: See December 5.

Located in the ❤ of Shelburne Village Monday-Saturday 10-6 Sunday 11-5 802-985-3221

Music

My Sky: See December 6.

Earth & Space Day: A full day of planetary and astronomical exploration promises to be out of this world. (See calendar spotlight on page 40). All ages. Montshire Museum of Science, Norwich, 10:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Regular museum admission, $10-14. Info, 649-2208.

Theater

Saturday Drama Club: See December 6.

Kids Music With Linda 'Tickle Belly' Bassick: See December 5.

Music With Derek: See December 5.

Nature & Science

Full Moon Snowshoe Hike: See December 5.

31 SATURDAY

Community

Shelburne Farms Sleigh Rides: See December 20, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.

Dance k6h-JamieTwoCoats-1114.indd 1

10/30/14 11:51 AM

Hopkins Center for tHe Arts presents Theatre Terra (The Netherlands)

KIDSVT.COM

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KIDS VT

DECEMBER 2014/JANUARY 2015

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'Swan Lake': The State Ballet Theatre of Russia presents this beloved Russian folktale, in which a young princess is transformed into an elegant bird. (See calendar spotlight on page 38). Recommended for ages 7 and up. Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center, Stowe, 7 p.m. $20-75. Info, 760-4634.

Education One-on-One Tutoring: See January 21. 9:30 a.m.-3 p.m.

Sharing the Wonder of Winter: Educators, parents and teen homeschoolers explore animal tracks, winter birds, trees and forts to learn new ways to share nature with children in this professional development workshop. Audubon Vermont, Huntington, 10 a.m.-noon. $10-15; preregister. Info, 434-3068.

Say you saw it in…

Food

Bake & Shake: Dairy devotees make their own bread and butter to eat, then explore other fun things to make with flour. Ages 4 and up. Shelburne Farms, 9:30-11:30 a.m. & 12:30-2:30 p.m.

2.3x4.5-sayyousaw.indd 1 Submit your February events for print

by January 15 at kidsvt.com or to calendar@kidsvt.com.

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✱ HABITAT BY MARY AN N L I CK T EI G COURTESY OF CARA MEZITT

The Mezitts’ luge track and igloo

Winter Playground

51

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

KIDS VT

WANT TO MAKE A KNOCKOUT SNOW CREATION? Sometimes all it takes is enthusiasm.

When the first snow fell in early November, it measured no more than 2 inches, but Will and Cullen built a 4-foot-tall snowman. “They rolled every inch of snow off the lawn they could,” says their mother.

DECEMBER 2014 / JANUARY 2015

a 100-foot-long luge track A fallen tree in the woods Parents: Brian with five banked turns. behind the house inspired and Cara Mezitt The Mezitts’ terrainthe snow cave. Brian laid pine Sons: Will, 7, park tradition started on branches against it, and the and Cullen, 5 a snowy day when their boys played inside. When sons’ plastic snow-brick snow fell, it became a cozy molds caught Brian’s eye. hideaway where the family “He’s a mechanical engineer, so he sipped hot chocolate together. builds things,” Cara says. He made The luge track, on a slope in their snow bricks and lined them up in a yard, was built entirely out of packed horseshoe shape. With the boys’ help, snow. “I have a blast out there, too,” he added layers, leaning the bricks Cara says, noting that she had a hard toward the middle so the final product time getting her sons to come in at was shaped like a beehive. It stood night that winter. “They do the luge about 4-and-a-half feet tall. track with headlamps on,” she says.

KIDSVT.COM

WHEN SNOW FALLS, spirits rise at the Mezitts’ Richmond home. The family of four loves skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing and snowskating — essentially skateboarding on snow. And they don’t have to leave home for much of their outdoor fun.

“We have four acres of land, and it’s kind of a winter wonderland when there’s snow on the ground,” says mom Cara.

During the last two winters, she and dad Brian have built an igloo for their two boys — Will, 7, and Cullen, 5.

Last year, they added a snow cave and

WHEN BUILDING AN IGLOO, all you need is a snow-brick mold and good, packable snow. “It’s got to be ‘snowman snow’,” Cara says. “Start small, because you don’t want a huge structure falling on you.”

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GRAND-PRIZE WINNER JACKSON lives in St. Albans and turns 5 on January 17. He’s an energetic preschooler who loves Star Wars, Marvel superheroes, trips to the library and snuggling with his dog, Obi. He wants to be a police officer when he grows up.

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Riddle Search — LET’S STUDY 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: How can you eat and study at the same time?

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use your worDs

Rising Son

A father’s expectations change when his child is born with Down syndrome By r oBe r T sT u h l man n

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she approached me. “You’ve got to talk in The summer of 1978, my Annie and to Chris about a ring,” she said. wife, Tess, and I lay on the grass Chris at Heartbeet I was happy Chris had found love, at an outdoor concert, strains of but was still concerned about some Mozart flowing through the air. of the choices the two of them were “Here,” she said, placing my hand making. Chris and Annie spent a lot of on her swelling abdomen. I could time together at McDonald’s and were feel the baby moving to the music. putting on weight. It was clear they We speculated that our child would needed a healthier lifestyle and more become a dancer or a musician — or supervision. a football player.

Every parent I know with such a Our healthy baby boy was born child has the same fear: What will early, rosy and in a caul, completely every parent i know happen when we’re gone, or no longer encased in the thin membrane of the amniotic sac. Legend says that with such a child has able to care for him? I learned that Chris had a similar fear when I read one of his children born this way will never the same fear: What poems: drown. It’s a sign of good luck.

The rambling man We counted his fingers and toes: will happen when Like the preacher’s son Ten of each. But when the doctor we’re gone, or Is looking for a place finally arrived an hour later, he said, no longer able To call home.

“I knew something was wrong. A Chris found that place a few years ago little Mongolism, maybe.” to care for him? when he moved to Heartbeet Lifesharing His words pierced us like a in Hardwick — one of 11 “Camphill knife. He was referring to Down communities” in the U.S. and Canada. At Heartbeet, syndrome. We’d done everything right. How could this adults with disabilities live and farm together with an happen? experienced team of residential staff.

The day after the birth, a bedraggled social worker Annie wasn’t sure she wanted to move to the country. arrived at the hospital. It was Saturday, and we could tell But when she visited Chris there, she changed her mind. she didn’t want to be with us. “You don’t have to keep The couple decided they wanted to live in a committed this child, you know,” she told us. “There are places for relationship. She moved in six months later. children like him.”

Over the next five years, Heartbeet staff helped I was stunned. Tess was defiant. “He is our son, and Chris and Annie identify their goals and improve their we will love him no matter what!” she said. relational skills. Chris needed to speak up for himself; Still, I had doubts. Seeking guidance, I called a Annie needed to reduce her tendency to speak for him. priest friend, Mark, who had adopted a child who was Last May, the two of them got engaged in an outdoor later discovered to have profound disabilities. “I don’t ceremony at Heartbeet. With a ring in his hand, Chris believe in a God who causes children to be born with knelt on one knee and proposed to her. “Yes! I will!” disabilities,” Mark told me. “I believe in a God who Annie replied, and he placed the ring on her finger. After reaches out to us with arms of love.” a long embrace and dramatic kiss, she held up her finger Those words resonated with me. In a complicated and jumped for joy. situation, one thing became clear: Our expectations, not Knowing that your child has found a caring our child, would have to change. Our son wasn’t some community and a loving partner is one of any parent’s sort of karmic payback. Raising him would become an greatest joys. When the Heartbeet staff told me, “Chris exploration into the meaning of love. We named him will always have a home here,” tears welled in my eyes.

Christopher, which is derived from Greek, meaning My heart was full.

Christ-bearer.

Chris didn’t become a dancer, or a musician, or a Chris grew more slowly than other children. football player. But he sure can swim. He can beat me He moved at a different pace, and needed constant easily in a 20-yard race, his lean body cutting through the reminders to complete simple tasks. We had to keep vigilant with schools and the agencies that were required lake waters.

And Christopher has lived up to his name. He has a to help him achieve his goals. Fiercely protective, Tess kind and gentle demeanor and, at times, helps me see to spent the next 20 years advocating for him. the heart of things.

Chris was 29 and living at a residential school in In a world filled with displaced wanderers looking for Connecticut for adults with disabilities when he met a home, Chris has found a place to be with friends — and Annie, who also has Down syndrome. I came over to his his love — close to the land and at peace with himself. apartment one morning to find that she had slept over.

And I am grateful. K Soon after, we took Chris and Annie out for dinner, and

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