Kids VT Family Newspaper

Hot Air

susan — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 18:34:30 +0000

More than 25 hot-air balloons will soar through the sky during Stoweflake Mountain Resort & Spa’s 23rd Annual Stoweflake Hot-Air Balloon Festival, July 10-12. The event kicks off Friday the 10th at 4pm with a twilight balloon launch at 6:30. There are 2 more launches on Saturday and another on Sunday. This years festival will include a children’s corner with a variety of activities, live entertainment and delicious food. Tethered balloon rides are also available. To find out more, call 1-800-253-2232 or visit www.stoweflake.com/balloon.

Seeing Double

susan — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 14:59:47 +0000

As part of Just for Laughs - The Montreal Interantional Comedy Festival, which runs from July 16 to 26, is a Twins Weekend! In its 12th year, the Twins Weekend gives an opportunity to twins, triplets and more to meet. Multiples, identical or not, ages 1 month to 100 years old, are welcome! The Twins Weekend is July 18-19, with many activites planned, including look-alike and costume contests! The main activity is the Twins Parade at 4pm on July 18. Over 2000 twins and 250,000 spectators are expected!

SolarFest

susan — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 18:19:35 +0000

SolarFest, demonstrating the power of positive energy for 15 years, promises that 2009 will be the best festival ever - three days of world-class musicians, dancers and performance artists, a stellar line-up of speakers, and over 90 workshops on renewable energy and sustainability topics. All for the price of a weekend festival ticket! You won’t want to miss this year’s SolarFest! It’s all happening July 10-12 at the Forget-Me-Not Farm in Tinmouth. Gates open at noon on Friday and at 8am on Saturday and Sunday. For more info or to buy tickets, visit www.solarfest.org.

Family Pet Photos

susan — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 14:50:24 +0000

Here are the winners from our April Pet Contest. Enjoy!

Apple Brains

susan — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 15:16:03 +0000

Want to teach your kids about nutrition while having fun? You’ll love the new CD, Get Fruity, from Apple Brains (a/k/a Allen Bleyle). The Vermont native wrote most of the nusic while working as a “Nutrition Musician” for the Network for a Healthy California and at the Farm & Wilderness Camps in Plymouth. Nine of the songs on the CD were recorded in Brattleboro! All are invited to join in the fun! After all, fruits are nature’s candies, vegetables are nature’s super heroes, and water is the loveliest beverage there is. Mangos are magical dinosaur eggs, tomatoes bring tears of joy to our eyes and Peanut Butter and Jelly are the oldest and stickiest of friends. So grab an apple and take the biggest, boldest, crunchiest bite you can muster. Now put on your singing shoes and your dancing smile and let’s Get Fruity! To buy a copy of the CD, log on to www.applebrainsmusic.com. The CD costs $10 plus $2 shipping. Get happy! Get healthy! and Click up your peels…er… heels!

Toys: The Inside Story

susan — Sat, 30 May 2009 18:05:14 +0000

If your parents never let you break open your Etch-a-Sketch® to find out how it works, you’ll love Toys: The Inside Story, the latest exhibit at the Montshire Museum of Science in Norwich, which runs through August 16 . First exhibited at the Montshire in 2007 after years of brainstorming, testing, and tinkering, Toys illustrates the simple mechanisms commonly found in toys. The exhibition features 12 engaging hands-on stations and lets visitors create their own toy-like combinations of gears, pulleys, linkages, cams, and circuits. “Jack Gets Out of His Box” gives you a close-up view of the cam combination that frees our hero “Jack,” while elsewhere we unmask the amazing collection of switches, cams and motors that make Elmo® dance and Mr. Machine® run. Many of the exhibits are free-form and open-ended in the traditional Montshire fashion. “Gears at Play” illustrates the effects of gear ratios as you figure out how to arrange oversized gears to spin ballerinas and a carousel. “The Jeepers Peepers” challenge at the pulley table may take a little experimentation to solve; the Circuit Table lets you safely use your fingers to trace working sound and light circuits. The museum is open daily from 10am to 5pm. For more info and directions, visit www.montshire.org.Toys was conceived and created by the Museum’s exhibit staff with funding from a National Science Foundation grant awarded to the Montshire in 2004 and shared with six museum partners around the country comprising the TEAMS (Traveling Exhibits at Museums of Science) collaborative. Since its Montshire debut in March of 2007, the Toys: The Inside Story exhibition has traveled to seven other science museums around the country.

Thinking Staycation?

susan — Wed, 27 May 2009 18:14:43 +0000

The Wildflower Inn in Lyndonville has a couple of special family getaways in June. Butterflies, Tots and Forget-Me-Not Infant & Toddler vacation programs are designed especially for families with infants to preschoolers. The Wildflower Inn knows children thrive when they have room to explore the natural world around them. Time spent outdoors in nature-based programming enhances imagination and creativity. An old tree stump can become a plane or a space rocket; an odd-shaped rock can be the entrance to a secret land. Children can walk, roll, run, jump and climb, breathe fresh country air and take in lots of sunlight. Parents can relax knowing that their kids are well cared for and engaged 5 hours of every day. The Butterflies… programs are offered twice this June: from the 7th-12th and the 14th-19th. For more information, call innkeepers Jim and Mary O’Reilly at 802-626-8310 or visit them at www.wildflowerinn.com.

500 Ways to Nurture the Bond with Your Baby

susan — Tue, 05 May 2009 17:50:20 +0000

Parenting is no small feat. The experience of bringing a child into this world can range from exciting to overwhelming. Every parent can attest to the fact that every day of a baby’s first year is filled with intense joy and wonder, as well as moments of fatigue and self-doubt. Happy Baby, Happy You by Karen Siegel-Maier, is filled with hundreds of ways to focus on the bliss of bonding with a new infant. While all of the tips are incredibly useful, Siegel-Maier also delves into an essential aspect of a baby’s first year: a happy parent. From facial massages and quiet cups of tea to advice on finding a daycare and going back to work, this book provides both simple and profound tips to stay balanced during the transition into parenthood. Happy Baby, Happy Youis full of creative, simple ways to enjoy the magical time of infancy. The book, which has a retail price of $10.95 is available at major online retailers as well as directly from the Storey Publishing by calling 1-800-441-5700.

Pet Food Drive

susan — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 17:41:45 +0000

Green Mountain Animal Defenders is holding a Pet Food Drive at the Merchants Bank on Kennedy Drive in South Burlington and at Pet Food Warehouse; both locations (Shelburne Rd. in Shelburne and Williston Rd. in So. Burlington). Please help those who are unable to feed their pets during these challenging economic times. Donate pet food at one of three locations and Green Mountain Animal Defenders will deliver it to area food shelves in need. All nutritious cat or dog foods, in any amount, are welcomed and appreciated. For more information, call Sharon at 802-861-3030 or by email: smatgmad@aol.com.

Fashion Bump

susan — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 18:18:32 +0000

More than ever, consumers are becoming conscious of their budgets; and new moms are especially careful with their spending. “As a result of the economy, bargains are appreciated now more than ever,” says Krista Karo, mom and founder of InStyle Belly. “As a mother, I know first hand that buying maternity wear can be both frustrating and very expensive. Because your body is going through so many changes over the course of pregnancy, some items will only be worn once or twice before growing out of them. The need for new clothing will grow rapidly with your belly. It’s is not practical to pay top dollar for clothing that will, by their very nature, be worn for such a short amount of time.” InStyleBelly is an online consignment shop that offers expecting moms affordable designer maternity wear; and a place where new moms can sell their outgrown maternity clothes for some extra cash. Krista adds, “There might have been some stigma with buying someone else’s castoffs but now, more and more consumers are looking for ways to cut corners. They’re no longer seen as secondhand, but vintage.”

Make it Natural to Grow up Green

susan — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 17:23:24 +0000

green start™ children’s books, toys, puzzles, and games are all natural, made from 98% recycled materials and printed using only eco-friendly inks. Designed to help give kids an awareness of the natural world and an understanding of how we are interconnected with everything around us, the green start series makes it easy for families to start incorporating environmentally friendly practices into their daily lives. Shari Kaufman, President and Publisher of innovativeKids, says that, “These days, everyone is talking about going green. We wanted to introduce these concepts to kids early on, so that it will be natural for them to grow up green.” green start launches with four books: one tree, the five senses, baby animals, and in the garden ($6.99, Ages 3-6). Future products will include all natural toys, puzzles, and games. green start is good for your child and good for your world! More information is available at www.innovativekids.com.

Get Outside!

susan — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 17:42:29 +0000

Take your family outdoors this spring. Learn more ways to enjoy the natural environment at the 12th annual Becoming An Outdoor Family Camping Weekend May 29-31 at Stillwater State Park in Groton. This year’s schedule touts more than 50 workshops, 6 of them offered for the first time. Learn camping skills, plant and tree identification (and edibility), outdoor cooking, pressed flower art, tree identification, kayaking, nature photography, wildlife tracking, and lots more. Instructors from the 4-H Shooting Sports program teach pistol and rifle skills as well as archery. Tour Groton Lake in a canoe. Weave a basket.

All ages are welcome. The University of Vermont Extension; the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources’ Departments of Fish & Wildlife, and Forests, Parks & Recreation offer you this opportunity to connect with the natural world and enhance your environmental consciousness. This program is also part of the No Child Left Inside Initiative, to pass on knowledge and enthusiasm about the outdoors to the next generation. Download the complete brochure at www.uvm.edu/extension/outdoorfamily/. Classes and campsites are assigned on a first-come first-served basis.

For more information or to get your name on the mailing list, please call Lisa Muzzey, University of Vermont Extension 4-H educator, 802-885-8386 or 1-800-278-5471, or e-mail lisa.muzzey@uvm.edu; or Gail Makuch, University of Vermont Extension administrative assistant, 802-257-7967 or 1-800-278-5480 or e-mail Gail.Makuch@uvm.edu.

My Tot Clock

susan — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 17:28:27 +0000

My Tot Clock is an all-in-one sleep aid, alarm clock, nightlight, and timer for young children ages 2 - 5 that uses a series of lights to teach your child when it’s time to sleep (blue light) and when it’s okay to get out of bed (yellow light). It also plays bedtime stories, lullabies, fun wake songs, and even white noise! As an added bonus, My Tot Clock has a red light for timeout and a green light for any positive timed activity. Perfect for those young enough to start learning a daily routine, but not old enough to be able to tell time! Also great for their sleepy parents! It’s available at mytotclock.com for $50.

New Gift Outlet!

susan — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 17:07:45 +0000

Vermonters who are looking for something green, sustainable, unique, and just plain beautiful have a new shopping option in Burlington. Creative Women, a Vermont-based importer and wholesaler of hand-woven Ethiopian and Swazi textiles, welcomes everyone to shop at their studio on Wednesday afternoons, from 12 noon to 5:15PM. Plan to find an array of pillows, tabletop, blankets, and towels, plus scarves, shawls, bags, toys, baskets … all perfect for gifts for friends, family and yourself. Creative Women, a Vermont-based, women-owned company, works with other women-owned businesses in Africa to create traditionally inspired contemporary accessories and home tex-tiles. More than just designing and selling textiles, Creative Women works to promote equitable trade practices and to support women’s economic independence. “I founded Creative Women as a way to create jobs in Ethiopia and sustain an ancient art form by introducing the West to the beauty of Ethiopian textiles,” says owner Ellen Dorsch. “Today Creative Women provides a socially re-sponsible link between producer and consumer by opening markets for these high-quality textiles.”

A Breath of Fresh Air

susan — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 18:25:31 +0000

The Fresh Air Fund’s Vergennes area committee is currently preparing for summer 2009 and eagerly awaiting the arrival of their New York City visitors. To ensure that this summer is special for Fresh Air children, The Fund is seeking volunteer members and host families to sign up now! Each summer, close to 5,000 New York City children, ages six to 18, enjoy two week vacations with volunteer host families in suburban and rural communities across 13 Northeastern states and Canada. Local Fresh Air Fund volunteers recruit and interview host families, arrange travel and coordinate fun activities in their communities.

As one host parent explains, “Hosting has inspired me to volunteer for The Fund in other capacities to help guarantee the program’s success in our area. My family has been so grateful for the relationship we have with our Fresh Air child!”

In 2009, The Fresh Air Fund celebrates its 133rd summer of bare feet, sandcastles and starry nights for children from some of New York City’s low-income communities. It only takes one conversation with a child to realize the impact of a Fresh Air experience. “We were on a walk, and I saw a wild snapping turtle! It was so cool because I don’t get to see many animals in the wild,” remembers eight-year-old Brittney of Queens.

For more information on how you can join the local Fresh Air volunteer team, call Marion Sullivan at 802-877-3028, or The Fresh Air Fund at 800-367-0003. You can also learn more about the Friendly Town program by visiting The Fund’s Web site at www.freshair.org.