Kids VT, March 2015

Think SPRING!

✱ STYLISH DUDS FOR KIDS

✱ SUMMER CAMP GUIDE

✱ MOMS READ TO KIDS — FROM PRISON

Copublisher/Executive Editor Cathy Resmer cathy@kidsvt.com ext. 74 Copublisher Colby Roberts colby@kidsvt.com ext. 77

Managing Editor Alison Novak alison@kidsvt.com ext. 75

Lead Designer Brooke Bousquet brooke@kidsvt.com ext. 41

Contributing Editor Megan James megan@kidsvt.com ext. 73

Marketing & Events Manager Corey Grenier corey@kidsvt.com ext. 76

Account Executive Kaitlin Montgomery kaitlin@kidsvt.com ext. 72

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 Carolyn Fox

Production Manager John James

Creative Director Don Eggert

Designers Aaron Shrewsbury

Rev. Diane Sullivan

Circulation Manager Matt Weiner

Business Manager Cheryl Brownell

Contributing Writers:

Erik Escklisen

Kathryn Flagg

Sarah Galbraith

Thea Lewis

Mary Ann Lickteig

Ken Picard

Erinn Simon

Photographer: Matt Thorsen

Illustrator: Susan Norton

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springing Forward

For my son Graham’s ninth birthday last month, my partner, Ann-Elise, and I took him to Spare Time in Colchester for bowling, pizza and laser tag.

He and his friends enthusiastically hurled bowling balls toward pins. They gobbled pizza. Then they strapped on black vests wired with sensors and entered the laser-tag arena, emerging 15 minutes later, sweaty and beaming. They annihilated their opponents: another birthday boy and his party guests.

It was a lot of fun. But I couldn’t help but feel a little melancholy watching Graham fire a bowling ball down the lane like a teenager. Nine years ago, this guy was a jolly little infant. Now he’s almost as tall as me, and nearly as strong — he loves to demonstrate how he can lift me off the ground.

In just nine more years, this Lego-loving Pokemon collector will be an adult. Watching him grow up is bittersweet. I adore the thoughtful, kind and inquisitive young man he’s becoming, but I miss that little boy.

I felt similarly wistful looking at the cute kids’ clothes in this month’s fashion spread (“Local Color,” p. 18). As a shopper, I mostly choose function over fashion, but I loved dressing baby Graham and his sister, Ivy, in stylish outfits from our friends and family.

My favorite item was a tiny pair of Carhartt overalls. Both kids wore them for about two seconds before outgrowing them. We passed them along to friends, and numerous other tykes have worn them since.

Neither one of our kids could wear an adorable veggie onesie anymore. Still, those fashion photos are cheery, and a reminder that spring will get here, eventually. I don’t feel at all sad to see the end of this cold winter.

And then, in just a few more months, it will be summer. This year, Mr. 9-year-old will spend two weeks at sleepaway camp for the first time. We’re all excited for that. If you haven’t signed up your kids for camp yet, check out our summer camp guide (p. 27). Many programs still have space available. The season is shifting at Kids VT, too. Managing editor Megan James decided to cut back to part time; she’s now the magazine’s contributing editor. Alison Novak has stepped up to the managing editor role. All of us will continue to fill these pages with ideas and activities to make family life more fulfilling and fun.

Our kids are young for such a short time. Let’s make the most of it.

Cathy ResmeR exeCutive editoR

some of this month’s Kids VT contributors:

Alison noVAK (“Local Color”), the new managing editor of Kids VT, started her professional life as an elementary school teacher in the Bronx. She lives in Shelburne with her middle-school-teacher husband, fashion-forward daughter and candy-loving son.

eriK escKilsen (“Habitat”), a sometimes contributor to Seven Days and full-time professor at Champlain College, lives in Burlington with his wife, their twin daughters and a golden retriever well on her way to becoming a legend among therapy dogs. Esckilsen recently told his 1,000th bedtime story.

Hopkins

MerMaid

The very huNgry caTerpillar and Other Eric Carle Favourites

sat

apr 11 3 pm

Recommended

Triple-bill of whimsical Eric Carle classics spring to life through the magic of black light, original music and innovative large-scale puppets hop.dartmouth.edu

Graham at spare time

Vaccinations are on many parents’ minds after a measles outbreak in December that started at Disneyland. Vermont is one of 20 states that lets parents refuse vaccinations for their children by claiming a philosophi-

claiming cal exemption. against

As a result, just 91.2 percent of Vermont kindergarteners are vaccinated against measles, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a percentage that’s lower than the national average.

Trending

Green glittergel eye shadow.

attending Lake Champlain Shelburne

state (R-Rutland) introduced

At some schools, vaccination rates are much lower; just over 50 percent of kids attending Lake Champlain Waldorf School in Shelburne in 2013-14 were vaccinated against measles, according to the Vermont Department of Health. This legislative session, Vermont state senator Kevin Mullin (R-Rutland) introduced a bill that would eliminate philosophical exemptions to vaccinations. In 2012, strong opposition from anti-vaccine groups quashed similar efforts. We posted news of the proposed legislation to our Facebook page, and readers on both sides of the issue responded.

I’m all for choice BUT, and this is a BIG BUT, If you CHOOSE not to vaccinate your children, then that choice should mean you are NOT ALLOWED to put your children in public school to endanger others.

Your risky choice for your children should not put my children, or other’s children and families, at risk for serious illness.

DAN SPAULDING BARRE GOT A COMMENT?

Email us at feedback@ kidsvt.com.

I think parents should be allowed to make informed medical decisions for their children. While rare, vaccine reactions are not unheard of, so vaccination is not completely without risk. Furthermore, mandatory vaccination requirements demand complete and unwavering trust in medical professionals and pharmaceutical companies. Not to mention that the vaccination schedule has grown exponentially in the last few decades and more vaccines are in the works, so what we mandate now will change, and if parents have concerns about a future vaccine we could lose our right to waive it with mandatory requirements.

My husband and I choose to vaccinate our son, but we make strategic and informed decisions (with the guidance of our son’s pediatrician) on which vaccines he’ll receive, which we’ll delay and which we’ll skip; this is our right as parents, and frankly it scares me that others advocate so passionately to give up their own parental rights.

AMANDA GILMAN-BOGIE BARRE

Z. Cavaricci took my Westchester County middle school by storm in the late ’80s. The brand’s pants were fitted at the top, poofed out in the middle and tapered at the bottom — probably the most unflattering silhouette one could imagine. A little label that said Cavaricci ran down the fly. I wore my olive-green pair with pride, accompanied by scrunchy socks and Keds, of course.

ALISON NOVAK MANAGING EDITOR

When I was in middle school, from 2000 to 2003 in Rhode Island, butterfly clips were all the rage. Extra style points were given if you separated you hair into sections and clipped it back. Also, trucker hats were very popular. I guess it was all about the accessories and whatever Britney Spears was wearing at the time.

COREY GRENIER MARKETING AND EVENTS MANAGER

One word: bangs carryover from the ’80s continued well into the ’90s in small-town Vermont, where I grew up. Also: stone-washed cu ed jeans, penny loafers and leather bomber jackets.

Gigantic unbuttoned flannel shirts. Doc Martens. Plaid wool Clueless skirts secured with an oversize safety pin. Chokers. These were the staples of my wardrobe in the mid’90s in New Jersey.

MEGAN JAMES CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

In the late ’80s and early ’90s, when I was in elementary school in Vermont, it was still cool to wear sweatpants. By the time I hit middle school in the mid-’90s, you were in trouble if you were a guy and hadn’t switched over to jeans. Unfortunately, I missed the memo, and my classmates let me know.

MATT WEINER CIRCULATION MANAGER

Back in my day, it was Puritan top hats and closefitting Victorian collars that were all the rage — that and Spanish influenza…

KEN PICARD CONTRIBUTING WRITER

In honor of this month’s kids’ spring fashion feature, we asked Kids VT staffers to tell us about the hottest styles when they were growing up. We hope you’ll

BOUSQUET LEAD DESIGNER

Best of the Blog

Kids VT contributor Sarah Galbraith doesn’t let her 3-month-old daughter, Elise, stop her from staying active in the winter. In the first installment of her new blog series, Get Out!, the avid outdoorswoman from Marshfield suggests four ways to get fresh air and exercise after the arrival of a baby.

Get Out!: Four Ways for New Parents to Spend Time Outside

BY SARAH GALBRAITH

pack some wet wipes to clean o any sweat before going back to your job. The Headlamp Tour: Get comfy with heading out at night and find friends who want to join you (sans baby). Whether it’s to ski, hike, bike or run, there’s still plenty of fun to be had after the sun goes down. Trade o with your partner or other parents who might be willing to babysit. Invest in a good headlamp and keep it charged.

COLORING CONTEST

The winners of our three gift certificates to Champlain Lanes are …

Read

The Dawn Patrol: Usually reserved for 4 a.m. drives to the mountain to get first turns in fresh powder, this term has new meaning for outdoor-loving parents. Get up before everyone’s day starts and head outside on your own. Leave a bottle for the baby with your partner and lay out everything you’ll need the night before. In my book, an hour of sleep is worth trading for some alone time outside.

The Lunch Hour: If your baby is in someone else’s care during your workday, this is the perfect opportunity to sneak in some outdoor fun. You’ll need to bring your gear to work and

The Family Outing: If you’re bringing baby along, make sure to dress her well — this includes wool or synthetic base layers, a fleece mid-layer and an insulated bunting — and know how to tell if she’s in distress. Older babies can go in a ski polk, backpackstyle hiking carrier or jogging stroller, but babies that can’t yet hold their own heads up should go in an infant carrier, and only if you’re sure you won’t fall. Keep the outing well within your ability level. If you’re crosscountry skiing, for example, stick to kicking and gliding on flat terrain. If you’re not comfortable skiing with your baby, try snowshoeing, hiking or walking. Use traction on your shoes like Ice Trekkers Diamond Grips for walking or Kahtoola Microspikes for hiking to avoid slipping…

Home Cookin’: Key Lime Pie

BY ERINN SIMON

What could be sunnier than key lime pie? Baking and eating one is the perfect antidote to the winter blues.

❑ Graham crackers

❑ Unsalted butter

❑ Sugar

❑ Lime juice

❑ Sweetened condensed milk

“Sealed with a kiss”: That puntastic title appeared on several of the 156 coloring contest entries we received in February. We must admit, it’s a perfect fit for a drawing of a seal balancing a heart on its nose. But, as usual, it was all of your one-of-a-kind embellishments we fell in love with — from a sunburned seal lounging on a beach to one covered in chocolate frosting and sprinkles. Charlotte Moriarty, 12, turned her drawing into a Valentine’s letter, in which she thanked each member of her family for all they’d done for her this year. We’re thankful that we get to pore over your creations each month. Keep them coming, and congratulations to all the winners!

HONORABLE MENTIONS

MASTERFUL MARKINGS

Elijah Burton, 8, Williston

LEOPARD SEAL

Sophia A. Zada-Silva, 4, Burlington

SO MUCH LOVE

Lily Waite, 5, Richmond

EXCELLENT EXHIBIT

T.J. Corey, 11, Rutland Town

CUTE COUPLE

Riordan Adams, 5, Essex Junction

CIRCUS SENSATION

Emilia McCalla, 10, Rutland

DISCO FEVER

Toby Harteau, 6, Georgia

IT’S RAINING SPRINKLES!

Megan Jamison, 9, Georgia

SUPER SPIRALS

Maeven Arnoldy, 5, Hinesburg

PERFECT STRIKE

Eva Goodwin, 10, Middlesex

SPECTACULAR SEA CREATURES

Cassidy Bouchard, 8, Hinesburg

BLUE BEAUTY

Emily Kneeland, 6, Cambridge

TOP TITLES

“SEAL MY HEART”

Tyerell Thompson, 8, Ferrisburgh

❑ Egg

❑ Lime zest

❑ Heavy whipping cream

❑ Powdered sugar

“MCDOODLE”

Iana Mecca, 9, South Burlington

“THE MONTH THE SEAL WENT OUT ON HER OWN & SHE GROWED UP & CAUGHT FISH & SHE COULD BALANCE A HEART ON HER NOSE.”

Sebastian Hempey, 4, Richmond

Find this month’s coloring contest on page 53. The deadline for submissions is March 16

Jacob Tremblay, 11 ST. ALBANS “Hooray for Sally the Seal”

Violet Ward, 5 JEFFERSONVILLE “Rainbow Seal”

Elektra Pickett, 7 NORTH FERRISBURGH “Runner Up!”

Galbraith and baby Elise

the BeAt

Q one To waTch

GaVin shamis is super excited about luge. The enthusiastic sixth grader came to an interview at Frederick H. Tuttle Middle School wearing an official USA Luge T-shirt and toting all his gear: an aerodynamic skin-tight suit, a sleek helmet, pointed shoes and gloves with metal spikes on the fingers. You’d never guess that just 18 months ago, this kid was fighting leukemia.

Gavin, a member of the USA Luge Junior Team, was 8 years old in 2011 when he started experiencing joint pain. Several months later he was diagnosed with leukemia and soon began two and a half years of chemotherapy.

Before getting sick, Gavin had been an active kid who loved biking and swimming. During his treatment, he couldn’t do much to pass the time. When he wasn’t meeting with a tutor, he says, he was “curled up in a ball, trying to fall asleep.”

Gavin missed third and fourth grade. But the chemo worked. By 2013 he was cancer free and ready to go back to school. Gavin’s dad, Andrew, credits his son’s recovery to “luck, persistence and smarts.”

In October 2013, Gavin attended the USA Luge Slider Search in Burlington (the organization holds these events to recruit young athletes). He didn’t know much about the sport

websiTe Modern Family

Believe it or not, moms and dads have interests besides raising their kids. Many online parenting communities rarely acknowledge this fact, but parenT.co wants to change that. The website — backed by Parent Co., the Burlington-based company that owns private photo-sharing app Notabli — launched in January. Billing itself as a resource for the modern parent, the site features a mix of interviews, stories and essays with topics ranging from travel to technology, pop culture to relationships. Recent posts include an interview with cartoonist Harry Bliss, a playlist titled “Snow Day Jams” and weekly “internet field trips” that offer interesting links to share with the kids. Parent.co is still evolving, according to editor-in-chief Edward Shepard. He hopes to create a site where parents can learn from each other about how to create more balanced lives. “Our standard of success is if it’s something we want to use ourselves,” he says.

Find the website at parent.co.

Name: Gavin Shamis age: 12 town: South Burlington

— in which racers zoom feet-first on fiberglass sleds down an ice-covered track — just that an athlete from the country of Georgia had died doing it just before the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

“Ooh, this is dangerous,” Gavin remembers thinking. “I want to try it.”

Several months later, he was called back to the USA Luge screening camp, where he made it onto the team. Soon after, he competed in his first race, the Empire State Games in Lake Placid. Oh, my God, I’ve found my sport, he recalls thinking.

Now the middle schooler trains eight weeks a year, for six days each week, at the Lake Placid Olympic Sports Complex. Last month, he came in second place at the Empire State Games, and as this issue goes to press he’s competing in the national championships in Salt Lake City.

He dreams of making it to the Olympics — and coming home with a medal.

“Gavin is one of the most helpful and mature students I’ve ever known.” says his social studies teacher, Edith Ainsley. “He’s the best kind of star: one who is motivated by authenticity and his own sense of personal best.”

—MJ

one To waTch shines a spotlight on a young Vermonter who is going places. Know a local child, age 17 or under, who’s recently done something amazing? Nominate him or her at kidsvt.com/vermont/kidsvtonetowatch/page.

Gavin Shamis

conTesT Story Time

“When I am blushful I feel pink like a pig.” That’s a line from The Colors I Feel, one of the winning Vermont stories in last year’s PBs Kids wriTers conTesT. Thenfirst grader Joshua Kafumbe of Middlebury wrote and illustrated the tale. Budding scribes in kindergarten through third grade who want to follow in Joshua’s footsteps have until March 20 to enter this year’s contest, which calls for entrants to produce a work of fact or fiction, prose or poetry, accompanied by at least five original, colorful illustrations. A panel of local judges will choose three winners from each grade level to be recognized at an awards ceremony at the Vermont PBS studio this spring. Visit the TV station’s website to download an entry form, get writing tips and read more colorful winning stories.

PBs Kids wriTers conTesT: Open to kids in grades K-3. Entries must be received by Friday, March 20. Info, vermontpbs.org.

Y

• Y Camps run during all School Breaks including February and April

• On site at Schools in Chittenden, Franklin, Washington counties

• For kids in kindergarten through 12 years

• 7:30-6:00pm; $38 day

reserve your spot today!

gbymca.org

862-YMCA (9622)

Financial assistance is available.

research

Musical Minds

Piano lessons may really pay off, according to a new UniVersiTy of VermonT college of medicine sTUdy. A child psychiatry team led by Dr. James Hudziak analyzed brain scans of 232 kids ages 6 to 18. Their findings, published in the September 2014 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, reveal that practicing playing music altered areas of the brain that control motor functions and enhanced areas devoted to “executive functioning, including working memory, attentional control, as well as organization and planning for the future.” The study’s authors note that 75 percent of U.S. high school students rarely or never take extracurricular music or arts lessons. Might be time for that to change.

UniVersiTy of VermonT college of medicine sTUdy: Find

How

play games that mimic shooting, fighting and killing, and that makes many parents very nervous. But Dr. Mary Ann Donnelly-DeBay, a clinical and school psychologist with the Winooski School District, says play fighting can actually be healthy for kids. This month, she explores what the current research tells us about how seemingly violent games affect child development — and how play fighting in real life is different from doing it on-screen.

s play fighting a good thing

MARY ANN DONNELLY-DEBAY: Yes. Play is how kids learn. Play fighting — defined as verbally, physically cooperative play among at least two children — is a social learning experience. It helps kids practice controlled and cooperative behavior. It may be rough-and-tumble, but it’s imaginative and meets a lot of their developmental needs.

MADD: It builds emotional confidence and conflict-resolution and anger-management skills. It teaches kids how to stand up for themselves, how to speak up when they don’t like something, how to take social risks and recover from rejection, and how to express their emotions appropriately.

KVT: is play fighting different from playing violent video games?

MADD: There’s a big difference between playing these games in real life and playing gory video games. The research is clear on video violence: It desensitizes kids to violence and has a detrimental effect. But that’s different from playing guns, army, cops-and-robbers or shootthe-monsters, which involves being physically active and running around.

KVT: so there’s no suspected link between play fighting and violent behavior later in life?

MADD: It’s still a bit controversial, but the growing evidence points more toward play fighting being healthy. Preventing it forces children into being ashamed of their natural urge to play fight. The zero-tolerance policies we’re seeing toward gun-related play are just resulting in kids going “Bang! Bang!” with their fingers or chewing their toast into the shape of a gun, or

Got questions for

grabbing a tree branch and pretending it’s a gun. And there’s an obvious gender preference. Boys are more likely than girls to play with pretend weapons. Some parents get uncomfortable and think, “Am I creating a violent boy? Am I reinforcing a gender stereotype?”

KVT: if parents are apprehensive about pretend guns, what’s an appropriate response?

MADD: Kids can see into the hearts of their parents, so if the parents are really anti-gun, they should talk to their kids about that. A lot of times, parents feel more comfortable with that kind of play if it doesn’t involve a toy that looks like a real weapon; say, it’s bright purple with pink fuzzy balls popping out of it. Or if it’s something like a light saber, which we don’t see out there in the real world.

KVT: What are red flags parents should watch for?

MADD: If there’s any intent to harm, that’s a major red flag. Now, accidents happen when kids run around. But that’s different from a child who intentionally harms another child or hurts an animal or behaves aggressively in other types of play. The warning signs should be obvious: isolation, rejection, cruelty to animals, bullying. If parents are seeing aggressive behavior across settings, then definitely seek help. But if it’s cooperative play, even though it looks like a crazy light saber sword fight, it’s OK. Playing pirates doesn’t turn you into a pirate. K

FIT FAMILIES BY MARY ANN LICKTEIG

Superhero Training

Superhero Training is offered weekly, year-round, at Regal Gymnastics Academy in Essex. (Costumes are optional!) Tuition: $60 per month for the 45-minute class and $76 for the hourlong class. Info, regalgym.com

COACH JARRETT BERGERON

classes for boys at Regal Gymnastics Academy in Essex. But his 3- to 5-year-old students aren’t enrolled in a gymnastics class — they’re signed up for something that sounds a lot more fun: Superhero Training.

Bergeron uses obstacles and imaginative play to teach the fundamentals of gymnastics in his two weekly classes, which are open only to boys. Over the course of 45 minutes, his budding, barefoot gymnasts scale foam mountains and brave harrowing walks on narrow balance beams, pretending the solid ground below is actually sharkinfested water. In a floor exercise, the boys crouch, then spring up, arms waving, as if they’re slinging webs like Spider-Man.

Jericho dad Nathan Perkins brings his 5-year-old son, Henry, to the class. Perkins says he can see the kids practicing specific gymnastics skills, but the kids themselves don’t seem to make the connection. “They have no idea what they’re working on,” he says, “but they’re having fun.”

Henry, he says, is hooked. “If I told him he couldn’t do it, he’d probably run away.”

Generating that enthusiasm is part of the point of the lessons. Regal has no problem attracting girls to its classes, but boys are a different story. About 800 students are currently enrolled in Regal’s classes; of those, roughly 10 percent are male.

That trend holds true nationally, as well. Of the 140,000 gymnasts registered with USA Gymnastics, governing body, only about 13 percent are male.

the sport’s national

Dennis McIntyre, USA

Gymnastics’ vice president of men’s program, suggests that’s because boys can choose from among lots of highprofile sports. Plus, he adds, men’s gymnastics gets very di cult as boys progress; men must check out.

compete in six events compared to women’s four. “It’s extremely physically demanding,” McIntyre says. Add to that the stereotype that gymnastics is for girls, and a lot of boys

gain

But boys have plenty to gain from gymnastics, even if they eventually choose to pursue football, basketball or lacrosse. The balance, coordination, kinesthetic awareness, strength and flexibility gymnastics instills transfer directly to other sports. “Gymnastics is to sport what the alphabet is to the written word,” McIntyre says.

Coaches of other sports recruit gymnasts, USA Gymnastics spokeswoman Leslie King points out. “Our slogan is, ‘Begin here. Go anywhere.’”

coach

For example, coach Bergeron quit competitive gymnastics when he was 10 to follow his older brother into soccer. “I could do a flip throw-in,” he says. That’s a front handspring holding the ball, which he hurled once his feet hit the ground. “That was the gymnastics,” he says.

Now Bergeron trains his students to follow in his footsteps — literally. His classes begin with a game of follow the leader. A recent session ends that way, too. Bergeron leads the group of six students through an obstacle course of five balance beams lined up at one end of the gym.

“Over the beam!” he commands as time winds down. He and the boys scramble over the first beam then roll under the final four, as if bad guys are hot on their trail.

Superheroes dismissed.

PHOTOS: MATTHEW THORSEN

Coach Jarrett Bergeron encourages an enthusiastic student

SEASON PASSES 2015-2016 ALL ACCESS

Ski & Ride for FREE for the rest of this season when you purchase next season’s pass.

Save $4002 on a family of four when you purchase by April 7th!

PASSES FOR AGES 7-17 start at $991!

Adult: $449

Value (not valid Saturdays): $349

Youth (7-17): $991

Senior (65-74): $199

Senior Plus (75+): $29

Night Pass (All Ages): $119

1When purchased with parent’s Adult All Access Season Pass. Multiple youth passes may be purchased for $99, provided all youth are dependents of the adult. 2Savings based on two adult and two dependent youth passes compared to anticipated pricing after April 7th.

Sibling Stories

For this month’s issue, Kids VT asked librarians to recommend books with brothers and sisters as central characters.

The Chicken of the Family

BY MARY AMATO, ILLUSTRATED BY DELPHINE DURAND

Henrietta’s two big sisters love to poke fun at her. When they convince her that she’s actually a chicken, Henrietta heads to a farm to find her true family. The chickens welcome her into their brood wholeheartedly, which allows Henrietta to find happiness and self-acceptance.

Ages 4-8

Erna Deutsch, assistant youth librarian at Brownell Library in Essex Junction, says this past Red Clover Award nominee is very funny, with engaging illustrations that enhance the story. It’s also a good springboard for discussions about teasing. “If a child has ever been called ‘chicken,’ they can find humor in taking that just a bit too literally,” she says.

Anastasia Krupnik

BY LOIS LOWRY

First published in 1979, this middle-grade chapter book by accomplished children’s book author Lowry chronicles the ups and downs of the 10-year-old protagonist. In this first installment of the nine-book series, Anastasia struggles with her mother’s pregnancy announcement, questions of religious identity and an on-again, o -again crush. Subsequent books focus on the antics of Anastasia and her younger brother, Sam.

Ages 8-12

Becky Manahan, assistant director and young adult librarian at the St. Albans Free Library, has fond memories of reading the Anastasia books to her daughter and son when they were younger and “laughing out loud.” Though they were published many years ago, the books tackle issues that siblings today can still relate to, says Manahan.

The Misadventures of the Family Fletcher

BY DANA ALISON LEVY

The first book in this new series follows the four adopted Fletcher boys — 12-year-old Sam, 10-yearolds Jax and Eli, and 6-year-old Frog — and their two dads. Over the course of a school year, this modern family contends with new schools, a grouchy neighbor, hungry skunks and leaking ice rinks.

“Every chapter is brimming with drama, hilarity, love and stinky socks,” says Sharon Colvin, youth services consultant to the Vermont Department of Libraries. The “quirky” characters “all have their challenges,” she says, “but their family bond keeps them together.”

Ages 8-12

Write-Your-Own Contest Winners

Congratulations to these enthusiastic young writers who submitted their stories about kindness inspired by E.B. White’s Charlotte’s Web. Each wins a $25 gift certificate from Crow Bookshop in Burlington. We loved reading your warm-hearted tales. We’ve printed one of the winning stories below.

“There was once a baby peacock. He was very sad because all his friends had sprouted at least two tail feathers, but he had sprouted none. But one day his friend, Carlos, came up to him and said, “Oh, don’t be sad. I will share my feathers with you.” With a big old “owwwwwch!” Carlos yanked one of his two tail feathers out and gave it to the baby peacock. “Oh, thank you, thank you, Carlos,” the baby exclaimed. Then they both waddled along with pride — the baby, very excited, and Carlos, his rump hurting, filled with joy because of what he had done.

To do good, feels good.”

Jenelle Hardy, 11 GEORGIA

Other winners:

Jacob Sternberg, 7 SHELBURNE

Bayley Hayes, 4 WINOOSKI

Maeve Parker Clark, 8 HINESBURG

MOUTHWATERING MARCH CLASSES

High Protein Mashed Potatoes

INGREDIENTS

4 medium yellow potatoes; peeled

1/2 stick bu er

2 egg yolk

2 whole eggs

salt and fresh cracked black pepper; as needed

FOR THE SUNDAE BAR:

Gravy − Shredded cheese − Chopped green onions − Chili − Bacon bits − Sour cream − Cherry tomatoes

DIRECTIONS

Fill a large saucepan with enough water to cover potatoes, add potatoes, and cook on medium high heat until potatoes are so , about 15 minutes. Once potatoes are tender and can be easily punctured with a fork, drain. Place bu er in saucepan, pour potatoes over, and mash until smooth and creamy. Using a whisk beat in egg yolks and whole eggs, one at a time until incorporated. If mixture is too dry add another egg. Season with salt and pepper and reserve, covered.

Take one large ice cream scoop of potatoes and place in bowl. Pour ‘fudge’ (gravy) over the top and garnish with desired toppings. Don’t forget to put a cherry on top!

KIDS IN THE KITCHEN IN MARCH

All classes require pre-registration. For a full schedule, or to register, go to healthylivingmarket.com; or call Customer Service at 802.863.2569.

Overnight Vermont Cheddar Crackers

i remember The momenT I realized how capable kids can be in the kitchen. It was a late summer afternoon when my son Cal was 5 years old. His older brother, Eli, was in the middle of a complex Lego project, and I was trying desperately to put baby Sadie down for a nap.

Cal was hungry and came into the bedroom a few times to ask when I would be able to help him. At my wit’s end, I finally asked him to try and find his own snack. He smiled and took off for the kitchen. I was thinking he’d find something within reach on the counter that required no preparation, like an apple or banana, but he had a better idea. I emerged from Sadie’s room 15 minutes later to find him at the table, eating a slightly messy but otherwise perfectly respectable peanut butter and jelly sandwich that he’d prepared all by himself.

I was amazed. It hadn’t yet occurred to me to ask him to make his own sandwich. I’d never shown him how. But clearly he’d just been waiting for the opportunity. I started inviting him to help me cook and bake more often. Now, two years later, he’s still my most enthusiastic assistant. We even have a plan to open our own bakery someday. “When I’m old enough to have a real job,” he says.

Working on cooking projects can be a

great way to spend time with your kids. And, as I learned from Cal, it’s never too early to start teaching them kitchen skills! Here are a few tips to make the process go as smoothly as possible.

Plan ahead — at least a little: Decide what you’re making in advance so you can be sure you have all the ingredients. More than once, I’ve spontaneously suggested we make something delicious and roped everyone in, only to find we were missing some key component. No fun.

Do the prep: If you’re working with kids under 5, it’s a good idea to get all of your ingredients and tools ready before you start. If you’re fumbling around looking for the measuring cups or baking soda, you’re

providing the perfect opportunity for your toddler to upend an entire five-pound bag of flour. I speak from experience.

Keep your expectations realistic: If you’re making a dessert to bring to a dinner party, you probably don’t want your 3-yearold to help. Start out with easy recipes that leave room for improvisation and a few mistakes, and be ready for the final product to come out less than perfect. Muffins, quick breads, cookies and granola are some of my favorites.

Don’t forget to have fun: Kids will pick up on your feelings about an activity. If you’re enjoying yourself, they will too. Don’t worry about spills, messes or some wasted ingredients. The fun of taking something you made together out of the oven and sharing it more than makes up for a messy kitchen.

Here’s a recipe from the City Market website that I love to make with my family. These cheese crackers work for kids of all ages; my 11-year-old likes making them as much as my preschooler. The recipe technically takes two days, but the day-before prep is super easy. I like to get these started on Friday night, then set up a crackermaking assembly line after breakfast on Saturday morning.

VermonT cheddar cracKers

Adapted from citymarket.coop

This is a flexible, forgiving dough that can stand up to lots of rolling (and re-rolling!) with kids. it’s also very moist, so you can feel free to add plenty of flour during the rolling process without drying it out. omit the cheese or the sesame seeds for a plain cracker. But if you do, add an extra ½ teaspoon of salt and a few shakes of black pepper for more flavor.

ingredienTs:

2 ½ cups whole wheat, spelt or rye flour, or a mixture of those (i used King arthur whole wheat flour)

1 cup plain, full-fat yogurt.

¼ cup olive oil

1 tablespoon sesame oil

2 ½ teaspoons salt

1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

2 tablespoons sesame seeds, not toasted

1 ¼ cup grated Vermont

cheddar cheese

all-purpose white flour for rolling out the crackers.

direcTions:

The night before you want to make the crackers, combine the flour and yogurt in a large

mixing bowl to make the dough. Use a wooden spoon to get it going, then form it into a ball with your hands. you may need to add another tablespoon or two of yogurt to get it to stick together. once you’ve got a ball, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave it on the counter overnight, or up to 24 hours. When you’re ready to make the crackers, uncover the dough. Stir together the oils, salt, baking powder and sesame seeds in a small mixing bowl. make a deep indentation in the dough and pour the oil mixture into it. Then use your fingers to knead it all together. This takes some work! have everyone wash their hands well and take turns squishing everything together. When it’s

well combined, add the grated cheese and knead that in. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

Pick a nice large counter or table space to work on, and flour it well. The dough will be sticky, so go ahead and keep adding all-purpose flour to the work surface as you roll. if you have more than one rolling pin, you can divide the dough into sections and give one to each of your helpers. my kids love this part of the process. Just make sure they don’t roll the dough too thin; you’re looking for quarter-inch thickness.

Use butter knives or cookie cutters to cut out shapes. Knead and reroll dough scraps as needed. arrange the crackers in a single

layer on parchment-covered baking sheets. This recipe will make several dozen crackers, so it usually takes us three baking sheets to bake them all. i like to set the oven timer for 10 minutes, then flip them over and give them another 3-4 minutes on the other side so both sides get crisp and golden brown. if you like them even crunchier, give them a few more minutes, but keep an eye on them. it only takes a moment for them to go from perfectly crunchy to slightly burnt. Let the crackers cool for a few minutes before digging in. They’re delicious with hummus, cheese or yogurt dip! Store them in a paper bag on the counter for up to three days.

Sam Simon

GeorGe LeaL Burlington teacher, integrated arts academy at h.o. wheeler Daughter, Tatiana, 17

My parents expressed affection by hugging and sometimes kissing when I was a kid. But when Tatiana was born, we discovered she was very sensitive to touch. We even had to buy her seamless socks that wouldn’t rub and bother her feet. So there was caressing — the way you would caress a child’s head when it’s time to go to sleep — but it was a little different from what I grew up with.

Still, when she was a baby, she would sleep on my chest, and later on we would nap together. As she grew, that began to fall away. When she was in elementary school, she asked if I remembered when she was small and we would fall asleep with me holding her. I think asking was her way of letting me know that it was a good memory for her and something that she missed. It was sweet.

When I was growing up, we knew we were loved and cared for — there wasn’t any doubt of that — but my family didn’t show a lot of outward affection on a daily basis. Now, though, I’m a huge hugger.

I’ve always been very affectionate with my kids as a genuine expression of my feelings, but also for their personal development. It’s a constant that continues even into their twenties. When Alex graduated high school as salutatorian last year, I practically broke him in half. I think a hug is an awesome thing. It conveys a lot of different emotions, but you also feel embraced, physically and mentally. Nothing feels better than a big ol’ hug.

miKe Fisher Burlington information systems manager, the university of vermont medical center Daughters Zoe, 10, and Layla, 9

My family were not lip kissers growing up. My mother says, “I reserve kisses for my husband.” But my wife’s family are lip kissers, and we are with our kids. Every night before our daughters go to sleep, we have a tradition of giving them an “Eskimo kiss” — rubbing noses — and then a big hug.

Our 10-year-old is beginning to decline that physical affection publicly. So when I’m dropping them off at school, I get a kiss from the 9-year-old but just a “Bye, Dad” from the 10-year-old. It’s the natural pace of growing up. I’m just glad she still acknowledges I’m in the car. K

PhiL maGLione essex account executive, wcax-tv Son, Alex, 21; daughter, Liz, 20

How do you express affection with your kids?

Nothing feels better than a big ol’ hug.

PhiL maGLione

Circuitry

HARpER oliVER And sydnEy sEARs had almost finished their origami boxes. All that remained were the finishing touches: LED lights and batteries.

The 10-year-old best friends from Browns River Middle School in Jericho participated in an all-girls circuitry workshop in Burlington last month. For one of their projects —  creating light-up boxes — the girls used copper tape and wire to affix small batteries to the bottom of their boxes and LED lights to the lids. When they closed the boxes, the conductive tape completed the circuit and the lights blinked on.

For the two of them, the hardest part was folding the paper box. “The circuitry,” said Harper, “was easy.”

Seven Vermont middle school teams — composed of two girls and one teacher — came out for the daylong Girls MAKE IT workshop at the Generator maker space in Memorial Auditorium. They built circuits, did basic coding and worked with thread that conducts electricity and other etextiles.

The girls started off the morning with a simple, open-ended project: jazzing up name tags with little lights. They clustered around three long craft tables piled high with colorful origami paper, candy-like LED bulbs, needles and thread, and spools of copper tape. Many of the participants were surprised by how easy — and fun — the projects turned out to be.

The workshop is the brainchild of Lucie deLaBruere, a longtime Vermont educator who has spent the past 18 months living out of a 1983 Blue Bird Wanderlodge bus with her husband, Craig Lyndes. While traveling the country, she coordinates tech-related educational events back in Vermont and teaches online courses for the University of Vermont and Marlboro College.

leadership trainings and other programs aimed at deepening girls’ interest in tech.

Girls MAKE IT is one of those programs. The middle schoolers at Generator seemed comfortable with circuitry; many of them had made circuits before in school clubs and summer camps. But girls historically stray from technology-based activities as they get older. “When they go to higher-level computer programming, they’ll be one of just a few girls,” said deLaBruere. To change that gender imbalance, she doesn’t just want to introduce them to tech; she wants to get them hooked.

directions for each project, but completing them took a lot of tinkering and trial and error. Anne Pius, who provides tech support at Essex Middle School, helped her two seventh graders, Grace Hsiang and Maya Asher, curve their copper tape without wrinkling it. The workshop, she said, was “giving the girls space to follow instructions and figure it out on their own.”

In 2001, as part of her capstone master’s project at Marlboro, deLaBruere created Tech Savvy Girls, a project that encourages girls in Vermont to learn about coding, electronics and technology. Since then, she has kept the curriculum alive through summer camps, competitions, field trips to tech companies,

That’s why deLaBruere also invited young role models to the event. Maxine Cook, a senior at Essex High School, joined the girls around a work table, showing off a blinged-out winter hat she’d recently created using conductive thread, a bunch of LEDs and an open-source kit for building electronics called an Arduino.

The girls in the workshop got simple, illustrated

After finishing their boxes, the girls created little books that would fit inside them. They bound the books using needle and thread and decorated the covers with felt and embedded LEDs.

Kelsey Taylor, a seventh grader at St. Albans City School, said she was excited to go home and try out these projects with her siblings. “It’s pretty cool to realize what I’m able to make,” she said. K

Art of” spotlights creative skills that enrich kids’ lives. Got a class or teacher to recommend?

The girls started off the morning with a simple, open-ended project: jazzing up nametags with little lights.

To schedule a Tech savvy Girls workshop at your school, or to learn more about upcoming programs and summer camps, visit techsavvygirls.com.

Girls create light-up boxes

Local

On Lincoln: New Duds anchor tee, $20 Mayoral red jeans, $35 at Little Citizen

On Lienna: Little Miss multicolored romper, $58 at Little Citizen

Local

Color

Kids spring into fashion

BY ALISON NOVAK PHOTOS BY MATTHEW THORSEN

Visit a neighborhood like Brooklyn’s Park Slope or Noe Valley in San Francisco, and you can’t walk a block without hitting a children’s clothing store. In Vermont, it’s a di erent story. Shops that specialize in children’s fashion are few and far between.

Maybe that’s due, in part, to our long, harsh winters. Who cares about looking cute when braving below-zero temps and knee-high snow drifts. Or maybe the dearth of kiddie fashion is a reflection of Vermont’s values. Stylish children’s clothes, which often come with a hefty price tag, suggest a frivolity and materialism that’s so not “Vermont.”

But whatever your budget or beliefs, you have to admit that clothing for little people is pretty cute. As winter drags on, we thought you might enjoy a little eye candy to remind you that warmer weather is right around the corner. We asked the following Vermont-based children’s clothing retailers to put together some fun, bright outfits that scream “Spring!”

Little Citizen, a 500-square-foot boutique on the top block of Burlington’s Church Street Marketplace, opened in November. Owner Bridget Hu man worked in a kids’ clothing boutique in Colorado before relocating to Vermont. She’s filled her shop with clothing and accessories most adults would envy, including brightly colored jeans, broken-in hoodies, graphic tees, aviator sunglasses,

and funky scarfs and hair bands for babies and kids

Bumblebell, on Mountain Road in Stowe, has been around since 2009. Owner Sheila Bronner says best-selling items include stylish dresses, leggings and tops from Tea Collection (up to size 8) and super-soft cotton separates from Splendid (up to size 14). The shop also sells books, jewelry, puzzles, games and toys.

Two Montréal-born moms raising their kids in Vermont are at the helm of online retailer Minou Kids. Marie-Michelle Gaudreau and Julie Harvey have stocked their online store, launched in 2014, with clothing in sizes 0 to 6 from up-and-coming designers from around the world, such as Australiabased Munster Kids and Denmark’s Bangbang

Copenhagen. Temporary tattoos, bedding, stu ed animals and wall decals are also available. Their philosophy for dressing kids, says Gaudreau, is “easy, cozy and playful.”

Finally, we got some cute cotton onesies and tees with garden veggie and bicycle motifs from Winooski-based New Duds. Husband-and-wife screen printers Torrey and Tessa Valyou — parents to two young kids — started selling clothes in 2008. They designed these creations, which look like the sort of thing you might see the Park Slope set wearing.

Turn to page 22 for a list of stores where you can shop for secondhand clothing, based on our readers’ Facebook recommendations. After all, this is Vermont.

On Jay: New Duds vegetable onesie, $20 Splendid pants (part of a two-piece set), $53 at Bumblebell

On Lincoln:

Appaman grey shirt, $48 Appaman plaid tie, $27 Mayoral red jeans, $35 at Little Citizen Shoes, model’s own.

andtheirclothingshouldreflectthat

Lincoln Safran

Age: 8

Town: Burlington

Favorite color: Light red

Favorite animal: Penguin

Favorite book: Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney

Favorite item of clothing: His basketball jersey

Hobbies: Listening to music — especially Bruno Mars and Maroon 5

Fun fact: He was born on Valentine’s Day during the snowstorm of 2007.

Name: Parrish Cormier

Age: 11

Town: Shelburne

Favorite color: Cyan

Favorite animal: Dolphin

Favorite book: Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen

Favorite item of clothing: Her Barca soccer sweatshirt

Hobbies: Basketball, singing, softball, soccer and reading

Fun fact: She’s been kissed — on the cheek — by international footballers Gareth Bale and Thierry Henry

On Parrish: New Duds paisley women’s sweatshirt, $32 Vintage Havana drawstring pants, $42 at Little Citizen

On Lienna: Munster kids Warrior top, $40 Mini & Maximus Mountain leggings, $35 at Minou Kids

On Jazzy: Vintage Havana watermelon tank, $35 Mayoral printed leggings, $25 at Little Citizen

JaZaher (Jazzy) Cormier

Age: 9

Town: Shelburne

Favorite color: Pink

Favorite animal: Horse

Favorite book: Scat by Carl Hiaasen

Favorite movie: Napoleon Dynamite

Favorite item of clothing: Pink sweatpants

Hobbies: Soccer, horseback riding and math homework

Fun fact: She can lift one eyebrow

“Ourphilosophy for dress ing k i d s i s is m lp e : ysae dnayzoc, lp a fylu

-

iche lle Gaudreau, MinouKids

THRIFTY THREADS

Kids’ clothing can be expensive, so we’ve compiled a list of places to find highquality, gently used clothing for little ones.

Name: Lienna Hazel Monte

Age: 4

Town: Burlington

Favorite color: Purple

Favorite animal: Kitty

Favorite movies: Here Comes Peter Cottontail and Frozen

Favorite item of clothing: Her princess dress

Hobbies: Playing dress-up and doing puzzles

Fun fact: She has a baby brother.

BUTTERED NOODLES (consignment section), 64 Harvest Lane, Williston, 764-1810, butterednoodles.com

DIRT CHIC, 67 Main Street, Burlington, 863-1461, dirtchicvt.com

GOODWILL, 329 Harvest Lane, Williston, 879-0088 and 1080 Shelburne Road, South Burlington, 658-5359, goodwillnne.org

On Lienna: Tea Collection Malati Kantha embroidered dress, $49

Pink Poppy sparkle bow, $3.90

LeBig Sparkle bag, $23 at Bumblebell.

THE GREEN CLOSET, 40 Bridge Street, Waitsfield, 496-4333, thegreenclosetvt. com

HEATHER’S NEARLY NEW, 62 River Street, Montpelier, 229-4002, heathersnearlynew.com

JUNEBUG, 5 Park Street, Middlebury, 388-1055, junebugvt.org

ONCE UPON A CHILD, 38 Taft Corners, Williston, 878-5434, onceuponachildwilliston.com

SCAMPERS, 42 Merchants Row, Swanton, 868-4299, scampersvt.com

SHALOM SHUK, 188 North Prospect Street, Burlington, 238-4888, facebook. com/shalomshuk

“I believe that it’s worthpayingafew

bepasseddown.

On Parrish:

Vintage Havana Good Vibes tank, $35

Headbands of Hope elastic bow, $12 Yellow tank and jeans model’s own

On Jazzy:

Junk Food Clothing Peace & Love tank, $34 Mayoral violet leggings, $45

Headbands of Hope Fiesta buff, $15 at LIttle Citizen

Name: Jay Cline Lucey

Age: 15 months

Town: Burlington

Favorite color: Blue (because of his glasses)

Favorite animal: Chickens (he has some at home)

Favorite book: Where’s Spot by Eric Hill

Favorite item of clothing: Any pair of shoes

Hobbies: Wrestling and chewing on toothbrushes

Fun fact: His big brothers decided that, because of his strong will, persistent personality and penchant for destruction, Jay’s spirit animal is a honey badger.

Whether you’re considering clear aligners, retainers or today’s braces, an orthodontist is the smart choice. Orthodontists are specialists in straightening teeth and aligning your bite. They have two to three years of education beyond dental school. So they’re experts at helping you get a great smile—that feels great, too.

Braces for

On Jay: Munster Kids Say It long-sleeve tee, $40 Mini & Maximus No Falling Allowed pants, $55 at Minou Kids

Plush toys provided by Winooski-based toy manufacturer Rich Frog, richfrog.com. Flowers provided by Creative Habitat, creativehabitatvt.com

Books Behind Bars

Helping moms read to their kids — from prison

The mothers incarcerated at the Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility in South Burlington can’t tuck their children in or kiss them goodnight. But sometimes, they get to read their kids a story.

One Sunday in January, an inmate in a bright purple T-shirt — part of the uniform for her job in the prison kitchen — settled into an office chair at CRCF and cracked open the book she’d chosen for her daughter: Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse

The title character, a cute white mouse toting a stylish handbag, reminded her of the youngest of her three children, a smart little first-grader who drives her older sister to distraction.

“She’s a little diva,” the woman said with a smile. (The Vermont Department of Corrections regulations did not allow Kids VT to identify inmates by name or to ask them any direct questions.)

Her daughter, of course, wasn’t with her that day.

Volunteer Laura Crain handed the woman a small digital voice recorder. Press the red button when you’re ready to record, Crain explained. Start over if you need to. Take as long as you want. With that, Crain retreated into an adjacent office, giving the woman some privacy.

The woman, in her early 30s, pressed the record button and greeted her daughter in a cheerful, steady voice. “Today we’re going to be reading Lilly’s

By kaThryn flagg

Purple Plastic Purse, by Kevin Henkes,” she said, turning a page.

Incarcerated mothers can’t read to their children at night in a cozy bedroom or curled up on the couch. Occasionally they can read a book together during family visits. Sometimes that happens in this room with cinderblock walls, but today’s is a solo performance, with only a digital recorder to catch the sound.

“A lot of [the women] have had experiences reading to their children before they came here, and they want that connection,” said Crain. “One of the most fundamental things parents do with their children is reading and storytelling, and for these moms, that’s been interrupted.”

susan norton

Crain helps them continue their reading relationships by facilitating these recording sessions. When an inmate finishes reading, Crain burns the recording onto a CD to send to the child, along with a brand-new copy of the book, provided by the Children’s Literacy Foundation. This year, the Waterbury-based nonprofit chose CRCF as one of two prisons to receive a $25,000 grant aimed at encouraging a love of books among children of incarcerated parents. The other grant is going to a men’s prison in Concord, N.H.

“It’s an honor to work with these mothers,” said Crain. “There’s a need. I can’t imagine not doing it.”

Crain, 50, started volunteering at CRCF four years ago, after reading A World Apart: Women, Prison and Life Behind Bars and Orange Is the New Black. She wanted to do something to pop her “privileged bubble,” so the mother of two called the Lund Family Center’s Kids-A-Part program.

Kids-A-Part focuses on strengthening the bonds between incarcerated parents and their children under the age of 18. Typically about half of the 140 or so inmates are enrolled in the program at CRCF, Vermont’s only facility housing female prisoners.

Modeled after similar initiatives at prisons around the country, the storybook-recording program started when Vermont’s female prisoners were housed at the now-shuttered Dale Correctional Facility in Waterbury. It died in 2009, though, when the women moved to Swanton. Two years later, the Department of Corrections moved the inmates yet again, this time to South Burlington.

The Kids-A-Part staff tasked Crain, a librarian at Saint Michael’s College, with resurrecting it.

Crain now visits the prison one Sunday morning a month, shuffling through security alongside the volunteers who run weekly church services. She sets up shop in the Kids-A-Part wing, which is an oasis in CRCF’s bleak, institutional setting. Children’s handprints decorate the cinderblock walls there, alongside colorful motivational posters, tapestries and photographs of inmates’ children. One poster reads: “There is no way to be a perfect mother, and a million ways to be a good one.”

Crain’s efforts are getting a big boost this year from the $25,000 CLiF grant. The combination of monetary and in-kind support includes a library for the visiting rooms, seminars to help parents gain more confidence in reading to their children, and free books for kids.

But the grant doesn’t provide what the storybook program could use most: more volunteers. Currently, Crain is the storybook program’s sole volunteer. She can only record four or five women a month. Kids-A-Part case manager Jess Kell estimates that they could easily record five women each week if they had more volunteers like Crain. Reading aloud to kids is “absolutely essential” for their success, according to CLiF founder Duncan McDougall. “I truly believe, as long as a child is safe,

happy and loved, there is nothing we can do that is more powerful than sharing books with children,” he said. Reading with a kid can double that child’s vocabulary and help them develop longer attention spans. Encouraging reading is especially important during the first five years of a child’s life, when the brain is making the most significant leaps in development.

And it’s even more important for children of incarcerated parents. Jennifer Sprafke, assistant superintendent at CRCF, noted that “kids whose mothers are in jail are more likely to be involved with the criminal justice system.” Those kids are often facing difficult childhoods, in some cases

children, she said. They want to be able to provide for them, even from behind bars. Some will crochet gifts, others will send little presents selected from the prison-approved commissary — candy or treats. But the chance to share a book, a brand-new one, is something special.

“It gives [the inmates] a chance to still feel like a parent,” she said.

Kids-A-Part case manager Kell offered a similar assessment: “Their faces brighten up [when] they come to the bookshelf to pick out a book. It’s sending a little bit of themselves home.”

The women who participate in CRCF’s storybook program work with Kell ahead of time to select the book they’ll record. Kell is careful to make sure the themes and content are suitable for the children; a classic like Are You My Mother? isn’t appropriate, she pointed out, when a mother might be absent from a child’s life. Instead, many mothers gravitate toward books they remember from their own childhoods.

At the recent Sunday morning storybook session, one mom chose the classic Goodnight Moon to read to her 2-year-old, the youngest of her six children. She remembered buying and reading the same book to her oldest son, who is 23, more than two decades ago.

The recording sessions are often emotional, Crain said. It can be a painful reminder for the women that they’re missing out on reading to their children each night. Some choke up during recordings and then start over from the beginning; they want the voice their children hear to be upbeat and confident. “They want to make it a positive, reassuring experience,” said Crain.

That was the case for the mother of a 7-year-old boy, who’d chosen a Curious George story to record — one with sports, she explained, because he’s an active boy: “He’s a little monkey himself.”

involving trauma, homelessness or other stresses, she said. For these kids, reading can be a luxury.

“A [Department for Children and Families] caseworker is going to care more that you’re feeding your child more than they’re going to care about books in the home,” she said.

But storybook-recording programs don’t just help kids. According to the Prison Policy Initiative, 40 percent of the U.S. prison population is functionally illiterate — meaning they would be unable to write a letter explaining a billing error. More than 70 percent can’t read above a fourth-grade level. Studies show that intergenerational literacy programs aimed at inmates improve children’s performance in school and raise parents’ reading test scores.

Sprafke noted an added benefit of book-giveaways or storybook recordings: Many of the mothers at CRCF are desperately afraid of losing their

When she stumbled in the recording, she corrected a word and kept moving. “This way he knows it’s OK to make little minor mistakes when you’re reading,” she said afterward, listening to the recording with Crain. “Mommy does it, too.”

In thick permanent marker, she scrawled a note to her son on the envelope that would carry the CD and book out of the prison and into his hands. “I’m trying to use little words, because he’s just learning how to read,” she said.

The note read: “I love you. I miss you so much. Look inside for a treat. Listen to me read a book to you.” K

one of the most fundamental things parents do with their children is reading and storytelling, and for these moms, that’s been interrupted.

LAurA crAin, sTorybooK recording VoLunTeer

TAKE A CAMP AT THE FLYNN

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Summer camps and classes start in June, July, and August.

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Discovery Adventure Camp AGES 3-7 • 8AM-3PM

We are excited to announce Regal’s new science-based summer camp designed especially for children ages 3-7 years of age! Each week of our Discovery Adventure Camp features a new theme that will spark your child’s curiosty & imagination with active, hands-on play & exploration.

Every day of fun-filled camp includes:

• 1 hour of instructional gymnastics

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• Nutritious lunch and snacks provided Register

Gymnastics Camp AGES 6-14 • 8AM-3:30PM

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2015 CAMP GUIDE

CAMP DIRECTORY PART 2

It’s time to start planning for summer — school will be out before you know it, and your kids will be looking for something to do.

Luckily, the Green Mountain State and the surrounding region are home to numerous camps and programs o ering experiences you just can’t find in the classroom. At camp, kids can make new friends, learn new skills and test their independence by spending time away from home.

To help you understand all of your options, we’ve created an easy-to-navigate directory of area summer camps. We’ve noted the type of camp, the age of the campers, the location and the dates of the sessions. We’ve also included phone numbers and websites to help you find program details and costs.

In the February issue, we listed traditional day and sleepaway programs, as well as academic and adventure camps. You can find that list at kidsvt.com. This month, we’re featuring camps that o er arts, sports and science instruction, as well as nature camps and specialty programs.

We hope this guide helps you fill those long summer days. Can’t wait for them to get here already.

Performing Arts Camps

Does your kid love the limelight? These camps give young performers opportunities to brush up their stage skills, from tightrope walking to guitar shredding.

AMERICAN DANCE TRAINING CAMP

Sleepaway • girls • ages 8-17 • June 5-August 1 • Stratton Mountain • 866383-2382 • americandancetrainingcamp. com/vermont-dance-camps/strattonmountain-dance-camps.php

BURKLYN BALLET THEATRE

Sleepaway • coed • ages 10-20 • June 28-August 9 • Johnson • 877-287-5596 • burklynballet.com

BURLINGTON TAIKO

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Summer Camp Adventures

STARTING JUNE 29

Join us for these phenomenal summer experiences emphasizing the creative process and offering new perspectives on art, invention, and historical traditions. Recommended for children ages 6-13.

To learn more about our camps and to register your child visit: ShelburneMuseum.org

dates • Burlington • 999-4255 • burlingtontaiko.org

CIRCUS SMIRKUS

Day/sleepaway • coed • ages 5-18 • June 15-August 15 • Greensboro • 533-7443 • smirkus.org/smirkus-camp

FLYNNARTS

Day • coed • ages 4-22 • June 15-August 14 • Burlington/Shelburne/Colchester • 863-5966 • flynncenter.org/education/ take-a-class/summer-programs.html

— KIDS VT STAFF

performing arts camps (continued)

FooTworKs sTudio oF dance

Day • coed • ages 4-12 • June 22-26; June 29-July 3; check website for August camps • Milton • 922-7577 • dancefootworks.tripod.com

Fusion 802

Day • coed • ages 3-12 • July 1-31 • South Burlington • 444-0100 • dancefusion802.com

Girls rocK

Day • girls • ages 8-18 • July 20-25; August 10-15 • Winooski • 503-0409 • girlsrockvermont.org

Green mounTain YouTh sYmphonY creaTiVe arTs & music proGram

Sleepaway • coed • all ages • August 9-15 • Johnson • info@gmys-vt.org • gmys-vt.org

honesT YoGa

Day • coed • ages 4-15 • June 15-August 24 • South Burlington • 497-0136 • honestyogacenter.com/kids/camps

lY ric TheaTre

Day • coed • ages 9 and up • July 13-31 • Williston • 658-1484 • lyrictheatrevt.org

mcFadden academY oF irish

dance

Day • coed • July 6-24 • Williston/ Middlebury • 999-5041 • mcfaddenirishdance.com

spoTliGhT on dance

Day • coed • ages 3-6 • June 15-19; July

6-10 • South Burlington • 865-7626 • spotlightvermont.com

sTowe dance academY

Day • coed • ages 3-18 • June 15-August

14 • Stowe/Waitsfield (Mad River Dance Academy) • 253-5151 • stowedance.com

Visual arts camps

summer dance wiTh Karen amiraulT

Day • coed • ages 6-18 • July 6-31 • Burlington/Middlebury • amirault@ burlingtontelecom.net • facebook.com/ kadcvt

Town hall TheaTer

Day • coed • ages 18 and under • June 22-August 23 • Middlebury • 388-1436 • townhalltheater.org

Trad camp (YounG TradiTions)

Day • coed • ages 6-18 • July 27-31 • Shelburne • mark.sustic@gmail.com • youngtraditionvermont.org/programs/ trad-camp

urBan dance complex

Day • coed • ages 6-15 • July 13-21 • Williston • 863-6600 • urbandancecomplex. com/programs/day-camps

VermonT BalleT TheaTre school

Day • coed • ages 3-18 • June 8-19; July 27-August 14 • Essex/Shelburne • 8782941 • vbts.org

VermonT Jazz camp

Day • coed • ages 10-18 • July 6-10 • Colchester • 372-5363 • vtjazzcamp.com

VermonT YouTh orchesTra associaTion

Day • coed • ages 6-15 • June 22-26; August 3-7 • Colchester • 655-5030 • vyo.org

VerY merrY TheaTre

Day • coed • ages 6-18 • June 15-August

7 • Burlington/Charlotte • 355-1461 • verymerrytheatre.org/summercamps.html

These camps offer creative kids a chance to try their hands at painting, stop-motion animation, woodworking and other artistic pursuits.

Bca cenTer

Day • coed • ages 3-18 • June 15-August

14 • Burlington • 865-7166 • burlington cityarts.org

daVis sTudio

Day • coed • ages 4-17 • June 15August 21 • Burlington • 425-2700 • davisstudiovt.com

helen daY arT cenTer

Day • coed • ages 3-16 • June 15-August 21 • Stowe • 253-8358 • helenday.com/ education/summer-camps

island arTs academY

Day • coed • ages 5 and up • call for dates •

North Hero • 372-8889 • islandarts.org

purple craYon/arTisTree communiTY arTs cenTer

Day • coed • ages 3-16 • call for dates • South Pomfret • 457-3500 • artistreevt.org

seminarY arTs cenTer

Day • coed • ages 5 and up

• June

22-August 21 • Waterbury • 253-8790

Talent Development Institute

Summer 2015

For advanced students entering grades 4-9 who want to have fun while learning!

Johnson State College

June 21-27, 2015

“TDI has provided an environment where being intelligent is encouraged….TDI has given me confidence to be myself outside the camp and introduced me to friends I look forward to seeing each year.” — Camper For

• seminaryartcenter.com/childrenssummer-camps.php

shelBurne craFT school

Day • coed • ages 5-18 • June 22-July 31 • Shelburne • 985-3648 • theshelburne craftschool.org

shelBurne museum leap!

summer camp

Day • coed • ages 6-13 • June 29-

August 14 • Shelburne • 985-3346, ext. 3395 • shelburnemuseum.org/learn/ families-and-kids/summer-camps

TurTle lane arT and naTure camp

Day • coed • ages 3-12 • July 6-31 •

Shelburne • adiehlnoble@lakechamplain waldorfschool.org • lakechamplainwaldorf school.org/turtle-lane-camp

winGspan sTudio

Day • coed • ages 5-13 • June 15August 31 • Burlington • 233-7676 • wingspanpaintingstudio.com/classes.html

Night Eagle

Wilderness Adventures

A unique summer camp for boys, ages 10-14,

HEART WORKS summer camps

Burlington • Shelburne • Williston • Stowe

The Heartworks Summer Camps are summer day camp programs for children ages two* through five. The Summer Programs have a relaxed summer camp feeling incorpora ng nature explora on, water play, camp songs, movement ac vi es, as well as a learning component with hands-on ac vi es connected to a weekly theme

* Stowe Heartworks Summer Camps are open to children ages three through five

* Infant and Toddler (6 weeks-23 months) Summer Camps are offered at the Shelburne Commons loca�on.

REN AISSANCE enrichment academ y

Shelburne Farms • Shelburne Commons

For elementary students who have completed Kindergarten through age eleven Students will engage in handson ac vi es to deepen their learning and understanding of each camp theme Students will have plenty of outside me, hiking, exploring and incorpora ng Shelburne Farms into their studies.

2015 Themes - (Entering grade 1 - age 8) Treasures of the Sea, Our Five Senses on the Farm, Art and the Farm, Author Study (Ages 8-11) Take Flight, Wind and Solar Energy, W.O.W Science, Hiking on the Farm: How Far Can You Go?

science/Nature camps

Young explorers commune with nature, care for animals and explore science concepts at these down-to-earth camps.

camp paw paw (HumaNe socieTy of cHiTTeNdeN couNTy)

Day • coed • ages 7-12 • July 6-24; July

New ViLLaGe farm

Day • coed • ages 5-18 • June 8-August 21 • Shelburne • 338-0116 • newvillagefarm.org

27-August 14

• South Burlington • 8620135, ext. 12 • chittendenhumane.org/ programs-services/camp-paw-paw

crow’s paTH

Day • coed • ages 6-14 • June 29-August 1

• Burlington • 860-7284 • crowspath.org/ youth/summer/

ecHo LaKe aquarium

Day • coed • ages 5-11 • June 22-August

25 • Burlington • 864-1848, ext. 142 • echovermont.org/programs/camps

GreeN mouNTaiN

coNserVaTioN camps

Sleep-away • boys/girls • ages 12-16

• June 21-August 21 • Woodbury/ Castleton • 828-1460 • tinyurl.com/ GMCCcampinfo (vtfishandwildlife.com/ edu_camps.cfm)

LamoiLLe couNTy NaTure ceNTer

NorTH BraNcH NaTure ceNTer

Day • coed • ages 4-14 • June 15-August 14

• Montpelier • 229-6206 • northbranchnaturecenter.org

orcHard VaLLey waLdorf scHooL

Day • coed • ages 3-8 • June 15-August 14

• Montpelier • 985-2153 • ovws.org

oTTer creeK wiLdLife rescue

Day • coed • ages 6-15 • call for dates

• Addison (pickup/drop-off site in Charlotte) • 759-3148 • facebook.com/ ottercreekwildliferescue

uVm perKiNs museum

eNViroNmeNTaL day camp

Day • coed • ages 6-13 • July 13-17 • Burlington • 656-1344 • uvm.edu/geology/ geodept/daycamp

VermoNT auduBoN

Day • coed • call for ages and dates

• Morrisville • 888-9218, ext. 117 • lcnrcd.com/camps

moNTsHire museum of scieNce

Day • coed • ages 4-13 • June 22-August

14 • Norwich • 649-2200 • montshire.org/ programs/summer-camp

specialty camps

Day • coed • ages 3-17 • June 29-July 17 • Huntington • 434-3068 • vt.audubon.org/ camp

VermoNT iNsTiTuTe of NaTuraL

scieNce NaTure camp

Day • coed • ages 4-13 • June 22-August

21 • Quechee/South Pomfret/Hanover/ White River Junction • 359-5000 • vinsweb.org/nature-camp

These programs cater to certain kinds of campers, from adopted kids to children of military families to LGBT teens. Family camps are listed here, too.

BeTHaNy BircHes camp

Religious • sleepaway • girls • ages 9-18 • June 21-August 6 • Plymouth • 672-5220

• bethanybirches.org

camp aBNaKi famiLy camp

Family camp • sleepaway • all ages • May 2225; September 4-7 • North Hero • 862-7520 • campabnaki.org/specialty_camps.html

camp commoN GrouNd

Family camp • sleepaway • all ages • July 18-August 14 • Starksboro • 800-4302667 • ccgvt.org camp for me

Adopted children • day • coed • ages 7-17

• July 6-10; July 14-18 • Stowe • 338-7382

• camp4me.org

camp ouTriGHT

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning youth • sleepaway • coed

800-290-1823 • mountsnow.com/ your-trip/vacation-packages

operaTioN miLiTary Kids summer VacaTioN camp

Children from military families • day • call for ages and locations in Franklin and Chittenden County • June 22-23; July 6-10 • 656-2073 • facebook.com/ omkvermont

poK-o-maccready famiLy camp

Family camp • sleepaway • all ages • August 19-23 • Willsboro, New York • 518-963-7656 • pokomac.com

TecH saVVy camp

Technology • day • girls/coed • ages 9-15

• July 27-August 7 • call for locations in Chittenden and Orleans counties • 5570013 • techsavvygirls.com/camps

THe rocK poiNT ceNTer

• ages 13-18

• August 16-22

• Starksboro • 865-9677 • campoutright.org

miLiTary TeeN discoVery camp

Religious • day/sleepaway • coed • ages

5-18 • June 28-August 7 • Burlington • 658-6233 • rockpointcenter.wix.com

youNG HacKs academy

• June 27-August 15 • Eden

Teens from military families • sleepaway • coed • ages 13-17

• 656-2073 • facebook.com/omkvermont

mouNT sNow famiLy camp

Family camp • sleepaway • all ages •

July 12-August 9 • West Dover •

Computer programming • day • coed • ages 9-14 • July 6-31 • Multiple locations in Vermont • tbacon@younghacks academy.com

• younghacksacademy.com

sports camps

Young athletes can step up their games at soccer, field hockey or basketball camp. Other camps offer instruction in less mainstream sports, such as sailing or horseback riding.

caTamounT cross-counTry running camp

Day • coed • ages 10-17 • July 13-17 • Williston • 879-6001 • catamountoutdoorfamilycenter.com

dunKley’s gymnasTics camp

Sleepaway • girls • ages 7-17 • June

21-August 14 • South Hero • 899-3479 • dunkleysgymnasticscamp.com

ennisKery Farm

Day • coed • ages 7-12 • June 15-August

21 • Colchester • 872-9992 • enniskerry farm.com/camp

Farmhouse cenTer riding

Day • coed • ages 5-17 • June 15-August

21 • Colchester • 872-8712 • farmhouse center.org

Fell-Vallee equesTrian cenTer’s summer program

Day • coed • ages 5-14 • June 15-August

13 • Hinesburg • 482-4393 • fell-vallee. weebly.com

green mounTain gymnasTics

Day • coed • ages 4-12 • June 22-August

malleTTs Bay BoaT cluB Junior sailing program

Day • coed • ages 8-17 • June 16-August 8

• Colchester • 363-9125 • mbbc-vt.org

marTial Way

Day • coed • ages 5-13 • June 22-August 14

• Milton • 893-8893 • martialwayvt.com

meTrorocK

Day • coed • ages 5-15 • June 22-August

28 • Essex • 878-4500 • metrorock.com/ burlington

nexT leVel BasKeTBall camp

Day/sleepaway • girls • ages 5-17• June

28-July 2 (sleepaway); August 2-6 (sleepaway); August 3-7 (day) • UVM, Burlington

• 891-6620 • nextlevelbballcamp.com

norThern edge lacrosse camp

Day/sleepaway • girls • ages 10-18 • July 20-22 • Burlington • 656-7709 • vermontlacrossecamp.com

redhaWK soccer camp

Day • coed • ages 5-14 • July 6-10 •

Shelburne • swilliams@cvuhs.org • shelburnevt.org

21 • Williston • 652-2454

• greenmountain trainingcenter.com

green mounTain Field hocKey academy

Sleepaway • girls • ages 11-18 • call for dates

• UVM, Burlington • greenmountainfha@ gmail.com • greenmountainfieldhockey.com

green mounTain running camp

Sleepaway • coed • ages 11-18 • August

2-21 • Meriden, New Hampshire • 800645-3226 • ussportscamps.com/running/ nike/green-mountain-running-camp/ gymsTar gymnasTics

Day • coed • ages 3-10 • June 15-August

21 • Shelburne • 985-8948 • gymstargymnastics.com

laKe champlain communiTy sailing cenTer

Day • coed • ages 6-16 • June 15-August

28 • Burlington • 864-2499 • community sailingcenter.org

regal gymnasTics

Day • coed • ages 6-14 • June 22-August

21 • Essex • 655-3300 • regalgym.com/ summer-camps

sT. michael’s college summer sporTs camps

Day/sleepaway • boys/girls/coed • ages

7-18 • June 15-August 7 • Colchester • camps@smcvt.edu • smcathletics.com/ information/summer_camps/index

VermonT soccer school

Sleepaway • girls/boys • ages 9-18 • July

12-16; July 19-22 • Johnson • 309-3983 • vermontsoccerschool.com

VermonT VolTage

Day/sleepaway • coed • ages 10-18 • July

12-August 7 • Milton/Colchester • 5271077 • voltagesportsclub.com

MUSIC DAY CAMP

MARCH CALENDAR

& LISTINGS BY ALISON NOVAK & MEGAN JAMES

SATURDAY, MARCH 7

DAYNA LORENTZ AUTHOR VISIT

Sw t Moves Highlights

Eager readers meet the YA author of the No Safety in Numbers series, and celebrate the launch of the paperback edition of the final book in the trilogy, No Dawn Without Darkness. Phoenix Books, Burlington, 2 p.m. Info, 448-3350.

SATURDAY, MARCH 14

DABBLE DAYS

Families with kids ages 10 and under engage in different types of art activities, from painting to collage, murals to modeling clay. Thatcher Brook Primary School, Waterbury, 10-11:30 a.m. Free. Info, 244-5605.

SATURDAY, MARCH 21

JUNIOR IRON CHEF

VERMONT

Middle and high school students duke it out for cafeteria supremacy in a statewide culinary competition celebrating the state’s farm-to-table roots. All ages. Champlain Valley Expo, Essex Junction, 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. $3 per person for spectators; $5 per family. Info, 434-4122.

SATURDAY & SUNDAY, MARCH 28 & 29

Burlington. Boston. Montréal. The TRIP DANCE COMPANY has recently raked in awards and accolades up and down the East Coast. The Stowe-based competitive dance troupe, made up of 34 Vermonters ages 9 to 18, is fluent in ballet, jazz, lyrical, modern and hip-hop. Shimmering in sequins and long black gloves, they wowed the New York City Dance Alliance in December with their original jazz number “Mein Herr.” Closer to home, they performed alongside Grace Potter & the Nocturnals at last fall’s Grand Point North festival. Catch these rising stars in Stowe at their annual fundraising show — before they take off for bigger stages.

TRIP DANCE COMPANY:

Friday, March 20, and Saturday, March 21, 7 p.m., at Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center in Stowe. All ages. $25 for adults; $20 for students. Info, 253-5151. sprucepeakarts.org

AUDUBON SUGAR-ONSNOW PARTY

Maple fanciers celebrate the sugaring season with demos, tastings and tours. Green Mountain Audubon Center, Huntington, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Free. Info, 434-3068.

SPOTLIGHTS

3 TUESDAY

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, 10:45 a.m. $15 or $130 for a 10-class pass. Info, 864-9642.

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, 4:15-5:30 p.m. and 4:15-5:30 p.m. $15 or $130 for 10-class pass. Info, 864-9642.

Pee Wee Pilates: New moms get a workout with their babies in tow. Prenatal Method Studio, Burlington, 10:30-11:30 a.m. $15. Info, 646-206-0514.

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.

Food

Kids in the Kitchen: Cinnamon Roll Pancakes: Budding chefs get the best of both worlds while whipping up a breakfast hybrid featuring two of kids’ favorite morning meals. Healthy Living Market and Café, South Burlington, 4-5 p.m. $20 per parent-child pair; preregister. Info, 863-2569.

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. Call for schedule during school vacation. 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. Call for schedule during school vacation. Green Mountain Gymnastics, Williston, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.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.

Movies

Youth Media Lab: Aspiring Spielbergs film, edit and produce videos while exploring other areas of digital media. Grades 4 and up. Follows the school calendar. Ilsley Public Library, Middlebury, 3:30-4:30 p.m. Free. Info, 388-4097.

Music

Children’s Sing-Along: Parents sip co ee while wee ones break into song with a local musician. Ages 5 and under. The Bees Knees, Morrisville, 10-10:45 a.m. Free. Info, 888-7889.

Colchester Preschool Music: Youngsters have fun with songs. Ages 3-5. Burnham Memorial Library, Colchester, 11:30 a.m. Free; preregister. Info, 264-5660.

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

ECHO Story Explorers: Down Under: Little listeners learn about animals who spend the winter burrowed beneath snow and ice. Ages 6 and under. ECHO Lake Aquarium and Science Center, Burlington, 10:30 a.m. Regular museum admission; $10.50-13.50; free for members and children under 2. Info, 877-324-6386.

Theater

‘“Sesame Street” Live: Make a New Friend’: Elmo, Grover, Abby Cadabby and their furry crew welcome Chamki, Grover’s friend from India, to the neighborhood, exploring friendship and cultural similarities in the process. Flynn MainStage, Burlington, 3:30 & 7 p.m. $19.7657.46; free for babies under 1. Info, 863-5966.

4 WEDNESDAY

Baby & Maternity

Burlington Prenatal Yoga: See March 3, 5:45-7:15 p.m.

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.

Education

Essex Junction Tutoring: Students in grades K-8 get academic help from St. Michael’s College volunteers. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 3:30-5 p.m. Free; preregister for a 30-minute slot. Info, 878-6956.

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, 4-8 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 264-5660.

Health & Fitness

Essex Open Gym: See March 3.

Shelburne Open Gym: See March 3, noon.

Williston Open Gym: See March 3.

Library & Books

Book Discussion for Homeschoolers: In separate groups, kids in grades K through 3, 4 through 8 and 9 through 12 participate in activities related to award-winning reads. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 9-10 a.m. Free; preregister. Info, 878-6956.

Dorothy Canfield Fisher Book Discussion:

Avid readers ages 8-11 engage in a spirited conversation about Paperboy by Vince Vawter. Burnham Memorial Library, Colchester, 6:30 p.m. Free. Info, 264-5660.

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.

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.

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.

Theater

‘Beauty & The Beast’: The smash hit Broadway

Cla es

musical comes to Burlington, bringing lavish sets and costumes and dazzling production numbers along with it. (See spotlight on page 44.) Flynn MainStage, Burlington, 7:30 p.m. $27-79. Info, 863-5966.

5 THURSDAY

Arts & Crafts

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.

Webby’s Art Studio: Artists-in-training create masterpieces that change weekly, based on the museum’s exhibitions. All ages. Shelburne Museum, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Regular winter museum admission, $5-8; free for members and children under 5. Info, 985-3346.

List your class or camp here for only $20 per month! Submit the listing by March 16 at kidsvt. com or to classes@kidsvt.com.

EvoKids at Evolution Yoga: Join us this spring for 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 o er a consistent way to bring yoga into your family’s life.

Mondays: 9:45-10:30 a.m., Tots on the Move (ages 1.5-2.5); 10:45-11:30 a.m., Yoga Story Adventures (ages 4-5); 4:30-5:30 p.m.,  Fridays: 9:45-10:30 a.m., Tots on the Move (ages 1.5-2.5); 10:45-11:30 a.m., Kids Creative Yoga (ages 2.5-5). Saturdays: 9:15-10 a.m., New Explorers Yoga (walkers-18 mo); 10:15-11 a.m., Tots on the Move (ages 1.5-2.5).   New series begin April 6. Location: Evolution Yoga, 20 Kilburn St., Burlington. Info: evolutionvt. com, 864-9642.

Prenatal Yoga: This class combines strengthbuilding poses, gentle stretching and relaxation to help women prepare for their birth physically and emotionally. No yoga experience necessary. Prenatal Yoga: Sundays, 10:05 a.m., Mondays, 5:45 p.m., Tuesdays, 4:15 p.m., Wednesdays, 5:45 p.m., Thursdays, 12:15 p.m.  Drop-ins welcome, $15/class or $130/10-class pass. Location: Evolution Yoga, 20 Kilburn St., Burlington.  Info: evolutionvt. com, 864-9642.

Postnatal Yoga: Join other mothers in Evolution’s Postnatal Yoga classes and bring your body back to balance and strength.  For mothers six-weeks postpartum and on.  Babies under crawling welcome to come with mama! Postnatal Yoga: Sundays, 12:15 p.m., Tuesdays, 10:45 a.m. Postnatal Core: Fridays, noon. Drop-ins welcome, $15/class or $130/10-class pass. Location: Evolution Yoga, 20 Kilburn St., Burlington. Info: evolutionvt. com, 864-9642.

American Red Cross Lifeguard Course: Train to be a lifeguard. You’ll learn lifesaving skills to help people stay safe in, on and around the water. April 20-23, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. $250/members, $300/nonmembers. Info: Contact Trevor Edmunds, lifeguard trainer, at tedmunds@gbymca.org.

American Red Cross Junior Lifeguard Course (Ages 11-14): This course will help develop leadership, responsibility and personal water safety. Focuses on the skills and training participants will need to be a successful YMCA Lifeguard candidate once they’re old enough to be certified. Participants will be certified in Basic CPR/First Aid/AED through the American Red Cross. $185/members, $240/nonmembers. Info: Contact Trevor Edmunds, lifeguard trainer, at tedmunds@gbymca.org.

Kids Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu: The Vermont Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Kids Program is designed to promote self-esteem, discipline, “bullyproofing,” 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. and Saturdays, 8:15 a.m.; Ages 8-14: Weekly on Wednesdays, 5 p.m. and Saturdays, 9 a.m. First class is free! Vermont Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, 55 Leroy Rd., Williston. Info: julio@bjjusa.com, 660-4072, vermontbjj.com.

Baby & maternity

Burlington Prenatal yoga: See March 3, 12:15 p.m.

Postnatal core class: New moms tone and shape their postpartum bodies. Babies welcome. Prenatal Method Studio, Burlington, 10:30-11:30 a.m. $15. Info, 829-0211.

Health & Fitness

Essex open Gym: See March 3.

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.

shelburne open Gym: See March 3. 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

colchester Lego club: Mini-makers participate in surprise challenges with colorful interlocking blocks. Ages 6-10. Burnham Memorial Library, Colchester, 4 p.m. Free. Info, 264-5660. Food for Thought Teen Group: Young adults chow down on pizza as they discuss the library’s special events and book and DVD selection. Grades 7-12. Dorothy Alling Memorial Library, Williston, 4-5 p.m. Free. Info, 878-4918.

Gimme Some Sugar

cold nights and warmer days — that’s the recipe for maple syrup. When conditions are just right, sap begins to flow, and families flock to PALmER’s sUGARHoUsE in shelburne to celebrate Vermont’s sweetest product. on opening weekend, March 7 and 8, the Mystic Party Band plays folk tunes while families check out boiling demonstrations and dig into sugar on snow, maple candy and — wait for it — maple hot dogs! Bring skis or snowshoes to explore trails through the sugarbush, which the Palmer family has been tapping for more than 50 years.

PALmER’s sUGARHoUsE: Open Saturdays and Sundays, noon to 4 p.m, March 7 through April 19; and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. during Maple Open House Weekend, March 28-29. Live music every weekend. Free. Info, 985-5054. palmersugarhouse.com

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.

spanish musical Kids: Niños celebrate Latin American culture through songs and games en español. Bring food to share and stay for a Latin potluck lunch after class. Ages 1-5 with a caregiver. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 10:30-11:15 a.m. Free. Info, 917-1776.

music

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, 11 a.m. Free; limited to one session per week per family. Info, 878-4918.

6 FRIDAY

Arts & crafts

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. $8 includes one fired and glazed piece per participant; additional pieces are $5 each. Info, 865-7166.

Baby & maternity

Burlington Postnatal yoga: See March 3, noon.

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 March 3. shelburne open Gym: See March 3, noon, 2 & 6 p.m.

Williston open Gym: See March 3.

Library & Books

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. songs & stories With matthew: Musician Matthew Witten helps kids start the day with tunes and tales of adventure. All ages. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 10-10:45 a.m. Free. Info, 878-6956.

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

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.

7 SATURDAY

Arts & crafts

craft school saturday drop-in: Artsy types create seasonal clay objects in this ever-changing weekly series. Projects available for pickup at a later date. Ages 5-15 with an adult. Shelburne Craft School, 10-11 a.m. $10 per child. Info, 985-3648.

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.

submit your April events for print by march 16 at kidsvt.com or to calendar@kidsvt.com.

5 THURsdAy (continued)

Kids Craft: Wooden Book Box: Young artists use paint, glitter and gems to decorate a place for storing notes, stories and treasures. Ages 5 and up. Creative Habitat, South Burlington, 1-3 p.m. $5 per child. Info, 862-0646.

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

Pottery Wheel: Clay enthusiasts learn how to make cups, bowls and more. Price includes one fired and glazed piece per participant. Ages 6-12. BCA Print & Clay Studio, Burlington, 1:30-3:30 p.m. $25; preregister. Info, 865-7166.

Webby’s Art Studio: See March 5.

Education

One-on-One Tutoring: See March 4, 9:30 a.m.3 p.m.

Food

Rutland Winter Farmers Market: More than 50 vendors sell local produce, cheese, homemade bread and other made-in-Vermont products. All ages. Vermont Farmers Food Center, Rutland, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Free. Info, 753-7269.

Open Sugarhouse Weekends: Families sample the state’s “liquid gold” on snow, and enjoy boiling demonstrations, maple candy, live music and the resident goats. Sleigh rides weather permitting. All ages. (See spotlight on page 58.)

Palmer’s Sugarhouse, Shelburne, noon-4 p.m. Free. Info, 985-5054.

Health & Fitness

Shelburne Open Gym: See March 3, 9 & 10:10 a.m.

Library & Books

Bring Your Child to the Library Day: Families drop in for a celebration of Dr. Seuss’s birthday, complete with thematic crafts and activities. Fairfax Community Library, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Free. Info, 849-2420.

Dayna Lorentz Author Visit: Eager readers meet the YA author of the No Safety in Numbers series, and celebrate the launch of the paperback edition of the final book in the trilogy, No Dawn Without Darkness. Phoenix Books, Burlington, 2 p.m. Info, 872-7111.

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

Toddler Yoga and Stories: Stretchy small fries perform simple poses and listen to a read-aloud. Ages 1-5. Dorothy Alling Memorial Library, Williston, 10:30 a.m. Free; preregister. Info, 878-4918.

Music

BarnArts Jazz & Funk Masquerade Winter

Music Carnival: Five hours of local and regional music plus an expansive taco bar, mask making and lots of fun are served up at this annual festival. Costumes welcome. Masks encouraged. Barnard Town Hall, 6-11 p.m. $10-20; free for children 6 and under. Info, 234-1645.

8 SUNDAY

Baby & Maternity

Burlington Postnatal Yoga: See March 3, 12:15-1:30 p.m.

Burlington Prenatal Yoga: See March 3, 10:0511:30 a.m.

Vergennes Prenatal Yoga: Moms-to-be learn di erent breathing techniques and positions in

preparation for birth. 2 Wolves Holistic Center, Vergennes, 5:30 p.m. $14. Info, 870-0361.

Fairs & Festivals

Wintervale: Kids activities, local food and hot chocolate — plus 3 miles of groomed cross-country ski trails, weather permitting — await nature-loving Vermonters in Burlington’s backyard. All ages. Burlington’s Intervale, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Free. Info, 660-0440.

Food

Open Sugarhouse Weekends: See March 7.

Games

Family Fun Sunday: 12-and-under gamers cap o the weekend with a kids meal and two tokens. Tilt Classic Arcade & Ale House, South Burlington, 3-7 p.m. $7 per child. Info, 489-5350.

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 7-12-year-olds come from 2:30-4 followed by ages 13 and up from 4-5:30. Regal Gymnastics Academy, Essex. $8. Info, 655-3300.

9 MONDAY

Arts & Crafts

Toddler Time: Parents relax with free co ee 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

Burlington Prenatal Yoga: See March 3. 5:457:15 p.m.

Chace Mill Prenatal Yoga: Pregnant women breathe, stretch and strengthen in preparation for birth. Prenatal Method Studio, Burlington, 5-6 p.m. $15. Info, 829-0211.

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.

Education

One-on-One Tutoring: See March 4.

Health & Fitness

Essex Open Gym: See March 3.

Itty Bitty Public Skating: See March 5.

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.

Shelburne Open Gym: See March 3, 10 a.m., noon & 5:30 p.m.

Vergennes Kids 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 March 3.

2015 SUMMER

Classes & Camps

• Week-long ballet themed camps for ages 3-9

• Week-long ballet Mini-Intensive for ages 12-18, for the serious dancer looking to stay in shape for various summerlong intensives

• Weekly ballet classes for young dancers - adults - beginner - advanced

Summer Intensive for Teens Ages 13 - 18

Beginner-Intermediate

July 27 - July 31 & August 3 - August 8

Week-long dance intensive for the teen dancer who wants to take their dance training to a higher level, prepare for dance in college, musical theater, or high school dance team. Or maybe your dream has been to dance en pointe? Classes offered in ballet, variations, pointe, pointe prep, jazz, lyrical, modern, choreography and more.

Join us for one week or two, dance all day, every day and we’ll help you to reach your goal!

This summer come dance with the best at VBTS! For schedule and enrollment information at both the Essex & Shelburne Campuses visit us at WWW.VBTS.ORG OR CALL: 802-878-2941 OR EMAIL US AT: INFO@VBTS.ORG

Playgroups

MONDAY

Barre Open Gym: Sunrise Gymnastics, 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.

Chace Mill Walkers Playgroup: 9-10:30 a.m.

$3 suggested donation. Info, 829-0211.

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

Fusion 802 Playgroup: Fusion 802, South Burlington, 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.

Alice in Noodleland Playgroup: Buttered Noodles, Williston, 10-11 a.m. Free. Info, 764-1810.

TUESDAY

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.

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.

WEDNESDAY

Barre Open Gym: See Monday.

Burlington Playgroup: See Monday.

Chace Mill New Mothers/Infants Playgroup: 1:30-3 p.m. $3 suggested donations. Info, 829-0211.

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.

Montpelier Little Sprouts: 9-11 a.m. Free. Info, 225-8699.

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, 685-2264, 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.

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 EvoMamas Playgroup: Evolution Yoga, 10:20-11:50 a.m. Free. Info, 864-9642.

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

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: Carpenter-Carse 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, 685-2264, ext. 24.

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

FRIDAY

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

Ferrisburgh Open Gym: Ferrisburgh Central School, 9-10:30 a.m. Free. Info, mary.ne nger@gmail.com.

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

Marshfield Open Gym: Jaquith Public Library, 3-4:30 p.m. Free. Info, 426-3581.

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.

SUNDAY

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

9 MONDAY (CONTINUED)

Library & Books

Makerspace Program: Circuit Board Clocks: Power drills and other tools are used to create unique timekeepers out of reclaimed computer parts in this DIY workshop for ages 9-adult.

Dorothy Alling Memorial Library, Williston, 6 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 878-4918.

Teen Tinker Week: Young adults explore computer coding, circuits, paper folding and more in these exploratory sessions. Age range varies for each activity. Contact library for more information. Burnham Memorial Library, Colchester, 4 p.m. Free; preregister online. Info, 264-5660.

Music

Music for Preschoolers: See March 5.

10 TUESDAY

Arts & Crafts

Creative Tuesdays: Artists engage their imaginations with recycled materials. All ages, but kids under 8 must be accompanied by an adult. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 3-5 p.m. Free. Info, 865-7216.

Teen Art Studio: A changing lineup of artists inspire young adults to create in di erent media. Ages 11-18. Helen Day Art Center, Stowe, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 253-8358.

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 a.m.-noon. Free. Info, 985-8228.

Burlington Postnatal Yoga: See March 3.

Burlington Prenatal Yoga: See March 3.

Pee Wee Pilates: See March 3.

Shelburne Prenatal Yoga: See March 3.

Education

‘Learning All the Time’ Homeschoolers Conference: A choice of six workshops including how to get started, a day in the life of a homeschooler, getting into college and meeting with the Agency of Education are on the agenda at this gathering of Champlain Valley homeschooling parents. Rock Point School, Burlington, 6-9 p.m. $20 per person. Info, 862-6230.

Games

Essex Junction Lego Fun: Budding builders share blocks. Grades K and up; kids under 5 are welcome to participate with adult supervision. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 3-4:30 p.m. Free. Info, 878-6956.

Health & Fitness

Essex Open Gym: See March 3.

Shelburne Open Gym: See March 3.

Williston Open Gym: See March 3.

Library & Books

Gaming For Teens & Adults: See March 3.

Read to a Dog: See March 3.

Teen Tinker Week: See March 9, 4 p.m.

Movies

Youth Media Lab: See March 3.

Music

Children’s Sing-Along: See March 3.

Colchester Preschool

Music: See March 3.

Music With Mr. Chris: See March 3.

Nature & Science

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

ECHO Story Explorers: Sugaring: Sweet-toothed tots learn about the maplesyrup-making process, then take a taste test.

Ages 6 and under. ECHO Lake Aquarium and Science Center, Burlington, 10:30 a.m. Regular museum admission; $10.50-13.50; free for members and children under 2. Info, 877-324-6386.

11 WEDNESDAY

Baby & Maternity

Burlington Prenatal Yoga: See March 3, 5:45-7:15 p.m.

Montpelier Postnatal Yoga: See March 4.

Education

Essex Junction Tutoring: See March 4.

History for Homeschoolers: Sugaring in Vermont: Maple sugar production, marketing and related inventions and traditions is the focus of this session for young learners ages 6-12. Vermont History Center, Barre, 1-3 p.m. $4-5; free for parents and nonparticipating children; preregister. Info, 828-1314.

One-on-One Tutoring: See March 4.

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 March 3. Shelburne Open Gym: See March 3, noon. Williston Open Gym: See March 3.

Library & Books

Become a Puppeteer: Teen volunteer Melissa Lefcourt o ers a workshop for middle schoolers on how to make puppets. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 3:30-4:30 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 878-6956.

Count Me In!: Preschoolers and their parents learn hands-on activities to incorporate into their daily lives that will foster a love of math.

Dorothy Alling Memorial Library, Williston, 6-7 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 878-4918.

Fairfax 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.

Teen Tinker Week: See March 9, 4 p.m.

Music

Community Sing-Along: Songbirds raise their voices with the instrumental accompaniment of Rich and Laura Atkinson. All ages. Jaquith Public Library, Marshfield, 6:45 p.m. Free. Info, 426-3581.

Moving & Grooving With Christine: See March 4.

Rockin’ Ron the Friendly Pirate: See March 4.

12 THURSDAY

Arts & Crafts

Pollywog Preschool Art Drop-In: See March 5.

Webby’s Art Studio: See March 5.

Baby & Maternity

Burlington Prenatal Yoga: See March 3, 12:15 p.m.

Postnatal Core Class: See March 5.

Education

History for Homeschoolers: Sugaring in Vermont: See March 11.

Games

St. Albans Legos: Block lovers keep busy with the library’s giant collection. All ages. St. Albans Free Library, 3-5 p.m. Free. Info, 524-1507.

Health & Fitness

Essex Open Gym: See March 3.

Itty Bitty Public Skating: See March 5. Shelburne Open Gym: See March 3. Yoga with Danielle: See March 5.

Library & Books

Colchester Lego Club: See March 5. Hinesburg Lego Club: See March 5.

Spanish Musical Kids: See March 5. St. Albans Library Legos: Young building enthusiasts engage in creative construction with their peers. St. Albans Free Library, 3-5 p.m. Free. Info, 524-1507.

Teen Tinker Week: See March 9, 4 p.m.

Music

Music for Preschoolers: See March 5.

Nature & Science

The ‘Bee-Buzz-Buzz’ on Golden-Winged Warblers: Audubon Vermont biologists talk about the ecology of the declining species, including e orts to locate the birds and to protect them and their habitat. Recommended for families with children ages 10 and up. Ilsley Public Library, Middlebury, 7-8 p.m. Free. Info, 434-3068.

13 FRIDAY

Arts & Crafts

Family Wheel Drop-In: See March 6.

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.

Baby & Maternity

Burlington Postnatal Yoga: See March 3, noon.

Education Homeschool Project Day: Out-of-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.

Games

Dungeons & Dragons: Players exercise their problem-solving skills in imaginary battles and adventures. Grades 6 and up. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 6-8:30 p.m. Free. Info, 878-6956.

Health & Fitness

Essex Open Gym: See March 3. Shelburne Open Gym: See March 3, noon, 2 & 6 p.m.

Williston Open Gym: See March 3.

Library & Books

Early Bird Math: See March 6. Essex Junction Drop-in Story Time: Babies, toddlers and preschoolers stop by for picture books and finger plays. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 10-10:45 a.m. Free. Info, 878-6956. 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.

Teen Tinker Week: See March 9, 3 p.m.

Movies

Family Movie Night: A magical tale about one of the greatest storytellers and the people who inspired his masterwork, Peter Pan, is the subject of this PG-rated flick. Free popcorn and drinks. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 6:308:30 p.m. Free. Info, 878-6956.

Global Roots Festival: ‘Zarafa’: This famiyfriendly, historically based animated adventure, presented by the Vermont International Film Foundation, begins under a baobab tree. In French with English subtitles. Ages 7 and up. O’Brien Community Center, Winooski, 6:308:30 p.m. Free. Info, 660-2600.

Music

Kids Music With Linda ‘Tickle Belly’ Bassick: See March 6.

Music With Derek: See March 6.

Music With Robert: See March 6.

14 SATURDAY

Arts & Crafts

Craft School Saturday Drop-In: See March 7. Family Movement: Parents, grandparents and children come together for yoga, dance and creative play. All ages. ArtisTree Community Arts Center, South Pomfret, 10-11 a.m. $10 per parent-child pair; $5 per additional family member; preregister. Info, 457-3500.

Kids Craft: St. Patty’s Day: Wee lads and lassies make an arrangement in honor of St. Patrick’s Day to decorate the home. Ages 5 and up. Creative Habitat, South Burlington, 1-3 p.m. $5 per child. Info, 862-0646.

Webby’s Art Studio: See March 5.

Ongoing Exhibits

ECHO LAKE AQUARIUM AND SCIENCE CENTER, BURLINGTON

Info, 864-1848

Playing Together: Games: Families reconnect while playing a multitude of games that span generations and cultures, from nine men’s morris to mancala. Through May 10.

HELEN DAY ART CENTER, STOWE

Info, 253-8358

‘Play’: This show features artists who embody aspects of play in their work. Much of the artwork is interactive and participatory. Open Wednesday through Sunday through April 4.

MONTSHIRE MUSEUM OF SCIENCE, NORWICH

Info, 649-2200

Bubbles: Science in Soap: Eight interactive stations encourage kids to experiment with surface tension, create foam sculptures and inject bubbles with mist. Opens March 7.

Farmers, Warriors, Builders: The Hidden Life of Ants: This Smithsonian Institution traveling exhibit explores how the little insects obtain and distribute resources, maintain civil unity and defend against outsiders. Through April 5.

‘The Light Around Us’: What are the properties of light? This visiting exhibition explores both the physics of light and how we see it, giving visitors the chance to experiment with colors, shadows and prisms. Through May 10.

STRATTON MOUNTAIN

Info, 297-4114

Vermont Ice Castles: Frozen archways, tunnels, canyons, ice slides and glacial waterfalls create a Narnia-like display for families to explore. Through March 7 (weather permitting).

WONDERFEET KIDS’ MUSEUM, RUTLAND

Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sundays, 1-4 p.m. Info, 282-2678

Community

See MARCH CALENDAR

Dabble Days: Families with kids ages 10 and under engage in di erent types of art activities, from painting to collage, murals to modeling clay. Snack provided. Thatcher Brook Primary School, Waterbury, 10-11:30 a.m. Free. Info, 244-5605.

Model Railroad Show: Little ones go loco for locomotives as they watch operating models chug on by. All ages. Collins-Perley Sports Complex, St. Albans, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. $1-5; free for children under 6. Info, 878-1135.

Education

One-on-One Tutoring: See March 4, 9:30 a.m.-3 p.m.

Fairs & Festivals

Vermont Chili Festival: Restaurants and caterers ladle out spicy stews from the sidewalks, and street performers, live music and face painting further heat things up. All ages. (See spotlight on page 50.) Downtown Middlebury, 1-4 p.m. $5-7; free for kids under 8. Info, vermontchilifest@ gmail.com.

Food

Burlington Winter Farmers Market: Farmers, artisans and producers o er fresh and prepared foods, crafts, and more in a bustling indoor marketplace with live music and lunch seating. All ages. Memorial Auditorium, Burlington, 10 a.m.2 p.m. Free. Info, 310-5172.

Norwich Winter Farmers Market: Farmers o er produce, meats and maple syrup, which complement baked goods and handcrafted items from local artists. All ages. Tracy Hall, Norwich, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Free. Info, 384-7447.

Rutland Winter Farmers Market: See March 7. Open Sugarhouse Weekends: See March 7.

Health & Fitness

Parents Night Out: Adults looking for some alone time drop o their young yogis for dancing, game playing, pizza eating and relaxation activities with di erent themes each month.

Ages 4-11. Evolution Physical Therapy and Yoga, Burlington, 5:30-7:30 p.m. $25 for one child; $15 for siblings; preregister. Info, 864-9643.

Shelburne Open Gym: See March 3, 9 & 10:10 a.m.

Library & Books

Kate Messner: Spring Stories for Young Readers: The local children’s author celebrates the upcoming change of seasons with tales of warmer weather. Geared to ages 5-12, but all are welcome. Phoenix Books, Burlington, 2 p.m. Free. Info, 448-3350.

Dr. First videos

First With Kids” at

Teen Tinker Week: See March 9, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.

Music

Vermont Symphony Orchestra Masterworks Series: Skillful instrumentalists make compositions soar. Free interactive discussion with the conductors and guest artists, 7 p.m. Flynn MainStage, Burlington, 8 p.m. $16-61; $9 for students. Info, 864-5741.

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.

ECHO Story Explorers: Sugaring: See March 10.

15 SUNDAY

Baby & Maternity

Burlington Postnatal Yoga: See March 3, 12:151:30 p.m.

Burlington Prenatal Yoga: See March 3, 10:0511:30 a.m.

Vergennes Prenatal Yoga: See March 8.

Food

Open Sugarhouse Weekends: See March 7.

Games

Family Fun Sunday: See March 8. Night Rider Series: Teenage skiers and riders compete for prizes under the lights of the resort’s terrain parks. Bolton Valley Resort, 5:30-8 p.m. Lift ticket required plus $15; preregister at Guest Services from 4:30-5:30 p.m. Info, 434-6804.

Health & Fitness

ChildLight Yoga for Kids: Young yogis come together to explore the beauty of new beginnings.

Ages 4-8. Parents and caregivers welcome. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 1-1:45 p.m. Free. Info, 865-7216.

Essex Sunday Open Gym: See March 8.

Music

Sunday Matinee Series: Masterworks: Skillful instrumentalists make compositions soar. Paramount Theatre, Rutland, 3 p.m. $16-61; $9 for students. Info, 864-5741.

16 MONDAY

Arts & Crafts

Crafternoon: Fun With String: Kids are treated to an afternoon of creativity and fun. Ages 6 and up. Fairfax Community Library, 3-4 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 849-2420.

Baby & Maternity

Burlington Prenatal Yoga: See March 3, 5:457:15 p.m.

Chace Mill Prenatal Yoga: See March 9. Montpelier Prenatal Yoga: See March 9.

Community

Bolton Family Week: This winter celebration includes indoor inflatables and video games, campfires, ice cream socials, kids movies and balloon sculptures. Bolton Valley Resort, 2-5 p.m. $8 for general public; $6 for Bolton Valley lift ticket holders; $5 for season pass holders. Info, 434-6804.

Education

One-on-One Tutoring: See March 4.

Food

Kids in the Kitchen: Green Eggs & Ham... Sandwiches: In honor of St. Patty’s Day — and Dr. Seuss — kiddos create a nutritionally enhanced, silly-looking snack, using a touch of spirulina to turn scrambled eggs a gorgeous emerald hue. Healthy Living Market and Café, South Burlington, 4-5 p.m. $20 per parent-child pair; preregister. Info, 863-2569.

Games

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

Since 1894—a charitable, year-round residential and day school in Westminster, Vermont. Your donation to Kurn Hattin helps provide young children in need with a safe, nurturing place to live, learn, grow, and reach their full potential. Visit www.helpforkids.org or contact Kim Fine at 802-721-6914 to learn how you can open the door to a brighter future.

“I didn’t really know what I was capable of... It was a lot more than I thought.”

With your help, anything is possible.

Health & Fitness

Essex Open Gym: See March 3.

Itty Bitty Public Skating: See March 5.

Little Yogis: See March 9.

Shelburne Open Gym: See March 3, 10 a.m., noon & 5:30 p.m.

Vergennes Kids Yoga: See March 9.

Williston Open Gym: See March 3.

Library & Books

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

Pajama Story Time With Abby Klein: Look for leprechaun gold! Flannel-clad kiddos bring their favorite stu ed animals for tales, crafts and a bedtime snack. Dorothy Alling Memorial Library, Williston, 6:30 p.m. Free. Info, 878-4918. Ruff Reading: Children stop into the library and practice reading aloud to Ella, a seven-pound Yorkie. St. Albans Free Library, 4 p.m. Free. Info, 524-1507.

Rock On

Grab a glow stick and get ready to party! For the third consecutive year, kids and adults alike can rock out to the music of some of Vermont’s best bands at THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT

This family-friendly show benefits the Integrated Arts Academy, a magnet school in Burlington’s Old North End. Rough Francis, Swale, Colin and the Clarys, Steady Betty, Paper Castles, James Kochalka Superstar, the Cleary Brothers, and Brass Balagan perform. Let loose on the dance floor, then belly up to the bar to pick up chicken fingers for the little ones — and a beer for

yourself. Everybody wins!

THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT: Saturday, March 21, 12:30 p.m., at Higher Ground in South Burlington. Doors open at noon. Advance tickets are $10 for adults; $5 for kids. Day-of tickets are $12 for adults; $7 for kids. Info, kidsarealrightconcert@gmail.com, facebook. com/kidsarealrightconcert

Ca ing Young Writers!

Have you read Miss Rumphius? It’s a story about a woman who plants flowers to makes the world a better place. How have you added beauty to the world? Write about it by March 16 for a chance to win a $25 gift card to Crow Bookshop.

See page 51 for details.

‘Star Wars’ Club: Young fans channel the Force as they chat about their favorite characters. Popcorns and drinks provided. All ages. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 4:30-5:30 p.m. Free. Info, 878-6956.

Music

Music for Preschoolers: See March 5.

Tale as Old as Time

disney’s ‘BEAuTY ANd THE BEAsT,’ which was adapted into a Broadway musical in 1994, is back at Burlington’s Flynn center for the Performing arts. this show’s got it all: a beautiful, bookish heroine, an angry beast with a heart of gold, a buffoonish French villain and, of course, a singing teapot. Best of all, if you grew up in the early ’90s, you can probably remember every word of “Be our Guest.” relive a piece of your own childhood and watch it enchant your kids.

submit your April events for print by march 16 at kidsvt.com or to calendar@kidsvt.com.

16 moNdAY (continued)

Toddler Tap Along: Little music makers hum, wiggle and bounce along for a rockin’ morning of singing songs with guest musician Iris Downey-Plotnick. Ages 5 and under. ONE Arts Center, Burlington, 10 a.m.-noon. $10 per family. Info, oneartscollective@gmail.com.

Parenting

marshfield Parenting Group: Moms and dads share tips and troubleshoot common frustrations with peers. Jaquith Public Library, Marshfield, 7-8 p.m. Free. Info, 426-3581.

17 TUESDAY

Arts & crafts

creative Tuesdays: See March 10.

Preschool story Hour: Young art connoisseurs and their caregivers listen to a picture book, look at original works of art and create a project to take home. Ages 3-5. Plattsburgh State Art Museum, 10-11:30 a.m. Free; preregistration appreciated. Info, 518-564-2498.

Baby & maternity

Breastfeeding cafe: Moms nurse their babies, chat and pose questions to a certified lactation consultant. Pregnant women, dads and siblings welcome. Ilsley Public Library, Middlebury, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Free. Info, 349-3825.

Burlington Postnatal Yoga: See March 3.

Burlington Prenatal Yoga: See March 3.

Pee Wee Pilates: See March 3.

shelburne Prenatal Yoga: See March 3.

community

Bolton Family Week: See March 16, 6-8 p.m.

Health & Fitness

Essex open Gym: See March 3. shelburne open Gym: See March 3. Williston open Gym: See March 3.

Library & Books

Gaming For Teens & Adults: See March 3. irish stories for Kids: In celebration of St. Patrick’s Day, a local storyteller shares legends and tales from the Emerald Isle. Ages 6 and up. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 3-4:30 p.m. Free. Info, 878-6956.

Read to a dog: See March 3.

movies

Youth media Lab: See March 3.

music

‘BEAuTY ANd THE BEAsT’: Wednesday, March 4, 7:30 p.m., at Flynn MainStage in Burlington. All ages. $27-79. Info, 863-5966. flynntix.org

children’s sing-Along: See March 3. colchester Preschool music: See March 3. music With mr. chris: See March 3.

Nature & science

EcHo story Explorers: color: To combat the long, drab winter, science educators share a story and conduct an interactive experiment with all the hues of the rainbow. Ages 6 and under. ECHO Lake Aquarium and Science Center, Burlington, 10:30 a.m. Regular museum admission; $10.50-13.50; free for members and children under 2. Info, 877-324-6386.

18 WEDNESDAY

Baby & maternity

Burlington Prenatal Yoga: See March 3, 5:45-7:15 p.m.

Montpelier Postnatal Yoga: See March 4.

Community

Bolton Family Week: See March 16, 4-5 p.m.

Education

Essex Junction Tutoring: See March 4.

One-on-One Tutoring: See March 4.

Health & Fitness

Essex Open Gym: See March 3.

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

Shelburne Open Gym: See March 3, noon.

Williston Open Gym: See March 3.

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

40th Army Band Performance: Three musical performance teams — a woodwind quintet, a big-band ensemble and a power-rock show band — made up of Army Guard members showcase their talents. St. Albans City School, 7 p.m. Free. Info, 338-3480.

Moving & Grooving With Christine: See March 4.

Rockin’ Ron the Friendly Pirate: See March 4.

19 THURSDAY

Arts & Crafts

Pollywog Preschool Art Drop-In: See March 5. Printer’s Paradise: This family workshop o ers creative, messy fun using a variety of printmaking techniques and tools. An interactive tour of the art museum’s gallery provides inspiration. Ages 6-12. Plattsburgh State Art Museum, 2:30-3:30 p.m. Free. Info, 518-564-2498.

Webby’s Art Studio: See March 5.

Baby & Maternity

Burlington Prenatal Yoga: See March 3, 12:15 p.m.

Postnatal Core Class: See March 5.

Community

Bolton Family Week: See March 16, 4:30-6:30 p.m.

VCGE Connections: The Vermont Council for Gifted Education holds an informal networking session for parents, professionals and educators to share resources and information about the local gifted community. New Moon Café, Burlington, 6 p.m. Free; RSVP. Info, 864-3212.

Food

Kids in the Kitchen: Veggie Burritos: Young culinary whizzes learn knife skills as they slice and dice their way through a variety of vegetables to create a Mexican specialty. Healthy Living Market and Café, South Burlington, 4-5 p.m. $20 per parent-child pair; preregister. Info, 863-2569.

Health & Fitness

Essex Open Gym: See March 3.

Itty Bitty Public Skating: See March 5. Shelburne Open Gym: See March 3.

Yoga with Danielle: See March 5.

Library & Books

Colchester Lego Club: See March 5.

Community Book Discussion: Readers chat about Beyond Magenta, a book about transgender teens, by Susan Kuklin. Milton Public Library, 7 p.m. Free. Info, 893-4644. Hinesburg Lego Club: See March 5.

Read to a Dog: See March 4.

Spanish Musical Kids: See March 5.

Music

Music for Preschoolers: See March 5.

Nature & Science

Journey From Sap to Syrup: Wee ones tap a tree, collect buckets of sap and watch it boil into thick syrup. Taste tests guaranteed. Ages 3-5. Audubon Vermont, Huntington, 9-10:30 a.m. $8-10 per adult-child pair; $4 for each additional child; preregister. Info, 434-3068.

20 FRIDAY

Arts & Crafts

Family Wheel Drop-In: See March 6.

Baby & Maternity

Burlington Postnatal Yoga: See March 3, noon.

Dance

TRIP Dance Company: This competitive Stowe-based dance company, composed of performers ages 9-18, shows o a wide range of classical and original choreography, including its award-winning jazz number, “Mein Herr.” (See spotlight on page 36.) Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center, Stowe, 7-9:30 p.m. $20-25; proceeds benefit the dance company. Info, 253-5151.

Games

Magic: The Gathering: See March 6.

Health & Fitness

Essex Open Gym: See March 3. Shelburne Open Gym: See March 3, noon, 2 & 6 p.m.

Williston Open Gym: See March 3.

Library & Books

Axis & Allies: War at Sea: Teens play a World War II game of strategy using battleships, air fleets and submarines to decide the fate of the world. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 3:305 p.m. Free. Info, 878-6956.

Early Bird Math: See March 6.

Songs & Stories With Matthew: See March 6.

Music

40th Army Band Performance: Three musical performance teams — a woodwind quintet, a big-band ensemble and a power-rock show band — made up of Army Guard members showcase their talents. Rutland Intermediate School, 7 p.m. Free. Info, 338-3480.

Kids Music With Linda ‘Tickle Belly’ Bassick: See March 6.

Camp & Sch l Fair

Therapy dogs of Vermont: See March 7. 10:30 a.m.

music With derek: See March 6. music With Robert: See March 6. spring Piano concert: High school senior Teddy Ninh performs a mix of classical, jazz and other selections. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 7 p.m. Free. Info, 878-6956.

21 SATURDAY

Arts & crafts

craft school saturday drop-in: See March 7.

Family Art: Little and big people use a variety of materials to create unique masterpieces. 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 craft: Wooden Birdhouse: Aspiring decorators fancy up a home for feathered friends with paint, gems and moss. Ages 5 and up. Creative Habitat, South Burlington, 1-3 p.m. $5. Info, 862-0646.

Webby’s Art studio: See March 5.

dance

TRiP dance company: See March 20.

Education

Breastfeeding 101: Pregnant women and their partners ask questions, speak with a lactation consultant and learn about community resources. Central Vermont Women’s Health, Berlin, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 476-0155.

one-on-one Tutoring: See March 4, 9:30 a.m.-3 p.m.

Food

Junior iron chef Vermont: Middle and high school students duke it out for cafeteria supremacy in a statewide culinary competition celebrating the state’s farm-to-table roots. All ages. Champlain Valley Expo, Essex Junction, 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. $3 per person; $5 per family. Info, 434-4122.

Rutland Winter Farmers market: See March 7.

open sugarhouse Weekends: See March 7.

Health & Fitness

dental day: Smile! Dr. Palm and his staff from the Colchester Dental Group offer up tooththemed activities and teach about brushing, flossing and oral hygiene techniques. Buttered Noodles, Williston, 10 a.m.-noon. Free. Info, 764-1810.

shelburne open Gym: See March 3, 9 & 10:10 a.m.

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.

star Wars Family Fun day: Costumed clans partake in intergalactic games, crafts and foods. All ages. Milton Public Library, 1:30-3:30 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 893-4644.

submit your April events for print by march 16 at kidsvt.com or to calendar@kidsvt.com.

movies

movie day at the Library: Film buffs catch a flick on the big screen. Call for film title. Snacks provided. Milton Public Library, 2 p.m. Free. Info, 893-4644.

music

instrument Petting Zoo: Children and adults interested in exploring music making try out a wide range of instruments, from maracas to ukuleles, tin whistles to steel drums. Ages 5-12. Milton Town Offices, 9-11 a.m. Free. Info, 893-4922.

‘The Kids Are Alright’: An all-star local lineup of Rough Francis, Swale, James Kochalka Superstar and more rock the house during this family-friendly concert. Food and drink available for purchase. (See spotlight on page 43.) Higher Ground, South Burlington, 12:30 p.m. $5-7 for children; $10-12 for adults. Info, kidsarealrightconcert@gmail.com.

Nature & science

EcHo story Explorers: color: See March 17. Family maple magic: Families take the gallon challenge by tapping a tree, then gathering and boiling sap to transform it into sweet syrup. All ages. Audubon Vermont, Huntington, 10 a.m.noon. $10-12 per adult-child pair; $4-5 for each additional child; preregister. Info, 434-3068.

Play date! spring on the Farm: Little ones pal up for theme-based, indoor activities facilitated by farm educators. Ages 2-5, accompanied by an adult. Families are welcome to bring a snack or lunch. Shelburne Farms, 9:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. $3-5 per child. Info, 985-8686.

snowshoe Walk: A leisurely, snowy jaunt in search of wildlife is facilitated by the Winooski Valley Park District and South Burlington Recreation & Parks. Snowshoes available to borrow. Muddy Brook Wetland Reserve, South Burlington, 1 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 863-5744.

Wildlife Encounter: A live-animal presentation introduces library-goers to a variety of amazing creatures and teaches about their natural habitats and survival skills. Dorothy Alling Memorial Library, Williston, 11 a.m. Free. Info, 878-4918.

22 SUNDAY

Baby & maternity

Burlington Postnatal Yoga: See March 3, 12:15-1:30 p.m.

Burlington Prenatal Yoga: See March 3, 10:0511:30 a.m.

Vergennes Prenatal Yoga: See March 8.

Food open sugarhouse Weekends: See March 7.

Games

Family Fun sunday: See March 8.

Health & Fitness

Essex sunday open Gym: See March 8.

23 MONDAY

Arts & crafts

Toddler Time: See March 9, 9 a.m.-noon.

20 FRidAY (continued)

Thank you to everyone who attended our 18th annual

Baby & Maternity

Burlington Prenatal Yoga: See March 3, 5:45-7:15 p.m.

Chace Mill Prenatal Yoga: See March 9.

Montpelier Prenatal Yoga: See March 9.

Education

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

High School For a Day: Middle schoolers get a sneak peek of what it’s like to attend Rice Memorial High School through hands-on activities highlighting the private school’s classes, clubs and sports. Ages 10-13. Rice Memorial High School, South Burlington, 8 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 862-6521.

One-on-One Tutoring: See March 4.

Shelburne Nursery School Open House: Prospective families tour the space, meet teachers and learn about the curriculum of this cooperative preschool serving children ages 3 to 5.

Shelburne Nursery School, 10-11:30 a.m. Free. Info, 985-3993.

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.

Health & Fitness

Essex Open Gym: See March 3.

Itty Bitty Public Skating: See March 5.

Little Yogis: See March 9.

Shelburne Open Gym: See March 3, 10 a.m., noon & 5:30 p.m.

Vergennes Kids Yoga: See March 9.

Williston Open Gym: See March 3.

Music

Music for Preschoolers: See March 5.

24 TUESDAY

Arts & Crafts

Creative Tuesdays: See March 10.

Teen Art Studio: See March 10.

Baby & Maternity

Burlington Postnatal Yoga: See March 3.

Burlington Prenatal Yoga: See March 3.

Pee Wee Pilates: See March 3.

Shelburne Prenatal Yoga: See March 3.

Health & Fitness

Essex Open Gym: See March 3.

Shelburne Open Gym: See March 3.

Williston Open Gym: See March 3.

Library & Books

Gaming For Teens & Adults: See March 3. Read to a Dog: See March 3.

Teen Tinker Tuesday: Texting Gloves: Kids ages 12-18 use conductive thread to create gloves that work on touchscreen devices. Gloves will be supplied or bring your own.

Burnham Memorial Library, Colchester, 4:30 p.m. Free; preregister online. Info, 264-5660.

Movies

Youth Media Lab: See March 3.

Music

Children’s Sing-Along: See March 3. Colchester Preschool Music: See March 3.

Music With Mr. Chris: See March 3.

25 WEDNESDAY

Baby & Maternity

Burlington Prenatal Yoga: See March 3, 5:457:15 p.m.

Montpelier Postnatal Yoga: See March 4.

Nursing Beyond a Year: Moms and their nurslings discuss the joys and challenges of breastfeeding in a nonjudgmental atmosphere. Aikido of Champlain Valley, Burlington, 9:3011:30 a.m. Free. Info, 879-3000.

Education

One-on-One Tutoring: See March 4.

Games

Wii-tastic!: Gamers engage in some fun, interactive screen time. All ages. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 3:30-4:30 p.m. Free. Info, 878-6956.

Health & Fitness

Essex Open Gym: See March 3.

Shelburne Open Gym: See March 3, noon. Williston Open Gym: See March 3.

Library & Books

Celebrate Spring!: This early learning enrichment program introduces young learners to the Jewish holiday of Passover through stories and an activity with Rabbi Tobie Weisman, director of PJ Library in Vermont. Recommended for ages 2-5. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 11 a.m. Free. Info, 865-7216.

Young Engineers’ Challenge: Teams work together to build tall towers out of toothpicks and marshmallows. Ages 6 and up. Fairfax Community Library, 3-4 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 849-2420.

Music

Rockin’ Ron the Friendly Pirate: See March 4.

26 THURSDAY

Arts & Crafts

Pollywog Preschool Art Drop-In: See March 5.

Ukranian Easter Egg Workshop: Ova get a makeover using the ancient batik method of wax resist. Ages 12 and up. Milton Public Library, 6:30-8 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 893-4644.

Webby’s Art Studio: See March 5.

Baby & Maternity

Burlington Prenatal Yoga: See March 3, 12:15 p.m.

Postnatal Core Class: See March 5.

Health & Fitness

Essex Open Gym: See March 3.

Itty Bitty Public Skating: See March 5.

Shelburne Open Gym: See March 3.

Yoga with Danielle: See March 5.

Library & Books

B*Tween the Classics Read Aloud: Kids ages 12-15 sit back, relax and listen to great stories accompanied by a snack. Burnham Memorial Library, Colchester, 4:30 p.m. Free. Info, 264-5660.

Colchester Lego Club: See March 5.

Hinesburg Lego Club: See March 5. Spanish Musical Kids: See March 5.

St. Albans Library Legos: See March 12, 3-5 p.m.

Music

Music for Preschoolers: See March 5.

Story Times

MONDAY

Barre Children's Story Hour: Aldrich Public Library, 10:30 a.m. Free. Info, 476-7550.

Burlington Stories With Megan: Fletcher Free Library, March 9, 23, 30, 11-11:30 a.m. Free. Info, 865-7216.

Colchester Preschool Story Time: Burnham Memorial Library, March 2, 10:30 a.m. Free; preregister. Info, 264-5660.

Essex Drop-In Story Time: Essex Free Library, 10:30-11:30 a.m. Free. Info, 879-0313.

Essex Junction 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 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.

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. 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.

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.

Hinesburg Baby & Toddler Story Time: Carpenter-Carse Library, first Tuesday of every month, 9:30 a.m. and 9:30-10 a.m. Free. Info, 482-2878.

Hinesburg Preschool Story Time: Carpenter-Carse Library, 11 a.m.-noon. Free. Info, 482-2878.

27 FRIDAY Arts & Crafts

Family Wheel Drop-In: See March 6.

Baby & Maternity

Burlington Postnatal Yoga: See March 3, noon.

Food

Kids in the Kitchen: Chicken Ranch Tacos: Breading and frying chicken and mixing up a healthy version of ranch dressing from scratch make for a delicious afternoon. Healthy Living Market and Café, South Burlington, 4-5 p.m. $20 per parent-child pair; preregister. Info, 863-2569.

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.

Middlebury Infant & Toddler Story Time: Ilsley Public Library, 10:15-10:45 a.m. Free. Info, 388-4097.

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

Essex Junction Preschool Story Time: See Tuesday.

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

Colchester Preschool Story Time: See Monday. March 5, 10:30 a.m.

Essex Preschool Story Time: Essex Free Library, 10:30-11:30 a.m. Free. Info, 879-0313.

Fairfax PJ Story Time: Fairfax Community Library, March 5, 6-7 p.m. Free. Info, 527-5426.

Middlebury Preschool Story Time: Ilsley Public Library, 10:30-11:15 a.m. Free. Info, 388-4097.

Northfield Children's Story

Time: See Monday.

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.

Burlington Stories with Megan: Robert Miller Community & Recreation Center, March 6, 13, 20, 11-11:30 a.m. Free. Info, 865-7216.

Enosburg Story Hour: Enosburg Public Library, 9-10 a.m. Free. Info, 370-4797.

Essex Musical Story Time: Essex Free Library, third Friday of every month, 10:30 a.m. Free. Info, 879-0313.

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.

Rock, Roll & Read Story Time: Essex Free Library, 10:30-11:30 a.m. Free. Info, 879-0313.

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.

Fairfax Preschool Story Time: Fairfax Community Library, 9:30-10:30 a.m. Free; preregister. Info, 849-2420.

Franklin Story Time: Haston Library, first Saturday of every month, 10 a.m. Free. Info, 285-6505.

Middlebury Saturday Story Time: Ilsley Public Library, 10:30-11 a.m. Free. Info, 388-4097.

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.

Games

Dungeons & Dragons: See March 13.

Health & Fitness

Essex Open Gym: See March 3.

Shelburne Open Gym: See March 3, noon, 2 & 6 p.m.

Williston Open Gym: See March 3.

Library & Books

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

Early Bird Math: See March 6. Essex Junction Drop-in Story Time: See March 13.

Family Film Night: Kids and adults cozy up in the library’s community room for a G- or PG-rated movie and popcorn. Call for title. Children under the age of 10 must be accompanied by an adult. Carpenter-Carse Library, Hinesburg, 6-8 p.m. Free. Info, 482-2878.

Movies

Teen Movie: A group of interstellar outlaws team up to save the galaxy in this PG-13 film. Drinks and popcorn provided. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Free. Info, 878-6956.

Music

Kids Music With Linda ‘Tickle Belly’ Bassick: See March 6. Music With Derek: See March 6.

Nature & Science

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.

28 SATURDAY

Arts & Crafts

Craft School Saturday Drop-In: See March 7.

Kids Craft: Chick & Wooden Basket: Kiddos create an eggs-cellent Easter display. Ages 5 and up. Creative Habitat, South Burlington, 1-3 p.m. $5. Info, 862-0646.

Webby’s Art Studio: See March 5.

Baby & Maternity

Paint My Baby Bump: Prenatal Method Studio, Burlington, 1-2:30 p.m. $40 for pregnant woman and a guest. Info, 310-6851.

Community

Benefit Hockey Game: Sports fans cheer as Vermont police o cers battle it out on the ice with National Guard members. Ages 3 and up. Essex Skating Facility, Essex Junction, 6-9 p.m. $5; proceeds benefit the Vermont Police Association. Info, 338-3452.

Education

One-on-One Tutoring: See March 4, 9:30 a.m.3 p.m.

Fairs & Festivals

Maple Open House Weekend: Even the most powerful sweet tooth will meet its match when sugar shacks all over the state o er maple-sugaring demonstrations. All ages. Various locations statewide, free; visit vermontmaple.org to find a list of participating sugarhouses. Info, 763-7435.

Food

Audubon Sugar-on-Snow Party: Maple fanciers celebrate the sugaring season with demos, tastings and tours. Green Mountain Audubon Center, Huntington, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Free. Info, 434-3068.

Burlington Winter Farmers Market: See March 14.

Maple Open House Weekend: Junior sugar makers watch sap being boiled, learn how trees are tapped and sample syrups, spreads, candies and mustards. Sugarbush Farm, Woodstock, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Free. Info, 457-1757.

Norwich Winter Farmers Market: See March 14.

Rutland Winter Farmers Market: See March 7.

Sugar Maker’s Open House & Tour: Maple syrup producers all through town open their doors so visitors can watch sap being boiled into the sweet stu and sample tasty treats. Pick up a map at Beaudry’s Store for participating locations. Various locations, Huntington, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Free. Info, 434-3269.

Open Sugarhouse Weekends: See March 7.

Games

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.

Health & Fitness

Shelburne Open Gym: See March 3, 9 & 10:10 a.m.

Library & Books

Meet Pete the Cat: Eric Litwin’s moving and grooving feline protagonist entertains little ones at an hourly story time, complete with crafts and fun activities. Buttered noodles for all! Buttered Noodles, Williston, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Free. Info, 764-1810.

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.

Music

Family Music: Song singing and drum banging are on the agenda during this fun-filled hour of free play with instruments. All ages. ArtisTree Community Arts Center, South Pomfret, 10-11 a.m. $10 per parent-child pair; $5 per additional family member; preregister. Info, 457-3500.

Nature & Science

Submit your April events for print by March 16 at kidsvt.com or to calendar@kidsvt.com.

ECHO Story Explorers: Spring: Junior science enthusiasts share signs of the changing season. Ages 6 and under. ECHO Lake Aquarium and Science Center, Burlington, 10:30 a.m. Regular museum admission; $10.50-13.50; free for members and children under 2. Info, 877-324-6386.

Feelin’ Hot Hot Hot

Chili comes in many different incarnations. Try dozens of versions of the spicy stew at the SEVENTH ANNUAL VERMONT CHILI FESTIVAL in downtown Middlebury. Restaurants and caterers from around the state bring their finest creations, and festivalgoers get to taste them all and vote for their favorites. Between bites, chili lovers enjoy balloon animals, street performers and live music. Ticket sales benefit the Better Middlebury Partnership and the Vermont Foodbank.

29 SUNDAY

Baby & Maternity

Burlington Postnatal Yoga: See March 3, 12:15-1:30 p.m.

Burlington Prenatal Yoga: See March 3, 10:05-11:30 a.m.

Vergennes Prenatal Yoga: See March 8.

Fairs & Festivals

Maple Open House Weekend: See March 28.

Food

Audubon Sugar-on-Snow Party: See March 28.

Maple Open House Weekend: See March 28.

Open Sugarhouse Weekends: See March 7.

Games

Family Fun Sunday: See March 8.

Health & Fitness

Essex Sunday Open Gym: See March 8.

30 MONDAY

Baby & Maternity

Burlington Prenatal Yoga: See March 3, 5:457:15 p.m.

Chace Mill Prenatal Yoga: See March 9.

Montpelier Prenatal Yoga: See March 9.

Education

One-on-One Tutoring: See March 4.

Health & Fitness

Essex Open Gym: See March 3.

Little Yogis: See March 9.

Shelburne Open Gym: See March 3, 10 a.m., noon & 5:30 p.m.

Vergennes Kids Yoga: See March 9.

Williston Open Gym: See March 3.

Library & Books

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

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.

Music

Music for Preschoolers: See March 5.

Toddler Tap Along: See March 16.

31 TUESDAY

Arts & Crafts

Creative Tuesdays: See March 10.

Knitting for Kids: Novices learn how to knit a hat on the library’s looms. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 3:15-4:30 p.m. Free. Info, 878-6955.

Baby & Maternity

Burlington Postnatal Yoga: See March 3.

Burlington Prenatal Yoga: See March 3.

Pee Wee Pilates: See March 3.

Shelburne Prenatal Yoga: See March 3.

VERMONT CHILI FESTIVAL: Saturday, March 14, 1-4 p.m. in downtown Middlebury. All ages. $5 in advance; $7 at the door; free for children 7 and under. Info, experiencemiddlebury.com

Community

Month of the Military Child Statehouse Kickoff: Children of service members mingle with state legislators and witness the signing of a proclamation and resolution at this event sponsored by Operation: Military Kids. Ages 6 and up. Vermont Statehouse, Montpelier, 9:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 656-0346.

Health & Fitness

Essex Open Gym: See March 3.

Shelburne Open Gym: See March 3. Williston Open Gym: See March 3.

Library & Books

Gaming For Teens & Adults: See March 3. Read to a Dog: See March 3.

Movies

Youth Media Lab: See March 3.

Music

Children’s Sing-Along: See March 3.

Colchester Preschool Music: See March 3.

Music With Mr. Chris: See March 3.

Nature & Science

ECHO Story Explorers: Water: Little scientists listen to Water by Frank Asch, then explore the magical properties of H20. Ages 6 and under. ECHO Lake Aquarium and Science Center, Burlington, 10:30 a.m. Regular museum admission; $10.50-13.50; free for members and children under 3. Info, 877-324-6386.

In Miss Rumphius, by Barbara Cooney, the title character wishes to travel, live by the sea and make the world a more beautiful place. She accomplishes her last goal by scattering lupine seeds everywhere she goes. Many colorful flowers spring up because of this good deed.

Write a paragraph (5-7 sentences) about how you’ve made the world a more beautiful place, or make up a story in which a character does something to add beauty to his or her surroundings.

publish one of them in the next issue. Winners receive a $25 gift certificate to crow Bookshop

Deadline to enter is march 16.

Send your entries to: Kids VT, attn: Book Review, P.o. Box 1184, Burlington, VT 05402.

Black-Box Theater

The Fox Family is really inTo TheaTer. Hang around their Charlotte home long enough, and somebody’s bound to start singing show tunes — stage, curtain, lights and all.

Parents Jeffrey and Sue are longtime community theater actors, directors and producers. The couple met on the set of Lyric Theatre’s production of Oklahoma!, and Jeffrey went on to cofound Vergennes-based Little City Players. Their daughter, Josie, 14, and son, Benjamin, 10, caught the acting bug, too.

Four years ago, Jeffrey built his theatrically inclined family their own black-box basement theater where they could rehearse for shows or perform original works.

“I want to be that house that people want to go to,” Jeffrey says. “If kids are going to congregate, they’re welcome to congregate here. That’s the deal.”

It seems to be working. Jeffrey describes a semi-regular evening of theater that takes place when some Burlington friends join them for dinner, with the kids providing the entertainment. Josie says the space has inspired shows that she and her friends put together in as little as an hour.

Jeffrey dubbed the space Teatro della Volpe, a reference to his summer pizza-catering business, Pizza della Volpe. “Since pizza paid for the theater, I get naming rights,” he says. But a marquee also identifies two resident companies: Josie’s Once Upon a Theatre and Benjamin’s Ready, Set, Theatre.

For Jeffrey, the theater honors an even more important part of the dramatic tradition than the stage itself: the idea that anyone can contribute, be creative and have fun. “It’s a safe place,” he says. “There are no bullies in my theater.” K

Materials for the theater were easy to find, says Jeffrey. he made the 4- by 8-foot stage using lumber from lowe’s that he painted black. Black vinyl curtains from Walmart are draped on a rod made from metal piping, also from lowe’s. The materials cost about $250; construction took roughly 20 hours.

completing the theatrical effect are ceiling-mounted floodlights, a microphone and stand hooked up to a Bluetooth-enabled amplifier and a marquee with removable letters.

racks behind the curtain are the perfect place to hang costumes to fuel the imagination.

Parents: Jeffrey and sue Fox

Kids: Josie, 14; Benjamin, 10

The Fox family gets dramatic

Theater posters in the family’s den

COLORING CONTEST!

Three winners will receive 1 game and shoes for a family of 4, a large pizza and a pitcher of soda at Champlain Lanes Send Kids VT your work of art by March 16. Be sure to include the info at right with your submission. Winners will be chosen in the following categories: (1) ages 5 and younger, (2) ages 6-8 and (3) ages 9-12. Winners will be named in the April issue of Kids VT. Send your high-resolution scans to art@kidsvt.com or mail a copy to KidsVT, PO Box 1184, Burlington, VT 05402.

PUZZLE PAGE

Jumble

BY DAVID L. HOYT & JEFF KNUREK

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

Birthday Club

Winners get gift certificates to:

GRAND-PRIZE WINNER

AMELIA lives in Essex Junction and turns 5 on March 27. She loves to read, sing, ride on her scooter and do puzzles. She’s a great big sister to her twin brothers.

Amelia wins a birthday-party package for up to 10 kids.

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

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

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

Maze

Print your answer here:

Puzzles4Kids

BY HELENA HOVANEC

ZAC lives in Shelburne and turned 7 on March 1. He enjoys playing piano, doing crafts and reading Magic Tree House books. He takes French and has a cat named Fenêtre — which means “window” in French.

Zac, Sophia and Harper each win a player pass.

VT’S

More

Riddle

Search — COOKIE INGREDIENTS

Look up, down and diagonally, both forward and backward, to find every word on the list. Circle each one as you find it. When all the words are circled, take the UNUSED letters and write them on the blanks below. Go from left to right and top to bottom to find the answer to this riddle: What song did they play when the cookie got married?

ALMONDS

Riddle Answer:

SOPHIA lives in Ferrisburgh and turns 5 on March 12. She’s a smart, sassy and silly girl who loves dancing with Vermont Ballet Theater. Some of her favorite activities are making music, reading and creating art at Studio V in Vergennes.

HARPER lives in Williston and turns 4 on March 22. She enjoys outdoor activities like sledding, playing in the snow, skiing and ice skating. She loves playing with her older brother, Noah, and younger brother, Reid.

By Ken Picard

Daddy Down

What the old man learned after the fall

i’Ve neVer ThoughT of myself as an older dad, though if there’s a clinical definition, I certainly qualify. Unlike the average American male, who becomes a first-time father at age 25, I was nearly 44 when my daughter, Manya, was born, and 46 when my son, Ezra, arrived.

That’s considerably younger than comedian Steve Martin, who had his first child at 67, and the late actor Tony Randall, who first became a dad at an improbable 76.

Still, I’m no Millennial, either, which was obvious as I hobbled into a busy ER on the day after Christmas. Nothing gets a fortysomething to the front of the line more quickly than chest pains and difficulty breathing.

I landed there after a cabinfever-relieving trip to the playground. My wife, Stacy, and I couldn’t find an organized event or activity to wear out our two sugar-addled preschoolers. We settled on a short drive to Charlotte Beach, where the kids could throw rocks into Lake Champlain, then cross the road and visit the playground. Surely a few hours on the jungle gym in subfreezing weather would prompt a nap.

Stacy and I are committed to raising “free-range kids,” shorthand for describing adventurous, independent and resilient children. Our thinking is that kids who are allowed to take risks, fall down, skin their knees, and occasionally get lost and find their way home are far less likely to grow up to be whiny, paranoid and clueless adults.

So when 2-year-old Ezra headed for the ice-covered mud puddles, stomping them into potentially lethal shards of ice, Stacy joined him.

Meanwhile, I took Manya, 5, to the jungle gym, where she kicked off her boots and scampered up the ladder in her socks. I bit my tongue to avoid barking the most universally ignored word in every parent’s vernacular — “Careful!” — and instead, watched her from the ground.

She seemed to be doing just fine, so I tried swinging hand over hand across the monkey bars, as I’d done countless times as a kid. Dangling there, feeling muscles stretch that hadn’t been stretched in years, I secretly longed to be more like my friends in Texas, Jules and Hans Dersch. Jules is a family physician and Hans an Olympic gold-medal-winning swimmer. When she’s not seeing patients and he’s not coaching future Olympians, they spend much of their free time doing gymnastics

— specifically, acrobatic routines on the trapeze, including one they installed in their home. Unfortunately, I don’t have my friends’ stamina or upper-body strength. So, when Manya scampered out of my reach, my free-range philosophy was tested: Do I let her keep climbing or yell for her to get down? I chose what seemed like a reasonable compromise: I climbed onto a couple of wooden beams below her to spot her, like a gymnastics coach, in case she slipped. She didn’t. I did.

I stepped where there was nothing to step on, fell between the beams of the play structure, bounced off a steel wheel and hit the ground four feet below. Thankfully, Manya didn’t see it happen.

Lying there, trying unsuccessfully to breathe, I instantly flashed back to the first time I ever had the wind knocked out of me. I was Manya’s age and had just learned to hang upside down from the monkey bars. I spent many more years climbing on jungle gyms, but I never fell again. Until now.

I was lucky. I made it home with two fractured ribs but avoided a collapsed lung, a ruptured spleen, and a head or neck injury. For weeks after, “daddy’s broken ribs” became my kids’ default explanation for even the smallest things I couldn’t do for them: give them baths (I couldn’t bend over), read them stories in bed (I couldn’t lie flat on my back) and change Ezra’s diaper (I couldn’t lift him up).

As I sat in a leather recliner — which became my bed for more than a week — I replayed the accident in my head. What had been my critical mistake? It hadn’t been letting my daughter climb the jungle gym without shoes on. Nor was it my decision to spot her, which seemed reasonable.

My blunder occurred to me while I was watching the almost daily videos that Jules and Hans post of themselves on Facebook. Swinging like the Flying Wallendas, they looked happy, nimble and as fearless as children.

I was never an Olympic swimmer like Hans nor a cheerleader like Jules. But perhaps I should have spent less time in front of my computer and more time climbing on playgrounds. I still might have fallen, but perhaps I would have stuck the landing.

Now that my ribs are nearly healed, I can pick up my kids again. But as their free range keeps growing, I need to work harder to keep up. Time to hit the jungle gym. K

i made it home with two fractured ribs but avoided a collapsed lung, a ruptured spleen, and a head or neck injury.