Kids VT, June 2018

THE Dad ISSUE

Top Vermont chefs on raising good eaters

PAGE 36

HARRY POTTER BUS GOES CROSS-COUNTRY PAGE 12

A SHORTAGE OF MENTAL HEALTH CARE FOR KIDS IN CRISIS PAGE 32

RAISING A DAUGHTER IN THE #METOO ERA PAGE 51

BROUGHT TO YOU BY

Green Mountain Conservation Camp

STAFF & CONTRIBUTORS

COPUBLISHER/EXECUTIVE EDITOR

Cathy Resmer cathy@kidsvt.com

COPUBLISHER

Colby Roberts colby@kidsvt.com

MANAGING EDITOR

Alison Novak alison@kidsvt.com

CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

Mary Ann Lickteig maryann@kidsvt.com

ART DIRECTOR

Brooke Bousquet brooke@kidsvt.com

MARKETING & EVENTS DIRECTOR

Corey Grenier corey@kidsvt.com

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE

Kaitlin Montgomery kaitlin@kidsvt.com

CALENDAR WRITER

Brett Stanciu brett@kidsvt.com

PROOFREADERS

Katherine Isaacs, Kara Torres

PRODUCTION MANAGER

John James

CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Don Eggert

DESIGNERS

Kirsten Cheney, Todd Scott, Rev. Diane Sullivan

CIRCULATION MANAGER

Matt Weiner

BUSINESS MANAGER

Cheryl Brownell

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Keegan Albaugh, Astrid Hedbor Lague, Elisa Järnefelt, Bryan Parmelee, Melissa Pasanen, Ken Picard, Benjamin Roesch, Tom Thompson

PHOTOGRAPHERS

Matthew Thorsen

ILLUSTRATOR

Rob Donnelly, Marc Nadel

P.O. BOX 1184 • BURLINGTON, VT 05402

802-985-5482 • KIDSVT.COM

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Devoted Dads

When I started dating my husband, Je , I was an elementary-school teacher and he worked at a big advertising agency in New York City. He enjoyed some of the perks of the job — like business trips to L.A. and fancy catered photo shoots — but didn’t really have a passion for the work.

After we got married and moved to Vermont, we spent a lot of time talking about what we wanted from life. I still remember the conversation, over an Italian meal at the now-defunct Three Tomatoes Trattoria on Church Street in Burlington, when we decided that he would go back to school to become a teacher. Just a few weeks before our first child, Mira, was born, Je graduated from a one-year master’s-degree program in secondary education at UVM. That fall, he started teaching middle school language arts near the Canadian border in Sheldon.

In the 11 years since, we’ve welcomed another child, and Je landed a job at a school closer to home. But he’s still a middle school teacher. It makes me happy to know he’s found a career so well-suited to his quirky, curious, extroverted personality. And it’s fun to see how he incorporates his teacherly ways into his role as a dad — from using his kid-wrangling skills to coach our kids’ soccer and lacrosse teams to getting deep into Harry Potter character analysis during bedtime reading sessions with Mira.

In this month’s annual Dad Issue, food writer Melissa Pasanen interviews chefs who are also fathers about how their jobs in the kitchen relate to their parental roles. In “Dining With Dad,” six renowned Vermont restaurateurs answer questions, from how they get their kids to eat veggies to whether they think children should go out to nice restaurants. Find the fun piece on page 36.

Keeping with the theme, we’ve enlisted a handful of local dads, and even a grandfather, to write for Kids VT this month. Benjamin Roesch recounts his Stowe mini-golf outing with his two sons in “Destination Recreation” on page 13. Essex grandfather Tom Thompson reflects on taking his grandchildren on his Meals on Wheels runs on page 20. And on page 51, Keegan Albaugh shares a personal essay about the lessons he hopes to teach his daughter in the era of #metoo.

In the center of this issue, you’ll find a scorecard for the Good Citizen Challenge, a brand new initiative created by Seven Days and Kids VT that aims to help Vermont kids learn about civics, government, history and media literacy. Participants earn points by completing activities ranging from visiting historic sites to engaging in conversations with neighbors and elected o cials.

Also be on the lookout for our second annual Daytripper summer fun guide, with dozens of suggestions for attractions, restaurants, ice creams shops, parks and campgrounds to visit in the warm-weather months. It hits newsstands and the web in June!

It’s our hope that both the Daytripper and the Good Citizen Challenge will provide some structure to your family’s summer — and help you have fun, too!

ALISON NOVAK, MANAGING EDITOR

STAFF QUESTION

What’s a funny memory you have of your dad?

My dad used to KICK A BALL STRAIGHT IN THE AIR, what seemed to us, a mile high! We thought it was the most amazing thing in the world.

BROOKE BOUSQUET, ART DIRECTOR

When I was a kid, my dad always dressed up for trick-or-treating, in an UNBRUSHED WIG WITH LONG BLONDE CURLS AND A BLACK SUIT WITH TAILS. One year, he had a meeting and couldn’t go. Not only did my siblings and I miss him, but the rest of the neighborhood asked about him, too.

BRETT STANCIU, CALENDAR WRITER

My dad and I would always have PEANUT BUTTER AND MAYONNAISE SANDWICHES as a latenight snack. People think it sounds disgusting, but it’s a magical taste combination.

REV. DIANE SULLIVAN, DESIGNER

CONTRIBUTOR’S NOTE

South Burlingtonbased freelance writer MELISSA

PASANEN (Dining With Dad, page 36) has been reporting on food, farms and restaurants since 2000 for media outlets including FoodNetwork.com, Saveur magazine, Seven Days and Vermont Public Radio. One of her first published articles was for Kids VT about how to feed picky eaters. She is proud (and slightly surprised) that her two sons, now 20 and 23, have both had their own communitysupported agriculture shares and know how to cook vegetables.

Jeff reading with kids Mira and Theo

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#INSTAKIDSVT

Thanks for sharing your outdoor photos with us using the hashtag #instakidsvt. We loved this picture of siblings having fun on a homemade Slip-n-Slide in their yard in Williston. Tag a picture of your kids enjoying the sun this month.

HERE’S HOW:

Follow @kids_vt on Instagram.

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

Artist’s Notebook

Wonder how artist Rob Donnelly created the fabulous cover illustration depicting a chef dad and his daughter playing around in the kitchen? We asked Donnelly to share a description and some photographs of his process.

TRENDING

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a report warning about the disease-causing parasites found in hotel pools and hot tubs. Do not swallow the water. We repeat, Do not swallow the water.

Toy company Hasbro trademarked Play-Doh’s scent, which it describes as a “sweet, slightly musky, vanilla fragrance, with slight overtones of cherry, combined with the smell of a salted, wheat-based dough.” A dab behind each ear?

lauren_randi Find your summer groove

Autumn Spencer is on hiatus this month. Look for a new installment of “Autumn Answers” in our July issue, which hits newsstands on Tuesday, July 3.

Said Donnelly: I originally started working in clay and paper to get away from the computer a little. But as I do more illustrations this way, it turns out that the time spent on the computer and the time spent sculpting is divided pretty equally. I start with ink sketches. From there, I begin to sculpt di erent sections using paper and waterbased clay. I sometimes sculpt over a large printout of the initial sketch. I then photograph the sculpture many times so I can piece together and color the di erent elements in Photoshop. The original sculptures are pretty fragile and are only there to serve the final illustration. Once a project is complete, I remove the paper, add water to the dry clay, and turn the sculpture back into moldable clay for the next illustration.

In other olfactory news, the U.S. Postal Service announced in May that its first-ever scratch-and-sniff stamps, featuring watercolor-style illustrations of ice pops, will be released in July. We sure hope lickand-taste ones are next.

The U.S. fertility rate hit a historic low for the second year in a row. The only state with an increase in births last year was North Dakota.

KIDS SAY WHAT?

—MARGO, 18 MONTHS

(Upon eating her first chocolate donut hole)

PET CORNER

PARENT PARTICIPATION

THE Dad ISSUE

I grew up in the ‘70s in Middlebury. Along with long country rides sitting in the back of his pickup truck and swimming holes in rivers, my Dad would often take our family to the A&W DRIVE-IN on Route 7. We’d wait in our car and the waiters would take our orders, often on roller blades, and bring our food on trays that hooked to our windows. A classic!

—GENA GARDNER

We love to take my husband on small HIKES IN STOWE and stop for a carriage ride on the Mountain Road, get ice cream and watch glass blowing. We usually find a very secluded rock formation and have a picnic lunch while our daughter searches for ancient artifacts, like Native American arrows. Last year she found one and gave it to Dad as a gift.

—JENNIFER COPP

We ventured to Vergennes and BUTTON BAY STATE PARK last year. It was fun to explore the park and eat at new places! Button Bay has the lake, pool, a playground and trails.

—KRISTEN RAJEWSKI

My husband loves to watch the races. We spend many weekends at DEVIL’S BOWL SPEEDWAY in West Haven. It’s a great time for the whole family.

—LACY COUTURE

[Father’s Day is] very similar to my Mother’s Day. We have a slow start to the day — park down by the Burlington waterfront, SKINNY PANCAKE for bluegrass music and brunch at 12, then take the kids south on the bike path. There’s a shaded playground close by for the little kids. There’s also a bench and two docks to sit on with views of the Adirondacks. If your kids are older or able to pedal further, you can pedal down to OAKLEDGE PARK’s playground. Pedal back to let dad enjoy some beers at FOAM BREWERS, then walk up to Church Street to grab ice cream at BEN & JERRY’S Then grab some takeout from SHERPA KITCHEN and head back down to the waterfront to stuff yourself while watching the sun set. So fun!

—HEATHER LECKEY

Maegen Curley shared this photo of her 5 1/2-yearold son, Chet, and the family’s 10-year-old dog, Isabel, at Shelburne Pond. “One of Chet’s favorite things to do with Isabel is share some peanut butter with her,” wrote Curley. “We have smoothies with peanut butter most mornings and Chet and his brother argue over who gets to hold the knife so Isabel can lick the peanut butter.”

THROWBACK

JUNE 2015 Fathers in Focus: Kids VT readers share the stories behind their sweet snapshots

To commemorate Father’s Day three years ago, we asked readers to send us special snapshots of dads and their kids, then tell us what inspired the photos and what made the guys in them such good dads.

Find

This month, we asked our Facebook followers to tell us about their favorite way to spend Father’s Day. Find their answers below.

BY MARY ANN LICKTEIG AND ALISON NOVAK

Dancer’s Debut

Burlington resident and dance instructor Fiadhnait Moser can claim another job title: novelist. Yellow Jacket, a new imprint from Little Bee Books, has published her children’s book, THE FLOURISHING OF FLORALIE LAUREL. Released last month and aimed at kids ages 10 to 14, the book is historical-magical realism. It follows young Floralie as she tries to uncover the truth behind her mother’s disappearance. The discovery of a letter from her mother along with a hidden box of dried flowers prompts Floralie to embark on a quest to find her mom, using flowers as clues. The story was inspired by Moser’s interests: floriography, the language of flowers; art, particularly Impressionism; and Monet’s garden. “And I just tied it all together,” she said. The 22-year-old owns the Fia Moser School of Dance in Shelburne. She has completed three other novels — look for one of them, The Serendipity of Flightless Things, in summer 2019 — and is working on two more. She writes

PERFORMING ARTS

Traveling Troupe

The circus is coming to town! More precisely, Vermont’s awardwinning international youth circus, CIRCUS SMIRKUS, will peform this summer in six Vermont towns — plus venues in New Hampshire, New York, Massachusetts and Maine — starting with a pair of kicko shows at Smirkus headquarters in Greensboro on June 29. This summer’s roster of Troupers, who range in age from 10 to 18, is made up of 16 returning performers and 14 new members. That’s about twice as many new Troupers as in years past, said the show’s artistic director, Troy Wunderle. “With this new troupe, I have the ability to think outside the box and present a show unique to these kids’ talents,” Wunderle explained. Along with creative director Mark Lonergan, Wunderle came up with a Vaudeville theme for this year’s Big Top Tour. In addition to circus arts like acrobatics, wire walking and juggling, the show will feature song, dance and magic. Troupers, who hail from across the country and Canada (two are from Vermont), arrive in Greensboro on June 8 to prepare for the 52-day, 68-show tour. That gives them just three weeks to polish their act. Despite the Troupers’ youth, “this is a professional show through and through,” said Wunderle, and the performers are “the next movers and shakers in the world of circus.” —AN

Find Circus Smirkus’ Big Top Tour schedule and buy tickets at smirkus.org. The tour runs from Friday, June 29 to Sunday, Aug. 19.

mostly magical realism, she said, because she likes the way the genre allows her to tackle serious topics —alcoholism, mental illness and abuse show up in Floralie —in an approachable way. The reader can’t always tell if an event occurs in reality, in a character’s mind or is magic, she explained. As someone who wrote fan fiction, novels, short stories and poems as a child, Moser marvels at the sight of her book on store shelves. “It’s really weird,” she said. “It’s what I’ve wanted since I was about 8 years old, so it’s a dream come true.” —MAL

MUSIC

The Man, the Myth, the Legend

Calling all Beluga Grads. That’s what celebrated family entertainer Ra Cavoukian — better known as just those who listened to “Baby Beluga” and his other popular songs in the ’70s and ’80s and now have kids of their own. It’s been 42 years since the release of Ra ’s first album, Songs for the Very Young Canadian singer is still making music. His new album, Dog on the Floor — inspired by his puppy, Luna — comes out in August. It includes a mix of new songs and popular tunes like “Here Comes the Sun” and “Mary Had a Little Lamb.” In advance of its release, and in celebration of Ra ’s 70th birthday, the performer is currently on a six-city tour, which includes a stop in Burlington on June 23. The concert’s sing-along format encourages parents and kids to join Ra in song, with the hope of creating a new generation of Beluga bu s. —AN

Singable , but the Egyptian-born Sun”

Raffi will perform at the Flynn Center for the Performing Arts on Saturday, June 23, at 1 p.m. Buy tickets at flynntix.org.

The Flourishing of Floralie Laurel, by Fiadhnait Moser, Yellow Jacket, $16.99.

HABITAT BY ALISON NOVAK

Harry Potter Bus Goes on Tour UPDATE!

Three years ago, Kyle and Katie Clark bought a retired school bus and spent months gutting it and outfitting it with bunk beds, a kitchen, plumbing, an electrical system and water tanks. They painted it purple, added Harry Potter details — a silver stag Patronus above the king-sized bed; cauldron and owl decals; and stars painted on the outside — and named it Nimbus 2000, after Potter’s flying broom. (Kids VT featured the project in August 2016.)

After enjoying many trips in their eye-catching ride, the Underhill family of six sold the Nimbus 2000 last fall to the Ahmed family of Burlington. Grace Ahmed, a former schoolmate of Kyle and Katie, said she found out the Clarks were selling the bus in a Facebook post. Her family — husband, Ishmael, and their five children, 12-yearold Ezra, 11-year-old Nahum, 9-year-old Enoch, 7-year-old Mitzi and 1-year-old Rivka — are indeed Harry Potter fans, but the major selling point for the vehicle was that it had seven seat belts for their seven family members.

“The decision to buy it was sort of a carpe diem moment,” Grace wrote in an email from Arches of Zion National Park in Utah. She and her husband had dreamed of taking an extended road trip. Then the bus went up for sale. “We thought about how quickly our kids are growing and if we didn’t do this trip now, they wouldn’t be kids for much longer while we waited for a better opportunity.”

They rented their South End home to neighbors who are renovating their own house. Web developer Ishmael made plans to work remotely. Grace, a University of Vermont graduate student, took a leave of absence for the spring semester. She submitted a course of study with the Vermont Department of Education so she could homeschool the older kids. And on March 25, the family embarked on an almost-four-month cross-country trip going west across the southern

half of the country and coming back across the north.

Though the family initially intended to take just the bus, they ended up bringing their minivan as well, which gives them flexibility and allows the kids to take breaks from each other when needed. Grace usually drives the van, while Ishmael pilots the 37-foot-long bus.

They all sleep under one roof in the 300-square-foot bus. The three older kids each have their own bunk bed, 7-year-old Mitzi sleeps on a bench that converts to a bed and baby Rivka snuggles with her parents in their king-size bed.

Stops so far include Washington, D.C.; Charlotte, N.C.; Atlanta and Monahans Sandhills State Park in Texas. After working remotely for six weeks, spotty internet access and long hours prompted Ishmael to take a leave for the remainder of the trip. As for home schooling on the road, Grace said it’s “kind of like being on one

long field trip … The biggest challenge is trying to establish any kind of school routine in a life that’s anything but routine.” Ezra has been making weekly videos to share with his middle-school classmates, and the kids have been reading fiction, doing math workbooks and listening to audio books during the drives.

The family is Jewish and keeps kosher, so another challenge, said Grace, has been finding kosher meat and fish they can prepare on their grill. Utah, for example, has limited kosher food, so the family planned to eat a vegetarian diet until they could restock their supply in California.

Before the trip, Grace said she joked that it would be like “the tour of Laundromats of the USA.” And though “mundane tasks like laundry,

grocery shopping, cooking and eating” — plus bus repairs, like fixing a broken water valve — do take up time on the road, she said, “it’s pretty amazing to wake up in a new spot and set out for the next adventure.”

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

The Nimbus 2000 in College Park, Maryland

Enoch, Mitzi and Nahum

Grace grills veggies for dinner.

Nahum does schoolwork

The Ahmeds at Coronado Historic Site in New Mexico

RECREATION

BY BENJAMIN ROESCH

Stowe Golf Park

1613 Mountain Rd., Stowe

Miniature golf might just be the ultimate afternoon outing with kids. It’s challenging, yet accessible. It’s relatively quick, but not over in a blink. It’s an outdoor activity, but you don’t need bug spray. And even when putts are drifting into sand traps, it’s still good, clean fun.

My family’s adventure to Stowe Golf Park — located on Mountain Road, in front of the Sun & Ski Inn and Suites — took place on a recent Friday afternoon. I picked up my kids, 10-year-old Felix and 7-year-old Leo, plus their 10-year-old friend Miles, an hour early from school in Burlington (shhh!), then headed to Stowe. The drive flew by as the kids chatted about Magic cards, the new Avengers movie and school happenings.

We paid our admission, then chose our golf balls from a dizzying array of colors.

We agreed on a youngest-to-oldest putting order, which meant that, after writing our names on the scorecard with a tiny golf pencil, Leo was up first. His ball sailed right off the green, into the rough. I granted him an early mulligan and set up the ball for him again. His second shot

went into the rough, too. When it came to offering advice or critique, I stuck with a less-is-more mentality, which turned out to be a good decision. After all, mini-golf is all about having fun, and who wants to hear a boring lecture from dad about putting technique?

My sons aren’t very competitive when it’s just the two of them, but the competition level was definitely higher with a friend in the mix. I was proud of the boys for keeping their emotions under control, though, especially Felix, who stayed calm when he couldn’t get his shots to go straight and his score kept rising.

The course itself is compact and the holes snake around one another with impressive efficiency. It’s about the least-adorned mini-golf course you can imagine — not a windmill, tunnel, waterfall or T. rex in sight. But it’s challenging, which kept the kids engaged through 18 holes. The golf park’s website touts it as a place “that strives to simulate real golf,” and I agree with that assessment. The greens are full of slopes, and you often find yourself putting uphill or downhill and

around a bend. Rather than being discouraging, though, the challenging terrain gave us something to laugh about. And with temps in the mid-70s and the sun on our backs, being outside, joking around and trying to snag that elusive hole-in-one felt like the perfect reward after a long week.

The proximity of the course to the traffic on Mountain Road does make the experience a little noisy. The drink cooler and ice cream freezer hadn’t yet been stocked for the summer season, but we persevered through this minor blip. We stopped on our way home at the Ben & Jerry’s Factory on Route 100 in Waterbury, where we enjoyed a cone in the late-afternoon sun. K

Stowe Golf Park is open daily from 10 a.m.-9:30 p.m. from May to October. Admission is $10 for adults and children 13 and up, $8 for children 6-12, and free for children 5 and under. Find more information at sunandskiinn.com.

It’s about the least-adorned mini-golf course you can imagine — not a windmill, tunnel, waterfall or T. rex in sight.

Miles, Felix and Leo get ready to golf

The golf park’s kiosk

Felix takes a swing

WITH DR. LEWIS

AND CONDENSED BY KEN PICARD

How and when should parents talk to boys about puberty?

While puberty in girls brings obvious changes, including breast development and the onset of menstruation, the changes boys experience may be less obvious. As a consequence, parents may wonder when to talk about puberty with their sons. And when they do tackle the topic, they might be unsure of what to say.

In our Dad Issue, Dr. Lewis First, chief of pediatrics at University of Vermont Children’s Hospital, discusses the pubertal changes that boys undergo and how and when parents — of any gender — can broach these sensitive subjects.

KIDS VT: Why is it important to have a conversation about puberty and sexual development?

LEWIS FIRST: According to a recent study, at least half of all high school seniors and college students surveyed say that their parents never talked to them about sex or puberty, and, for those who did, the conversation lasted less than 10 minutes. That’s a problem because kids are exposed to so much misinformation about body image and sexuality, so separating fact from fiction becomes a critical parental responsibility. The problem is, your child is not going to ask to have “the talk.” So I encourage parents to have these conversations not once but continually throughout childhood.

KVT: At what age should these conversations begin?

LF: The best time to start is during toddlerhood, when parents should teach kids the anatomically correct names for body parts, including their genitals. It makes these discussions much more natural. Once kids move on to preschool and early school age, that’s a great time to broach the subject of consent, “good touch”

versus “bad touch” and where babies come from.

KVT: When should parents broach the subject of puberty with boys?

LF: Male puberty tends to begin between ages 9 and 14. From ages 6 to 9, kids are old enough to understand puberty, so parents can start teaching boys the basics of the changes they should expect. It’s much easier to have this conversation before age 9 because pre-pubertal kids are usually curious and willing to listen and learn. Once puberty sets in, a discussion about it can become more awkward, especially if their friends are experiencing changes that they are not, or vice versa.

KVT:What topics should parents cover?

LF: Parents should tell boys that their voice will change, that the size of their penis and testicles will change, and that they’ll start to get body hair and body odor. Even if kids laugh or don’t want to make eye contact, 6- to 9-year-olds are going to listen intently. You can have the conversation while riding in the car because neither person needs to look at the other. Also, it may be useful for parents to tell their own story, such as, “I struggled with it, and I don’t want this to happen to you.” Or, “I want you to know that you can

always talk to me about anything, even if it’s confusing or embarrassing.

KVT: What are boys’ most common fears or concerns?

LF: Typically they include involuntary erections, breast enlargement (which can transiently occur in about two thirds of males but is often not as visible as it is in girls and usually disappears a year or two after the onset of puberty), changes in penis and testicle size, masturbation, acne, and nocturnal emissions or “wet dreams.” Boys should be told that all these changes are caused by rising hormone levels, so they don’t need to worry about them or call unwanted attention to them in others. Wet dreams may cause boys some anxiety but they should be told that they’re normal, most common during puberty and generally subside. When parents talk about these topics nonchalantly, it normalizes these experiences and makes them less embarrassing.

by genetics and that what a penis looks like erect is very di erent from what it looks like flaccid. Boys should also know that no product on the market will increase the size, length or girth of their penis, and that none of the drugs they may see advertised for erectile dysfunction are appropriate for children. If they have further questions or concerns, they can speak to their health care professional.

KVT: Are there issues parents should discuss with kids that weren’t a concern when they were growing up?

LF: Yes, the importance of privacy. As puberty hits, parents should talk to their kids about social media and make sure that kids understand that posting pictures online of anything related to their own or others’ sexual development is not a way to respect themselves or others.

KVT: Anything else?

experiences and makes

KVT: How can parents broach the subject of penis size?

LF: A parent might say, “I have friends who tell me their sons worry about the size of their penis. If that’s a concern for you, it shouldn’t be, because by the time puberty is over, everyone’s penis is about the same size.”

Boys should be taught that size is determined largely

LF: It’s important that when parents talk to boys about what they experience, they should also talk about what girls experience — menstruation, breast development, growth spurts that occur earlier than in boys — because it further promotes the idea of mutual respect for bodily changes. If mothers talk to their sons, they can be just as e ective as fathers. And if a mother doesn’t feel comfortable discussing these things with her son, she should ask his father, a relative, pediatrician, coach or another male friend. It’s also critical that parents ask their kids’ teachers what they’re being taught in school. Parents should familiarize themselves with the curriculum and its timing because this is a great time for parents to insert their own values into the conversation. Finally, whatever they do, parents should never tease a child who’s going through puberty. The best thing is to be matter-of-fact and provide honest and intelligent answers.

BY ASTRID HEDBOR LAGUE

Stu ed Vegetable Skewers

Mexican flavors in a package that’s fun to eat

My family has always had a penchant for picking up fun-looking cookbooks while on vacation or perusing bookstores. Consequently, we never have a shortage of recipes to try.

I was recently thumbing through the collection at my childhood home and found one with my late father’s notes in the margins. “Made this with kielbasa instead of chorizo. Nice flavors!” one of his scrawlings said. My dad had the habit of taking recipes and tweaking the ingredients to make them his own, so this didn’t surprise me.

One particular cookbook, The Book of Mexican Foods by Christine Barrett, stood out to me. Most Americans think of tacos, burritos or enchiladas when they think of Mexican food. But I’m interested in exploring di erent, less expected flavors. When I saw a recipe for veggie skewers stu ed with meat, I knew I wanted to put my own spin on them.

•

• 1 package button mushrooms

• 1 package cocktail tomatoes or large cherry tomatoes

FOR THE FILLING:

• 1 pound ground beef

• 1 tablespoon adobo seasoning (This can be found in the Mexican section of most grocery stores — or use a mixture of salt, black pepper, paprika, onion powder, oregano, cumin, garlic powder and chili powder.)

These skewers, which make a perfect summer supper, are made with small vegetables, stu ed with spiced ground beef and grilled until tender. I served them with two di erent sauces: a spicy chipotle sour cream and an avocado crema. For a heartier meal, I also made spiced strip steak — seasoned simply with salt, pepper, onion powder and garlic powder, seared on both sides, then thinly sliced — and a salad of jicama and citrus on a bed of arugula.

For the skewers, I stu ed zucchini (my kids’ favorite), small cocktail tomatoes (slightly larger than cherry tomatoes), and button mushrooms with the flavorful meat filling. Mini bell peppers would also work well. I cooked my skewers on the grill, but you could also broil them in the oven until the meat is fully cooked, about 10 minutes or so.

I don’t know if my father ever made this recipe, but I can imagine what his margin notes would have been if he had. “Make plenty of these,” he might have written. “They’re a crowd-pleaser!”

• 1 egg, beaten

FOR THE CHIPOTLE SOUR CREAM SAUCE:

• 2/3 cup sour cream

• 1 chipotle from a can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce and 1 tablespoon of the sauce

• 1/2 avocado

FOR THE AVOCADO CREMA:

• 1 avocado

• 1/2 cup sour cream

• 1/8 cup milk

• zest and juice of 1 lime

• salt and pepper to taste

ADDITIONAL SUPPLIES:

12 wooden skewers

1. Soak the skewers in water while you prepare the vegetables. This will ensure that the wood doesn’t burn on the grill or in the oven.

2. Cut the zucchini into 1-inch chunks and steam for about five minutes, until tender. Use a melon baller or small spoon to scoop out the center of the zucchini (leaving the bottom intact) once it is softened. While the zucchini are steaming, carefully scoop out the centers of the tomatoes with a small knife or melon baller (leaving a mostly hollowed-out tomato) and remove the stems of the mushrooms, leaving the hollow mushroom caps for stuffing. (Save the mushroom stems in a bag in the fridge to use in another dish, like an omelet.)

3. Prepare the meat filling by mixing all of the ingredients together, making sure the egg is wellincorporated. Stuff the vegetables with the meat and thread onto the skewers, filling side up. I like to make a pattern of vegetables on each skewer.

4. Cook skewers on a hot grill — between 400 and 500 degrees — with the lid closed for about 10 minutes, or until the meat is cooked through.

5. To make the sauces, blend together all the ingredients for each sauce until smooth.

6. Carefully transfer skewers to a platter and serve with sauces. Use extra sauce on tacos or nachos, as a dip for raw vegetables, or as a condiment for burgers or sandwiches.

PHOTOS: ANDY BRUMBAUGH

MEALTIME

THE ART OF BY BRYAN PARMELEE

Skate Park Etiquette

If you’ve wandered the recently renovated bike path just north of Burlington’s Waterfront Park, chances are you’ve noticed a sprawling concrete addition to the city’s shoreline. Nestled between the abandoned Moran Plant and the new Lake Champlain Community Sailing Center is a massive outdoor skate park.

Since opening in late 2015, the Andy “A_Dog” Williams Skatepark has routinely been packed with a diverse array of rippers looking to cruise the smoothest surface in town while enjoying a stunning view of Lake Champlain. On the plus side, the consistent crowd is a testament to the undeniable value the skate park brings to the community. On the minus side, it can be pretty chaotic out there.

I’ve been skateboarding for almost 20 years now, and I’m convinced that the most impressive maneuver I can regularly pull off is miraculously avoiding tiny children riding scooters as I charge through the park at full speed.

Don’t get me wrong; tiny children on scooters are more than welcome at the skate park, but on a busy day, trying to dodge the never-ending flow of park-goers can quickly

become just as challenging as learning to ride a skateboard in the first place. Luckily, following a few simple guidelines can help keep you, your kid — and my fellow grown-up skaters — safe out there. Pads and helmets are strongly encouraged. Even the best skaters occasionally have to pay the concrete piper with a nasty spill. When choosing a helmet, look for one that covers the entire head. Knee and elbow pads are also encouraged. Most skate shops sell or rent protective gear designed specifically for skateboarding, but if your child already has a helmet or pads from biking, they should be fine to begin with. If your child sticks with skateboarding and wants to start riding ramps, however, it’s definitely worth investing in some skate gear. Similarly, any thick-soled tennis shoe is fine at first, but once it becomes a hobby, go out and support your local skate shop by purchasing your kid some actual skate shoes, which are designed to better withstand regular contact with the sandpaper-like “griptape” found on skateboards.

If you’re new to skate parks, it’s important to understand that they are not like playgrounds where you can run around largely unattended — there is simply too much happening at any given moment. People fly full speed around tight corners. People jump off of huge ledges. Skateboards fly out from underneath skaters and zip across the park without warning. Being aware of your surroundings is absolutely critical.

I recommend that parents stay nearby and keep a watchful eye on young skaters. There’s no strict minimum age at most skate parks, but the activity does require some leg muscle and core strength. Trina Foster, cofounder of Maven Skateshop in Burlington, let

her daughter, Eva, start rolling around at age 2, but she had been regularly exposed to skateboarding. “Depending on physical strength, I’d say they can start rolling between ages 3 and 4, but around 5 is when they can really start to take off and progress,” Foster said.

Everything you see at the skate park — from the staircases to the tiniest of concrete curbs — was designed to be skated. What looks like a comfortable place to take a seat is actually a skate ledge. Skaters and spectators should be mindful not to hover on or around an obstacle unless they’re actively skating it.

When your kid is skating an obstacle, he or she should make sure the coast is clear before approaching it. And take turns. Eventually skaters will notice the park has a certain “flow” to it, and they’ll get better at anticipating where skaters are headed and when it’s safe to go. Experienced skaters will try to string together a series of tricks spanning multiple obstacles in what’s called a “line,” so it’s important to be on the lookout and time turns accordingly.

Every skateboarder was a beginner at some point, so it’s important to look out for and encourage people who are just starting out. “There are always teachable moments,” Foster said, but delivery is key. “Be kind and respectful!”

In addition to Burlington’s waterfront, you’ll find skate parks in Essex Junction, Montpelier, Johnson, Barre, Bristol and Colchester among other towns. Brattleboro is currently soliciting designs for a new outdoor skate park. Talent Skatepark in South Burlington and Flip Side Skatepark in Rutland are both indoor facilities where you don’t need to wait for the weather to cooperate.

With so many options, there’s never been a better time to start skateboarding. The challenges and risk of injury may seem daunting, but skateboarding actually taught me the value of perseverance and dedication. Sometimes I’ll spend hours trying the same trick over and over, willingly hurling my body on the concrete before finally rolling away from a successful attempt. That trick may only last for a few seconds, but the satisfaction of landing it and the bonds you forge in the skate park will last a lifetime. K

LEARN TO SKATEBOARD THROUGH THESE LOCAL PROGRAMS:

Maven Skate Camp and Talent Skate Camp, A_Dog Skatepark, Burlington, ington.com

Talent Summer Skatepark Camp, South Burlington, talentskatepark.com

s Get Outdoors skate groups, Waterbury and Stowe, lets-get-outdoors.com

Skatepark Summer Camp, Rutland, flipsidepark.com

Eva Foster at A_Dog Skatepark, Burlington

BY BRETT STANCIU

Chicken Charmer

A young teen builds a nest egg raising hens

Astriking white peacock named Augustus greets visitors at the Greensboro farm where 14-year-old Axel McKenzie lives with his parents and two younger sisters. The bird isn’t a typical farmyard animal, but then again, Axel isn’t your typical kid.

The eighth grader at Hazen Union School in Hardwick runs his own business, Axel’s Pastured Eggs, which currently boasts a flock of 200 chickens, who lay around 9 to 10 dozen eggs a day. That’s “an awful lot of eggs,” acknowledges Axel.

Customers can buy his eggs directly from the family farm or purchase them at Pete’s Greens Farmstand in Craftsbury and Pete’s Greens Farm Market in Waterbury. This year, Axel expects to sell $10,000 to $11,000 worth of eggs. “I’ve built a sizable nest egg,” said Axel. “I really don’t spend a lot. I have an iPhone and a MacBook Pro, but I try to save my money.”

On a sunny May afternoon, the teen offered Kids VT a tour around his family’s farm, which is also home to two horses and three peacocks. Perched on a hillside, the barn includes one room outfitted with built-in nesting boxes and a chickensized door, which opens onto a fenced-in hillside pasture.

Beginning with half a dozen chickens, Axel started his egg business at age 6, when his family was living in Waterbury. He made flyers advertising eggs and left them on doors. Customers phoned in orders. “I had a little red wagon,” Axel said, “and walked down the street to deliver eggs.”

When Tropical Storm

Irene hit Vermont in 2011, Waterbury lay in its path. Axel and his parents packed the flock (which had

increased to 30 birds by then) into cardboard boxes, loaded them into the trunk of their minivan, and drove to Burlington to stay with friends. “In the morning, a box broke, and the chickens got out,” he recalled. “We had a grand time finding roosters in Burlington.”

Axel is quick to credit his parents for supporting his endeavors. “I couldn’t have done this without them,” he said. Mom, Amy Skelton, the business manager at Pete’s Greens in Craftsbury, grew up on a farm in Maine. Dad, Craig McKenzie, spent his childhood in an apartment in Toronto and now

works at Greensboro Bend’s Jasper Hill Farm, which is renowned for artisan cheese and its state-of-the-art aging cellars. “My parents loaned me thousands of dollars,” Axel said — a debt he repaid this year.

In 2014, Axel’s family moved to rural Greensboro because “my mom got sick of living in suburbia in Waterbury,” explained Axel. The following year, with his parents’ assistance, he built the nesting boxes in the barn and expanded to 200 chickens. Next year, the family has plans to expand their barn and grow Axel’s business by 50 percent.

Just how much work is Axel’s egg endeavor?

“I have to be on it,” he said. He wakes at 5:40 every morning to feed the chickens. Twice a week, he washes eggs for about two hours after school. A few years ago, he invested in a $2,000 egg washer, a stainless steel contraption that attaches to the kitchen sink, to expedite the process. Every afternoon at 4 or 5 p.m., he collects eggs.

Anson Tebbetts, Vermont’s secretary of Agriculture, Food and Markets, visited Axel’s family farm this May and accompanied him on an egg delivery. “Like many farm kids, Axel shows the best of Vermont,” Tebbetts wrote in an email. “Axel works hard, takes care of his animals and produces a quality product.”

Despite his devotion to his egg business, Axel doesn’t see it as a career path. He hopes to become a doctor one day. “Just because I want to help people,” he explained. “I learned CPR last year. It just seems like a cool job. Farming is too, but it’s a lot — a lot — of work.”

But, he continued, “I would definitely keep my peacocks. And I would have a small flock of chickens, like 10 or 20, wherever I go.” K

Axel collects eggs from the nesting boxes in his family’s barn

NAME: Axel McKenzie

AGE: 14 TOWN: Greensboro

BOOKWORMS BY BRETT STANCIU THE

Dad

Stories of Survival

Author Tod Olson traces his career as a children’s writer to a book he read when he was 11 years old. While vacationing with his family in Maine, he became riveted by Alive: The Story of the Andes Survivors, Piers Paul Read’s nonfiction account of the Uruguayan rugby team’s 1972 plane crash (which was later made into a 1993 film). “That reading experience really stuck with me,” the author told Kids VT in a phone conversation from his Middlesex home.

Released in January, Olson’s latest book, Lost in the Amazon: A Battle for Survival in the Heart of the Rainforest, is the third in his Lost series. These nonfiction books, geared to 8- to 12-year-olds, retell true survival stories. The first installment, Lost in the Pacific, 1942: Not a Drop To Drink, was nominated for Vermont’s prestigious Dorothy Canfield Fisher Book Award for 2017-2018. A fourth book in the series — based on Ernest Shackleton’s disastrous expedition to Antarctica when his wooden ship, Endurance, was crushed by pack ice — is scheduled for publication next year.

Lost in the Amazon is the story of Juliane Koepcke, the 17-year-old daughter of research zoologists and the sole survivor of a 1971 plane crash in the remote Amazonian jungle. After enduring an estimated two-mile plummet through the sky and lying unconscious for a day and night, Koepcke awoke beneath a row of airplane seats. She had been traveling with her mother, who was nowhere in sight. Completely alone, Koepcke remembered her father’s instructions to follow water if she were ever lost in the jungle. That advice, coupled with sheer determination, helped her find her way to safety wearing just a thin sundress and a single sandal. Lost in the Amazon tells the story of the search to discover the fallen plane and Koepcke’s arduous 11-day trek out of the jungle.

KIDS VT: How did you research this book?

Tod Olson: Juliane felt very violated by the press, and I was unable to interview her. I understood that because the press has gotten a lot wrong about her story. I tried to be very conscious of this. In Peru, after the plane went down, the crash was a daily obsession in the news for three weeks. None of that is really translated into English and it is not digitally available, either. I hired a student in Lima who sent me [lots of] newspaper images. I made judicious selections and used Google Translate, which came up with some wildly o things, like, “A plane was snoring.” But I was able to make out what I needed, and I hired a translator, too. Missionary agencies played a huge role in the rescue, and those organizations helped me with their recollections, too.

KVT: Although she nearly perished in the Amazon, Koepcke became a scientist and an environmentalist who works to protect the rainforest. That seems amazing.

TO: Juliane thought of the forest as her protector, not as a threat. I think it’s a big reason why she survived in the first place. In part, it was her

knowledge of the flora and fauna; she knew to follow the water. She knew to be more afraid of stingrays than jaguars. She also felt at home in the forest. She felt like a part of the ecosystem rather than an interloper.

KVT: What was your goal in writing the Lost series?

TO: I wanted to write a nonfiction series, not for educators or parents, but for kids. Juliane’s story is a dream for a writer because it’s both sensational and significant. It’s got that Ripley’s Believe It or Not! quality, and yet it touches on a complicated history and leads to a really important environmental message. Juliane stuck to the river because it didn’t feel threatening to her. And her attitude stands in contrast to so many of the Europeans that preceded her into the Amazon. They treated the forest as a hostile environment and didn’t bother to learn how to survive there. As a result, they either brutalized the indigenous population into supporting them, or they died hungry.

KVT: You have a 20-year-old daughter and a 16-year-old son. What did they think of having a father who was a writer when they were younger?

TO: Since my wife has a job with more regular hours, I worked early and was home in the afternoon. I think that was their first level of experience. Maybe they haven’t even read my books. Writing is just what Dad does. Kids sometimes need to keep their parents at arm’s length. I think they will read my books later, when they read them to their kids.

Tod Olson

Our daughter, Saga, turned 1 recently. On the evening before her birthday, I asked my husband, Nick, about his favorite moment as a dad during her first year. He told me the following anecdote.

“A few weeks ago, there was this moment when we were both listening to the birds. Saga was talking to them. I whistled the cardinal’s whistle, and it called back to us. So I kept whistling. The cardinal flew to a tree right in front of us. I pointed to it and said, ‘Saga, look, it’s a cardinal.’ Then she pointed and babbled to it. We were having a conversation about something together for the first time. We were experiencing the bird together.” K

GRANDPARENTS COMPILED BY ALISON NOVAK

Special Delivery

A grandfather reflects on volunteering for Meals on Wheels with his grandchildren

Essex resident Tom Thompson, 74, began delivering meals for Burlington Meals on Wheels in 2006, as part of a community service commitment at his job at RE/MAX North Professionals. During a family dinner eight years ago, his granddaughter Charlotte, then 7 years old, said she’d like to help people who need food. Thompson suggested that she and her two sisters take turns helping him with Meals on Wheels, a primarily federally- and state-funded program that provides food to Vermont’s homebound, disabled and elderly populations who are at “nutritional risk.” Their brother, Owen, then 4, started volunteering when he turned 7.

Since that dinner conversation, Thompson’s four grandchildren — Charlotte, Amelia, Rebecca and Owen — have taken turns accompanying him on his 1.5-hour route delivering 25 meals to residents of Burlington’s New North End on the first and fifth Thursday of each month. The grandchild whose turn it is stays at Thompson’s house the night before and, in the morning, they go to downtown Burlington to pick up the meals. When they’re finished, Thompson takes his young helper out for lunch before bringing him or her back to school by 1 p.m.

The Burlington Meals on Wheels program is being consolidated with other Vermont Meals on Wheels programs in June, and Thompson and his grandkids will wrap up their involvement with the program then. Below, Thompson reflects on the experience of delivering meals with his grandchildren.

On the mutual benefits of the program:

I was delighted that these country girls who live on a few acres in Jericho were so eager to get out and meet new people in locations and circumstances very different than their own, and I also thought it would provide an additional stimulation to the people we were delivering meals to. I figured those receiving meals probably didn’t get to see smiling

children at their front door very often. For most of them, I think that proved to be quite true.

On talking with clients: Interactions with the recipients were usually quite brief, with a conversation that usually consisted of, “Meals on Wheels here!” while handing them the lunch bag and dinner tray, followed by their “thank you” and the kids responding, “Have a nice day.” As months and years went by, and the recipients became more familiar with the kids, there was the common question, “You don’t have school today?” The kids would respond, telling them they got out of school to deliver meals. That always brought a smile.

One time I delivered meals alone since Rebecca, who was scheduled to be with me, stayed home because one of her sheep was having a lamb. One customer, a very smiley grandmother

using a walker, asked where my granddaughter was. I explained about the lamb. That made her quite happy, and the next time she saw Rebecca, she asked about her lambs. That showed me that the kids’ deliveries were making an impression.

On asking and answering questions:

As the kids first began delivering, they had lots of questions. How much do the meals cost? Who pays for them? Do people get meals every day? What do they do on weekends when there are no deliveries? Why don’t we deliver to that person anymore? Why do those people smoke? That led to a long discussion about my abhorrence of smoking and how my dad had died of emphysema. Then a discussion of addictions and the struggles to control addiction followed. Another frequent question was, “Why can’t they make their

own meal?” This was often after we had delivered to a seemingly capable person with no apparent handicap. Because I didn’t know the answer, we would often speculate and consider different possibilities. Maybe they can’t drive to go shopping for food. Maybe they don’t know how to cook. Perhaps they just want to see someone during the day. Maybe they have a handicap that isn’t obvious.

On extending the learning opportunity:

Because the meals had to be handed to a person and not left at a door, we sometimes had leftover meals. Since we usually passed homeless people while driving, it was decided that we would give those undelivered meals to them. That led us to searching for their favorite locations. We found that the south-facing brick wall on Bank Street was a fairly reliable place to deliver our last meals. Many more discussions followed, especially when one man refused the food. The other food-related activity they participated in on our way into Burlington was delivering our extra eggs from our chickens to the Chittenden Emergency Food Shelf. We regularly dropped off five to eight dozen that were greatly appreciated. This provided an opportunity for the kids to see another place to help and how many people needed food.

On what was gained from the experience:

The time spent with my grandchildren was truly precious. I had hoped that their experience would expand their growing worldview. Delivering meals to people who were Albanian and African immigrants, one-legged and in a wheelchair, nearly blind and using a walker, and at various stages of elderly degeneration, let them see there was a vast variety of life outside of their own somewhat-protected nest. I had hoped it would help develop their sense of giving, empathy and caring, and I think it did. K

KIRSTEN CHENEY

Tom Thompson with grandson Owen heading out on their last Meals on Wheels delivery in April

COMPILED BY MARY ANN LICKTEIG

Dad Stats

Data show fathers’ shifting responsibilities, percentage of single and stay-at-home dads, and U.S. lag in paternity-leave policy.

CHALLENGE Take the...

CHALLENGE

On these pages you’ll find a list of questions and activities related to the rights and duties of U.S. citizenship. Answer the questions and complete the activities to earn points and win prizes. Designed for youth ages 9 to 14, the Challenge is open to all Vermont K-12 students under 18.

Keep track of the activities you complete by checking the box next to the activity. Some of these tasks you can record directly on your scorecard. For the ones that you can’t, we ask that you show your work by taking a photo, recording audio or video, or attaching additional sheets of paper clearly labeled with the activity number.

When you earn 251 points — the number of towns in Vermont — send us your scorecard and proof of completion to receive a Good Citizen medal. You’ll also be invited to a reception at the Vermont Statehouse where you’ll meet state o cials. The first 100 participants to complete the Challenge will also receive a Good Citizen T-shirt. If you attempt but do not complete the Challenge, send us your scorecard anyway! We’ll send you a Good Citizen sticker and a participation prize.

We’ve divided the activities into 7 categories. To complete the challenge, you need to complete a minimum number of activities in each category, specified at the top of each section. To assist you in your quest, we’ve listed some resources that will help you find the answers you seek.

When your challenge is complete...

Mail your scorecard with photos, copies of recordings and other supporting materials to: Good Citizen Challenge, Kids VT, 255 S. Champlain St. Suite 5, Burlington, VT 05401

Upload a scan of your scorecard with photos, recordings and other supporting materials to Dropbox, Google Drive or another cloudbased album and send the link to goodcitizen@kidsvt.com.

All activities must be completed between April 15 and October 9, 2018. A parent, guardian or teacher must sign o on your work at the end of the scorecard.

If you’re having a problem uploading your photos online, contact us and we can help! Call 802-864-5684, or email goodcitizen@kidsvt.com.

powered by:

History

Suggested resources: ourdocuments.gov, vermont.gov, your local library, your local historical society

Please complete at least 3 of these activities:

1. What is Vermont’s state motto? 5 PTS

BONUS: What does it mean to you? 5 PTS

2. Read a chapter book about U.S. history recommended by your local librarian. 20 PTS

3. Memorize the preamble to the U.S. Constitution and record a video of yourself delivering it. Find it at ourdocuments.gov. 15 PTS

4. Memorize the Gettysburg Address and record a video of yourself delivering it. Find it at ourdocuments.gov. 40 PTS

5. Listen to or read Frederick Douglass’ 1852 speech

“The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro.” Find it at vermonthumanities. org/douglass. 10 PTS

BONUS: Every year, the Vermont Humanities Council organizes events at which this speech is read. Attend one of these events. 20 PTS

BONUS: Organize your own event where the speech is read. 40 PTS

6. Visit the Vermont History Museum. 10 PTS

7. Visit Fort Ticonderoga in New York. 10 PTS

8. Visit a stop on the Vermont Civil War Heritage Trail. Find it at vtcivilwarheritage.net.

10 PTS PER STOP

9. Visit a stop on the African American Heritage Trail. Find it at vermontvacation.com/ africanamericanheritagetrail.

10 PTS PER STOP

History (CONTINUED)

10. Visit any of the Vermont Historic Sites including the Calvin Coolidge Homestead, the Bennington Battle Monument and the Old Constitution House. Find a list of historic sites at sites.vermont.gov. 10 PTS PER STOP

BONUS: Go to the Hubbardton Battlefield State Historic Site during the reenactment encampment on July 7 and 8. 20 PTS

GOOD ITIZEN GOOD ITIZEN

BONUS: Participate as a reenactor. 20 PTS

11. Find a monument or memorial in your town. Whom does it honor? 10 PTS

HONOREE(S)

12. Pick a street or park in your town and learn about its name. When was it named, and why does it have the name it does? 10 PTS

Government

13. Match the wars below with their dates. 5 PTS

U.S.-Afghanistan War

Civil War

Revolutionary War/War for Independence

World War II

Vietnam War

Korean War

World War I

Gulf War

Reflection

A. 1775-1783

B. 1861-1865

C. 1914-1918

D. 1939-1945

E. 1950-1953

F. 1955-1975

G. 1990-1991

H. 2001-present

Please answer this question in a medium of your choice — write a paragraph or a poem, draw a cartoon or picture, or record a song:

14. What does being a good citizen mean to you? 10 PTS

Add 5 bonus points for each activity you or a parent post on social media using the hashtag #GoodCitizenVT.

CHALLENGE

24.

CHALLENGE

Suggested resources: vermont.gov, sec.state.vt.us/kids, your local library

Please complete at least 10 of these tasks:

15. Name the three branches of government. 5 PTS

21. Name Vermont’s two senators who serve in the U.S. Senate. 2 PTS

Saying “I take the fifth” or “I plead the fifth” is a reference to the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution, which states that the government cannot make you testify or give evidence against whom? 1 PT

16. Name the governor of Vermont. 1 PT

22. Name Vermont’s five Supreme Court justices. 5 PTS

25. Every four years, voters around the country cast their votes for president on the first Tuesday in which month? 1 PTS

17. Name the lieutenant governor of Vermont. 1 PT

18. Name the state treasurer. 1 PT

19. Name your state senators and representatives. 5 PTS

23. Name the five freedoms protected by the First Amendment to the Constitution. 5 PTS

26. Vermont voters elect city or town officers, and approve city and school budgets, on the first Tuesday in March. What is this day called? 1 PT

27. Pass the citizenship tests put together by the Joe Foss Institute: joefossinstitute.org/civicscurriculum/us-citizenship-test. 10 PTS FOR THE 10-QUESTION TEST 25 PTS FOR THE 25-QUESTION TEST 40 PTS FOR THE 100-QUESTION TEST of completion certificate.

20. Name Vermont’s lone member of the national House of Representatives. 1 PT

28. Gerrymandering is the practice of drawing congressional districts in a way that favors one political party over another. Learn how this practice affects elections by playing Gerry Mander: A Voting District Puzzle Game by Vermont-based GameTheory. Find it at playgerrymander.com. 10 PTS

JUST FOR

Pop’s Picnic Path

Hey, gang, Father’s Day is almost here, so how about inviting dear old Dad to a picnic? But please remember to give him a map so he can avoid a slinky mink, a waiting lynx, a waking owl and a grouchy grizzly! Then he can enjoy the picnic — if there’s any food left!

KIDS JUST FOR

Writing Contest

June means the end of the school year and the beginning of summer vacation. What are you looking forward to doing this summer? Tell us about a special camp, trip or activity you’ll be taking part in soon and why you’re so excited for it!

COLORING CONTEST WINNERS

An amazing mix of vibrant ducks swam into our mailbox this month. Oliver, 4, used a cheerful yellow crayon to color his feathered friends. Seven-year-old Evangeline’s green-and-yellow mama and baby birds floated in a pond jazzed up with blue glitter. Nine-year-old Whitney’s ducks made merry in a mud puddle, with an orange sun shining over cattails in the background. Savor the beginning of summer, kids, and send us your very best artwork again in June!

HONORABLE MENTIONS

“GOING FOR A STROLL”

Christopher Buker, 11, Winooski

“MRS. DUCK AND BABY DUCK”

Oliver Bourgeois, 5, Swanton

“SPRING SWANS”

Roxanne Gri n, 7, North Ferrisburgh

“DUCKY DAY”

Hazel Ritzer, 6, Northfield

“FEELING GOOSEY”

Liliveve Cueto, 4, St. Albans

“MINI SWAN LAKE”

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

We’ll pick two winners and publish their names and entries in the next issue. Winners receive a $25 gift certificate to Crow Bookshop

Deadline to enter is June 15.

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

WRITING WINNERS

Kinsley Maxfield, 10 HIGHGATE

What did I look like?

I had never seen a baby born with so much hair! It was so long that we could almost put it in pigtails. What did I like to do?

You loved to play with your big brother. He always made you smile.

Did I cry a lot?

You were a happy baby! You only really cried when you were hungry.

The following is an excerpt from a book Lena sent to Kids VT.

When I was at the nursery when I was born, I was being rinsed off. Most babies (my sis and my brother) cry when water or something is rinsed off their heads. Not me. I yawned like it was nothing.

Last thing, I stared A LOT! Once I was at Uncommon Ground and I was staring at a college kid who, for some reason, was of quite an interest to me. He got really uncomfortable and moved away. I was serious at being funny.

Georgia Kunkel, 8, Vergennes

“CUTELINGS”

Kinsley Maxfield, 10, Highgate

“LUCKY DUCKS”

Stella Devitt, 5, Williston

“SWAN LOVE”

Malia White, 7, Milton

“RAINBOW DUCKS”

Ruby Ho mans, 9, Essex Junction

“MAMA AND BABY LOON IN THE RAIN”

Noah Kim, 4, Montpelier

“A DUCK MOTHER’S DAY”

Jenny Blanshine, 9, Charlotte

TOP TITLES

“EATING ALL THE TIME”

Maëlle Remsen, 4, Middlebury

“SNUGGLY DUCKLING”

Claire Charbonneau, 7, Essex

“PATTERNS AND QUACKERS”

Ania Bloomberg, 10, Shelburne

“Quack Fabulous”

Maya Cousino, 5 Bristol

5 & under

“All Mixed Up!”

Henry Hoff, 7 RICHMOND

6 to 8

“Mother Loon”

Hazel Abetti, 10 CONCORD

9 to 12

In our May Mom & Baby Issue, we asked kids to interview their parents about what they were like as a baby and write about it. Below, find the winning entries. Kinsley and Lena each receive a $25 gift certificate to Crow Bookshop in Burlington.

Lena Whitaker-Hechanova, 10 RICHMOND

Coloring Contest!

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

Sponsored by

KIDS JUST FOR

Jumble

BY DAVID L. HOYT & JEFF KNUREK

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

Congratulations

JARED lives in Northfield and turns 10 on June 18. He’s an eccentric Cub Scout who enjoys playing video games, cracking jokes and playing outside with his puppy Leo.

Jared wins four day passes and four 3D movie tickets to ECHO Leahy Center for Lake Champlain in Burlington.

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

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

Print your answer here:

Puzzles4Kids

Riddle Search — Golf

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: Why did the golfer wear two pairs of pants?

BIRDY BOGEY CADDIE CART CLUBHOUSE DRIVER DROP EAGLE

FAIRWAY HANDICAP MATCH PLAY PUTTER ROUGH STROKE TRAP WEDGE

BY HELENA HOVANEC

COLTON lives in Colchester and turns 5 on June 1. He’s a silly, funny boy who loves to “read” books he knows by heart. He enjoys riding his bike, playing soccer, baseball and basketball, and eating all day long!

MCKINLEY

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

Colton, McKinley and Madison each win four ECHO day passes.

ANSWERS P. 51

books, doing art, collecting things in nature and playing with her friends. MADISON lives in Essex Junction and and turns 6 on June 9. She enjoys swimming, soccer, basketball and playing with her new puppy. Her favorite hobby is riding on rollercoasters, and she’s practicing to be a comedian.

Media

Suggested resources: your local library, iTunes

Please complete at least 3 of these activities:

33. Find a copy of your school newspaper or school district newsletter and read it all. 5 PTS

34. Find a copy of a local newspaper (such as the Colchester Sun, Stowe Reporter, Barton Chronicle or Seven Days) and read three stories. 10 PTS

NEWSPAPER

35. Find a copy of a national newspaper (such as the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post or USA Today) and read three stories. 10 PTS

NEWSPAPER

29. Visit the Vermont Statehouse. 10 PTS

30. Go to a city council or selectboard meeting. What were the main items under discussion? 10 PTS

36. Find the masthead of each newspaper, the page that tells you who owns the newspaper, who works for the newspaper, and where it is printed and circulated. 5 PTS FOR EACH

37. Find a copy of a national news magazine (such as TIME, Newsweek, Economist, New Republic or the Atlantic) and read three stories. 10 PTS

MAGAZINE

38. Watch a broadcast of the local TV news. 10 PTS

CHANNEL

39. Watch part of a local meeting on your public access cable channel. 10 PTS

MEETING

40. Listen to a newscast or news program on WDEV or Vermont Public Radio. 5 PTS

PROGRAM

BONUS: Hear the station identify its frequency and location.

5 PTS

41. Listen to a news podcast (such as the Deeper Dig from VTDigger.org, Brave Little State from VPR or the Daily from the New York Times). 10 PTS

PODCAST

42. Read three stories on a local news website. 10 PTS

WEBSITE

BONUS: Find out where the website is based, who owns it and how often it is updated. 5 PTS

Creativity

Suggested resources: Young Writers Project — a free, online platform where Vermont’s young writers can share writing, photos and art at youngwritersproject.org

Please complete at least 2 of these activities and submit your work — or a scan or photocopy — with your scorecard:

BONUS: Introduce yourself during the public comment period and explain why you’re there. 10 PTS

31. Go to a school board meeting. What were the main items under discussion? 10 PTS

43. Create a free account on the Young Writers Project website. 5 PTS

44. Write a poem about America. 30 PTS

BONUS: Submit it to the Young Writers Project. 5 PTS

45. Write a song about the First Amendment naming the five freedoms it protects. 30 PTS

48. Learn to sing the “Star Spangled Banner,” “America the Beautiful” or “This Land Is Your Land” by heart, or learn to play it on your instrument. Record yourself singing or playing the song. 20 PTS FOR EACH

49. Make a poster or a video encouraging adults to vote. 20 PTS

BONUS: Introduce yourself during the public comment period and explain why you’re there. 10 PTS

32. Apply for the legislative page program (open only to eighth graders; deadline September 30, 2018). Find the application at: legislature. vermont.gov/the-state-house/civiceducation/become-a-legislative-page. 20 PTS

*Also part of the Vermont State Parks’ Venture Vermont Outdoor Challenge. Find more info and download a scorecard at vtstateparks.com/venture-vermont.html.

BONUS: Submit it to the Young Writers Project. 5 PTS

BONUS: Record yourself singing it.

15 PTS

46. Draw a picture of a current or past American patriot. Explain who it is and why you chose this figure.

20 PTS

BONUS: Submit it to the Young Writers Project. 5 PTS

47. Draw a comic strip that explains how the three branches of government work. 30 PTS

BONUS: Submit it to the Young Writers Project. 5 PTS

50. Visit the Democracy sculpture on Main Street in Burlington. 10 PTS

BONUS: Why aren’t the puzzle pieces connected? Explain. 5 PTS

51. The U.S. Constitution was signed by the delegates to the constitutional convention on September 17, 1787. Celebrate Constitution Day, September 17, by making a birthday card for the Constitution or recording a birthday greeting for it. Learn more at constitutionday.com. 20 PTS

52. Draw a detailed map of your city or town and include your favorite landmarks. 20 PTS*

CHALLENGE CHALLENGE Community

Suggested resources: Your city or town website; Front Porch Forum — a free, locally owned community-building service that connects neighbors at frontporchforum.com

Please complete at least 2 of these activities:

53. Get a library card if you don’t have one already. 5 PTS

54. Sign up to receive your local Front Porch Forum. (Kids can sign up to receive Front Porch Forum emails, but only adults may post to the service). 5 PTS

BONUS: Get help from an adult to organize a neighborhood event using Front Porch Forum. Print or send the issue in which your message appeared. 20 PTS

55. Plant a native tree or plant in your yard. 10 PTS *

56. Plant flowers in your yard where anyone passing by can see them. 10 PTS

57. Help a neighbor or senior citizen with gardening, planting, yard work or other chores. 10 PTS *

58. Talk with a senior citizen about their childhood hometown. How were things di erent then? 20 PTS

59. Talk with a veteran about military service. Why did he or she serve? 20 PTS

60. Donate food to your local food bank. 10 PTS *

61. Pick up litter by a road in your town. 10 PTS *

62. Talk with someone who serves on a board or commission in your town or volunteers with the local rescue squad. Ask why they volunteer and what they get out of serving, and report on their answers. 20 PTS FOR EACH CONVERSATION

BONUS: Do any of these entities accept student volunteers? Find out. 5 PTS

BONUS: Are you qualified to serve? If so, volunteer your time. 30 PTS

BONUS: Brainstorm some ways your city or town could increase the number of volunteers and write a letter suggesting them to the mayor, city council or selectboard. 20 PTS

Advocacy

Suggested resources: Front Porch Forum — a free, locally owned communitybuilding service that connects neighbors at frontporchforum.com

Please complete at least 1 of these activities and share your notes:

63. With your parents’ or guardians’ permission, interview one of the elected o cials who represents you. Ask them about the most di cult vote they ever had to cast and why they voted the way they did. Report what you learned. 20 PTS

64. Find someone who disagrees with you about an important political issue and ask them why they hold their belief. What did they tell you? Did it change your view of the issue? How? Explain. 20 PTS

65. Find someone in your family or community who has attended a political protest or rally. Ask them what they were protesting and why. Report what you learned. 20 PTS

66. Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper about an issue that’s important to you. How is writing a letter to the editor of a newspaper di erent from leaving a comment on Facebook? 20 PTS

67. Write to one of your elected o cials about an issue that’s important to you. 20 PTS

68. Have you been to a protest or rally? Tell us what was it about, why you went and what you remember most about the experience. 20 PTS

Can We Use Your Photos and Audio/Video Recordings?

Thanks for participating in the Good Citizen Challenge! We would like to share your experience to spread the word about the Challenge and inspire others. Please have a parent or guardian fill out and sign this release form. Parents: If you do not wish to share photos and audios of you, your family members and children with others, you do not have to complete this form.

In consideration of my child’s or children’s participation in the Good Citizen Challenge, I give permission to Da Capo Publishing, Inc. (d/b/a Seven Days, Kids VT) and its a liates:

(a) To use, reuse, publish and republish photographic and digital images and audio recordings of myself, my family and my children (individually and collectively, “participants”), in whole or part, individually or in conjunction with other photographs, artwork and poetry, or any medium and for any purpose whatsoever, including (but not by way of limitation) illustration, promotion, and advertising and trade; and

(b) To use the participant’s name in conjunction therewith if Da Capo Publishing so chooses. I hereby release and discharge Da Capo Publishing from any and all claims and demands arising out of or in connection with the use of the photographic and digital images and audio recordings of participants, artwork, poetry and any other submission, including any and all claims for libel.

I am over the age of 21. I have read the foregoing and fully understand the contents thereof.

Signature Date

Name Name of Child

An Unbearable Wait

ceiling. She recognized immediately that he was trying to hang himself.

“He was a different person. It’s like a force came over him,” she recalled. “Even in his eyes, the way he looked at me, the way he talked to me, it wasn’t him. Something else had taken over.”

Betsey, who’d wrestled with her own depression five years earlier, knew immediately that her son needed professional help. She contacted First Call for Chittenden County, a 24-hour crisis hotline operated by the Howard Center in Burlington. A clinician directed her to bring Thomas to the emergency department at the University of Vermont Medical Center for a psychiatric evaluation.

days, in emergency departments for a psychiatric bed to become available, in part because most pediatric hospital units aren’t equipped to provide psychiatric care. According to data from the Vermont Department of Mental Health, between October 2017 and March 2018, 157 kids in crisis waited in emergency rooms an average of 54 hours each for mental health placements. During that six-month period, one child waited 333 hours, or two weeks, for care.

BY KEN PICARD

Last fall, when Betsey’s 16-yearold son “Thomas” went from being a goofy, personable and happy-go-lucky kid to one who was quiet, introverted and irritable, she initially assumed that he was just being a normal, moody teenager. Plus, she thought, Thomas’ sister had just gone off to college, and the two siblings were very close.

But after a bicycle accident in October left him with a serious concussion, Thomas’ mood swings went from bad to worse.

“He became much more depressed, and it kept going downhill faster and faster and spiraled out of control,” Betsey recalled. (The Chittenden County mother asked that her full name, and her son’s real name, not be used to protect their family’s privacy.)

“He was sad and upset all the time.”

By early January, Betsey and her husband noticed that Thomas was acting “very aggressive.” He never threatened or hurt anyone else, she emphasized, but he banged on tables and punched walls.

Then one night in late January, Betsey went down to the basement and found Thomas tying a belt to the

Once they arrived, Betsey and her husband knew they had avoided tragedy and assumed that Thomas would now get the mental health treatment he clearly needed. But their nightmare had only just begun. Because all of the psychiatric inpatient beds for children and teens in the state were full, Thomas waited for five days in the emergency department.

Meanwhile, his depression worsened, Betsey recalled. Thomas was put in a windowless hospital room. A pediatric psychiatrist stopped by every day to see him, upped his antidepressant meds and prescribed something to help him sleep at night, when “the darkness” — the family’s word for his depression — was at its worst.

Mostly, though, Thomas sat in his room with someone outside his door to make sure that he didn’t try to harm himself. One day, he listened as a female patient screamed obscenities for hours.

“He had to watch a man die right across [the hall],” Betsey added. “Kids shouldn’t have to witness that … That didn’t help his recovery.”

Thomas’ story, though frightening, is not an anomaly. Children and teens who are suicidal or experiencing other forms of emotional or behavioral crises often wait hours, or

One factor driving those long waits: a dearth of inpatient psychiatric beds for children and adults in crisis. The problem is more acute for kids because the state doesn’t operate its own psychiatric hospital for children, like it does for adults. When suicidal youth are involuntarily committed — Thomas was not — often they’re sent to the Brattleboro Retreat, a mental health and addiction treatment center in Brattleboro, or across the lake to Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital in Plattsburgh, N.Y.

Louis Josephson is president and CEO of the Retreat, which operates Vermont’s only inpatient facility for children and teens 5 to 18 who’ve made a suicide attempt or are at serious risk of self-harm. Its 30 acute-care beds typically are for brief stays, averaging about a week, and are meant to stabilize a child so he or she can return home as quickly as possible.

The Retreat has another 24 beds for longer-term, less intense residential stays, which average about five months, for kids with chronic emotional or behavioral issues that cannot be safely managed at home or in foster care.

According to Josephson, the Retreat’s longer-term residential care beds for kids are almost always full. Demand for the 30 short-term inpatient beds — the kind Thomas needed — tends to fluctuate seasonally, with peak demand from

Vermont kids in crisis face an alarming shortage of mental health care

September through June. Only in the summer does the need subside.

Josephson, who’s spent much of his career working with children and teens, said that when young people are in crisis and languishing in an emergency room, stress levels can skyrocket — for the patient, their family and the emergency department staff who are often “white-knuckling it until they can get [the child] over to us.

“Why is this acceptable?” Josephson asked. “You would never have someone with a heart attack sitting untreated in the hospital for a week. People would be up in arms. But somehow it’s OK if you’ve made a serious suicide attempt.”

The problem isn’t unique to Vermont. Nationally, many states report long wait times for kids’ psychiatric beds. The problem is further exacerbated by a nationwide shortage of pediatric mental health practitioners, including child psychiatrists, psychologists, and master’s-level social workers and substance-abuse counselors.

With only about 30 child psychiatrists in Vermont, some kids wait weeks, if not months, for an appointment — though the Department of Mental Health has worked with practitioners to reduce those wait times, especially for youth in crisis.

Yet, by all measures, the workload is only increasing. Dr. Marshall “Buzz” Land Jr. is a pediatrician and professor of pediatrics at UVM

Larner College of Medicine who’s been in practice for 40 years. Over the last two decades, Land said, he’s seen a significant decline in the number of kids coming in with serious physical ailments, such as tumors and infectious diseases, for which he credits the effectiveness of childhood vaccines and improved therapies.

During that same time period, however, Land said he’s seen a 20 percent increase in the number of children who require inpatient mental health services.

“As those [physical] diseases drifted away, it became apparent to me that at least 30 to 40 percent of the kids who came through my door were coming in with a chief complaint of a behavioral mental health issue,” he said. What’s more, he added, the acuteness and complexity of those cases has also grown.

Land’s personal observations have been confirmed by several national studies, as well as by conversations he’s had with other pediatricians around the country as part of his work with the American Board of Pediatrics, the standard-setting body for pediatrics education and training.

Citing a 2014 report by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation titled, “Are the Children Well? A Model and Recommendations for Promoting the Mental Wellness of the Nation’s Young People,” Land noted that about half of all Americans will experience a mental health problem at some

point in their lives, most of which will originate in childhood.

The numbers are chilling: One in six high school students will consider taking his or her own life — and one in 13 will attempt it, according to data from the national Youth Risk Behavior Survey, conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Suicide is now the second leading cause of death in children 10 to 14, behind unintentional injuries, according to the CDC.

The forces driving the deterioration in children’s mental health are numerous, complex and intertwined with other social problems, Josephson explained. Poverty and the opioid epidemic have left thousands of kids living in unstable, neglected and sometimes violent environments. Families often reside far from relatives and other support networks, who would otherwise lend a hand when problems arise.

“When a family is already close to being tapped out,” Josephson added, “a young person with behavioral problems just tips everything over.”

ONE SOLUTION: MENTAL HEALTH CARE STARTING AT BIRTH

Some argue that one way to get kids who are in crisis out of the emergency rooms and into treatment is to invest in more inpatient psychiatric beds. Both Land and Josephson say that Vermont could benefit from having more short-term, inpatient beds for kids, especially in the northern half of the state.

But Melissa Bailey, commissioner of the Vermont Department of Mental Health, bristles at the suggestion that adding beds will solve the problem long-term.

“I’ve done this work for a really long time, and I’ve seen kids get put in residential [care], and that’s where

they stay for a very long time,” she said.

Bailey, who started at DMH in 2001 in the Children, Youth and Family Services division and worked there for nine years before becoming commissioner in 2017, said that Vermont is actually doing better than most states when it comes to delivering mental health services to its kids and addressing its shortage of mental health care professionals. In 2009, she noted, the UVM Larner College of Medicine launched a child and adolescent psychiatry fellowship to provide specialized training to doctors. To date, of the 11 fellowship recipients to graduate from the program, eight have stayed in Vermont to work as child psychiatrists.

Bailey didn’t refute that having kids in crisis stuck in emergency rooms, rather than in inpatient treatment, is a serious concern. Ultimately, though, she’s focused “more upstream,” she said. Her goal is “to prevent that need from existing in the first place.”

To do so, she explained, means putting greater emphasis on prevention and early interventions at the community level, to stop small crises from becoming bigger ones.

One logical place to start is by working with the health care professionals who see kids most often and at the earliest age: pediatricians. Unfortunately, as Dr. Land pointed out, many of these doctors feel ill-prepared to treat, or even recognize, kids with mental health disorders when they come through the door.

“We know that 65 percent of pediatricians say [in national surveys] that they are not trained to take care of behavioral mental health problems and 44 percent don’t even want to,” Land said. Why? “They don’t feel comfortable because they lack the training. And, they’re not being reimbursed adequately for it.” AN

You would never have someone with a heart attack sitting untreated in the hospital for a week … But somehow it’s OK if you’ve made a serious suicide attempt.

LOUIS JOSEPHSON, CEO OF BRATTLEBORO RETREAT

An Unbearable Wait

CONTINUED FROM P. 33

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Land, who’s 73, no longer sees patients on a daily basis. Instead, he’s made it his mission to ensure that the next generation of pediatricians, whether they’re coming from UVM’s Larner College of Medicine or other medical schools, get the mental heath training they need. His goal: to incorporate mental health instruction into every component of the three-year pediatrics residency. Currently, aspiring pediatricians get, at best, a one-month developmental-behavioral rotation as part of their residency, which some of them view as less important than the rest of their training.

“A huge percentage of residents take their vacation time during that month,” he added. “It’s just a terrible training system.”

What would integrated training look like? Sometimes, Land said, it’s just a matter of teaching residents to ask their patient, “How are you feeling?”

For example, when a doctor working in the emergency room sees a child with a broken arm, Land explained, he or she shouldn’t just order an X-ray and apply a cast. The doctor should try to determine why that injury occurred and what its long-term consequences may be: Was this child bullied at school? Is there domestic violence at home? Is this a sports injury

that may have been this student’s scholarship ticket to college? And, now that she won’t get to play in the big championship game, is she at risk of depression?

Land readily acknowledged that it’s an uphill battle convincing medical school program directors to incorporate mental health training into every component of their pediatrics residency. Nevertheless, he said, the problem is too big to ignore.

“This is one-third of the kids coming through your door. And they’re easy kids to overlook because they’re complicated cases,” Land argued. “If polio broke out in the United States right now, we’re not going to tell the American public that we don’t know how to treat polio. We’re going to figure out how to teach [doctors] to treat them, fast.”

ANOTHER SOLUTION: RECONNECT MIND AND BODY

When Vermont mental health commissioner Bailey talks about prevention, one model she cites is the Vermont Center on Children, Youth and Families at UVM, which treats kids and adolescents with emotional and behavioral disorders, along with the families of those referred. It’s a program in high demand, with wait times up to a year.

Dr. Jim Hudziak, who runs the program, is a professor of psychiatry, medicine, pediatrics, and communication sciences and disorders at the UVM Larner College of Medicine. As he explained in an interview with Kids VT earlier this year, he and his team won’t prescribe any psychiatric medications to young people before they — and their parents or caregivers — are engaged in therapy.

“First, we’d look at you [the parent] and your partner’s

At least 30 to 40 percent of the kids who came through my door were coming in with a chief complaint of a behavioral mental health issue.

DR. MARSHALL “BUZZ” LAND JR.

emotional strengths and weaknesses,” he explained. “If you have strengths, we build on them, and if you have weaknesses, we take care of you two first.”

While the parents receive counseling, he continued, the child receives violin lessons, yoga and mindfulness classes, nutrition and sleep training, the assignment of a mentor and a physical activity tracker, such as a Fitbit, to reward daily exercise. Hudziak called it “health promotion by building healthy brains.”

In the past, he noted, some critics dismissed this approach as “crunchy Vermont thinking.” Not anymore.

“I wouldn’t have all these violin lessons going on here unless there were sound brain science to back it up,” he said. “If we can get kids to exercise seven days a week, we can reduce suicide attempts by 23 percent. There’s no medicine that does that. And yet, in our country, we’re so exercise-phobic when it comes to our children, it’s hard to get parents to say, ‘Get out there and exercise for an hour a day.’”

Thomas benefited from this kind of holistic approach. After waiting five days in the emergency room, no inpatient beds had opened up. So Betsey and her husband took their son home and watched him around the clock. They locked up anything in the house that was potentially dangerous and had Thomas sleep in their bedroom with them. Both parents are self-employed and were able to take time off from work to ensure his safety.

Four days after Thomas came home, Betsey got a call from Northeastern Family Institute, a private, nonprofit agency that runs a residential group home in South Burlington called Allenbrook. The eight-bed facility — which primarily serves kids 11 to 18 who are in the custody of the Department for Children and Families or those, like Thomas, who are on Medicaid — had a bed available.

Betsey jumped at opportunity, she said, because she knew that if they didn’t, someone else would take that bed.

“It was a wonderful program,” Betsey recalled. Thomas’ day was very structured and included classes in yoga and meditation, which, his mother admitted, didn’t always appeal to the teenager. Still, the group home allowed him to have visitors during his nine-day stay; one night, his parents even took him out for dinner.

Thomas returned home in mid-February, and after a short “honeymoon period,” she said, he suffered another emotional setback, which resulted in another call to the crisis hotline.

As they worked through that incident, Betsey and her husband learned of a previously unknown trauma their son had endured: While Thomas was working at a local restaurant during his school winter break last year, an adult coworker had exposed himself and grabbed his genitals, then threatened Thomas if he told anyone. Suddenly, Betsey said, her son’s suicide attempt began to make more sense.

In many respects, Betsey knows that she’s more fortunate than many parents in the same situation. Medicaid covered her family’s sixfigure medical bills, most of which accrued during Thomas’ five-day stay in the emergency department, as well as his nine days at Allenbrook. Moreover, because she and her husband are well-educated, they knew how to advocate for their son and get him treatment in ways that some parents cannot.

After missing a month of school, Thomas returned to classes and is doing well. He’s still receiving therapy and taking antidepressants, but his pediatrician told Betsey he may only have to take the medication temporarily. “If this is what gets him through the day,” she said, “so be it.”

Betsey knows from her own experience with depression that this may be a long-term struggle for her son, albeit one that he, too, can overcome. She’s just thankful that they got the opportunity to answer his cry for help.

“I was one of the lucky ones. He was one of the lucky ones,” she said. “It could’ve ended a lot differently.” K

Dining With Dad

Top local chefs share secrets for raising good eaters

BY MELISSA PASANEN

Vermont’s farm-to-table food movement has attracted some stellar chefs, many of them dads. The six chef dads on the following pages have cooked at four-star hotels and restaurants around the globe. They’ve earned repeated accolades from glossy food magazines and the prestigious James Beard Foundation.

But, food critics aside, the well-known restaurateurs all agree that their favorite “customers” are their own kids.

They dished with Kids VT about dealing with picky eaters, dining out with kids, and the foods their sons and daughters love that make them cringe.

CHEF WESLEY GENOVART

POSITION: Chef and co-owner of SoLo Farm & Table and Honeypie

LOCATION: South Londonderry and Jamaica (Vermont)

AGE: 38

KIDS: Rafael (“Rafa”), 7, and Esmé, 3

Rafa and Esmé’s mom: Chloe Genovart (coowner and general manager of both restaurants)

KIDS VT: How have you encouraged your kids to eat a variety of foods?

Wesley Genovart: We’ve always just cooked what we cook. It’s pretty much what we want to eat and, from a very early age, that’s just what they’ve been exposed to. Dinners we can have together when [the restaurants are] not open are very important. We sit down and talk and all eat together.

KVT: What is the most important cooking lesson you have taught your kids?

WG: Rafa actually does help sometimes in the kitchen at SoLo. He loves it. He’s learning focus, that even if you have just one job, do it well each time, and don’t get discouraged by the repetition.

KVT: Do you think kids should go to restaurants like yours?

WG: Yes, as long as the parents are engaged with their children. Eating out should be a special thing to enjoy with family.

KVT: Tell us about a surprising food your kid loves.

WG: Esmé loves oysters, and that blows my mind. I don’t think I really learned to love them until I was 18 or 19.

KVT: Any secrets to helping kids eat veggies?

WG: Our kids like them better raw. They love to come into the gardens [at

SoLo] and pick carrots and peas and eat them right there.

KVT: Any memories of cooking or eating with your dad?

WG: My family comes from Majorca, and my grandmother would make this dish of snails, but only for holidays. I remember my dad would take us to this special little restaurant and we would eat snails. He loved them, and I loved them.

KVT: Is there a food your kids love that makes you cringe a bit as a chef?

WG: Bisquick pancakes. I’ll make them with all these di erent flours, and all they want is Bisquick.

KVT: Kids, what’s your favorite thing your dad cooks for you?

Rafael: Roast chicken and rice. And suckling pig.

Esmé: Spinach, broccoli and chicken.

CHEF ROGAN LECHTHALER

POSITION: Chef and co-owner of The Downtown Grocery and Mama’s

LOCATION: Ludlow

AGE: 41

KIDS: Mason, 5, and Lulu, 2 ½

MASON AND LULU’S MOM: Abby Lechthaler (co-owner and general manager of both restaurants)

Chef Wesley Genovart with Esmé and Rafa

THE Dad ISSUE

KIDS VT: How do you encourage your kids to eat a diverse range of foods?

Rogan Lechthaler: Mason hated tacos. We made it into a taco bar, and now he loves it. Any time he participates in making his food, it works. Like for meatballs or dumplings, he’ll make one and I’ll make 30, but he’s like, “Lulu, do you like these? I made them.” He thinks he made them all.

KVT: What was the thing that most surprised you about feeding your own kids?

RL: We thought we were going to have to make chicken fingers and mac and cheese all the time, but that hasn’t come up for the most part. It’s about not giving in to what we think they’ll want.

KVT: What’s a surprising food your kids love?

RL: Crayfish! Abby is from Jackson, Miss., and we have them shipped up for special occasions, like her

CHEF AARON JOSINSKY

POSITION: Co-chef and co-owner of Misery Loves Co.

LOCATION: Winooski

AGE: 39

DAUGHTER: Eda, 5

EDA’S MOM: Laura Wade (co-owner and general manager of Misery Loves Co.)

KIDS VT: What was the thing that most surprised you about feeding your own child?

birthday and the Super Bowl. We do a boil, and they’re spicy.

KVT: Any memories of cooking or eating with your dad?

RL: He was very proud of the Brussels sprouts in his garden, and every year we’d have a Brussels sprouts-eating competition. There was this bowling trophy with sprout leaves glued all over it. Each of us would invite a friend over and one of them would always win. I was not down with Brussels sprouts. People did not fancy them up back then.

KVT: What’s a food your kids love that makes you cringe a bit as a chef?

RL: Ketchup is the bane of my existence. All that sugar, and it’s so addictive for kids. They’ll put ketchup on everything, and no other flavors get through.

KVT: What’s your kids’ favorite thing you cook for them?

RL: They’d say pasta and sauce. It’s our family go-to. I take a local sweet Italian sausage and crumble it up, sear it with onions and garlic, add some tomato sauce, and put it over pasta with lots of fresh Parm[igiano]. They’re in heaven.

Aaron Josinsky: I remember talking to [a chef friend with kids] about this. I said, “They just eat whatever you put out because it’s delicious, right?” And he said, “Uh … no.”

KVT: Tips for helping parents break kids out of a food rut?

AJ: It’s phases, not ruts. You just have to be flexible and keep offering good choices. Eda loves hot dogs, which is fine, but she could eat one every day. We just tell her we don’t have any hot dogs. That’s what grandparents are for; they can take her out for a hot dog.

KVT: Got a secret to helping kids eat veggies?

AJ: Textures are important. The entrée into kale was roasted with olive oil in the oven to make a crispy chip. Now she prefers raw kale salad. In the summertime, we have a big garden, and she just walks through and eats lettuces, herbs, kale and

sorrel. She was taking a walk with one of our friends, and they kind of freaked out when she picked some wild wood sorrel. She said, “Don’t worry. Papa picks this for the restaurant.”

KVT: A food your daughter loves that makes you cringe a bit as a chef?

AJ: Cheetos. They’re quite addictively good in a strange way, but they’re really bad. She doesn’t get them in our house.

KVT: Eda, what’s your favorite thing your dad cooks for you?

Eda: Chicken bread. (Josinsky explains that he roasts a chicken in a cast-iron pan and, when it’s done, he tosses hearty bread cubes in the rendered chicken fat and “all the nice brown stuff” in the pan.)

CHEF JOZEF HARREWYN

POSITION: Chef, founder and coowner of Chef’s Corner Bakery & Café and Chef’s Corner South End

LOCATION: Williston and Burlington

AGE: 65

SONS: Brent, 35, and Ashton, 33

BRENT AND ASHTON’S MOM: Pamela Harrewyn

KIDS VT: How did you raise your kids to be healthy eaters?

Jozef Harrewyn: Pamela, my late wife, was definitely the key player with food in the house. I was a chef at Four Seasons hotels when they were really young, so I wasn’t usually home to cook dinner. From when they were babies, she made their food from scratch. Eating and cooking together were a real part of our life. It all comes from those roots.

DINING WITH DAD, P. 38 »

Chef Aaron Josinsky with daughter Eda

Chef Rogan Lechthaler with daughter Lulu

Chef Jozef Harrewyn with son Brent

Dining With Dad

KVT: Tips for getting kids to eat a variety of foods?

JH: They always had to try something once. Ashton hated mushrooms. He said they were like snake’s eyeballs. He grew into them.

KVT: How about something you enjoyed cooking for the family?

JH: I always called myself a shrapnel cook. I’d come home and open the fridge and make a delicious meal of leftovers. I did make a lot of flatbreads with baguette dough from the bakery.

KVT: Brent and Ashton, what’s a favorite memory of something your dad cooked for you?

Brent: We had a fire pit in our backyard. It was a place to gather around and spend time with each other and, of course, cook. Dad liked to cook over the fire and on the barbecue, even in winter. South African piri piri [a spicy chile pepper sauce] shrimp and flank steak were staples.

Ashton: My dad’s famous flatbread pizzas with all sorts of toppings. The combinations were often unorthodox but never disappointed. I would gobble up as many as I possibly could. Another classic was super simple: Dad would caramelize sugar in a pan, very low heat, until it got golden and melted. Then he would add orange juice to make a sauce for bananas cut in half. They would soften in the

Classes & Camps

pan, and then it was all poured over vanilla-bean ice cream.

CHEF ERIC WARNSTEDT

Position: Chef and co-owner of Hen of the Wood and Doc Ponds

Location: Burlington, Waterbury and Stowe

Age: 42

Daughter: Ella, 10 Ella’s mom: Julie McDonough

KVT: What was the thing that most surprised you about feeding your kid?

Eric Warnstedt: I figured my kid would be this crazy, adventurous eater because of what I do. It was great until she was about 5; she would eat all of the fun stuff. Then she just went into normal-kid mode and eats pretty basic. There really isn’t any fighting it. The exposure is what’s important.

KVT: Do you think kids should go to restaurants like yours?

EW: One hundred percent. I love when Ella is at the restaurant when I’m working. It really brings it all together. I love bringing her out to eat as well. I do dislike seeing kids handed an iPad. If your kid is bored and doesn’t want to participate in conversation, let them sit there and space out. They will be OK.

Campers at Betsy Cox and Sangamon have

• Week-long ballet themed camps for ages 3-9; Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Nutcracker and more!

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

Chef Eric Warnstedt with daughter Ella

KVT: What do you think is the most critical thing parents can do to raise healthy eaters?

EW: It’s all about setting a good example without being preachy, right?

Like most things. [Recently, I’ve been working] on changing bad habits, and Ella has jumped on board with me. During our chats, it isn’t about weight; it’s about balance and common-sense eating and being grateful for what we have access to. As I’ve been eating healthier, we’ve been having more fun with breakfast. We crank music and get silly. We’ve been making these breakfast bowls of crushed bananas with whisked eggs, cooked in a nonstick [pan]. Then, in the bowl, add berries and apples, shaved coconut, some chia seeds, and drizzle the whole thing with almond butter. Ella loves them!

KVT: Got a secret to helping kids love veggies?

EW: We have a pretty good try-it-once scenario in our house, but I don’t push anything. We’ll get there. I only ate iceberg lettuce when I was a kid; now look at me.

KVT: Ella, what’s your favorite thing your dad cooks for you?

Ella: Tacos!

CHEF STEVE ATKINS

POSITION: Chef and co-owner of The Kitchen Table Bistro

LOCATION: Richmond

AGE: 47

SON: Gabe, 16

GABE’S MOM: Lara Atkins (co-owner and pastry chef of The Kitchen Table Bistro)

KIDS VT: Tell us about a surprising food your kid loved.

Steve Atkins: At one of his first “fancy” dinners in New York City, Gabe surprised us and the whole staff by ordering lamb tongue, and then ate every last bit of it.

KVT: What is the most important cooking lesson you’ve taught him?

SA: Taste and season. Even a simple dish can become pretty fantastic when well-seasoned.

KVT: Do you think kids should go to restaurants like yours?

SA: Absolutely. Being a good dinner guest is a good skill to have. It’s good to introduce kids to the concept of dining in public and to the experience of being waited on, being respectful of the staff, of enjoying different dishes and flavors.

KVT: What is the most critical thing parents can do to raise healthy eaters?

SA: Don’t talk about good foods and bad foods. We are promoters of eating and enjoying everything, but all of it in moderation. And don’t use sweets as a reward.

KVT: Got a secret to helping kids love veggies?

SA: I’ve found that, most times, when people don’t like something, like Brussels sprouts, it’s because they were introduced to it in a not-delicious form, like boringly overboiled. Try grilling or roasting instead.

KVT: Any memories of cooking or eating with your dad?

SA: My dad was a really good cook and showed his love through sharing food and meals. He had a giant garden so, in summer, sharing tomato sandwiches and eating his Southern black-eyed peas and okra straight from the garden will be a lasting memory for me.

KVT: Gabe, what’s your favorite thing your dad cooks for you?

Gabe: His summertime gnocchi with corn and tomatoes. K

The Vermont Cub Project

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

Through this project, every Vermonter four years of age can come to our Bear Shop in Shelburne and pick up a FREE best friend (up to $39.99). Come be a part of this great new program today!

Chef Steve Atkins with son Gabe

Berry Good Times!

Week to Week

SAT

JUNE 9 SAT

Children’s Fishing Festival: New to fishing? Kids get “hooked” on the joys of angling with knot-tying and lure-making workshops, a fish cookout, and the opportunity to catch a big one. Geared toward first-time anglers. 9 a.m.-3 p.m., registration closes at 2 p.m., Ed Weed Fish Culture Station, Grand Isle.

Raffi: Devoted fans of ‘Baby Beluga’ and ‘Bananaphone’ enjoy the original music from many parents’ childhoods and selections from a brand-new album. 1 p.m., Flynn Center for the Performing Arts, Burlington.

1 Friday

CALEDONIA

Hardwick Farmers Market: Local produce, plants, artisan cheese, syrup and more fill shoppers’ market baskets. Diverse dinner fare available. Atkins Field, Hardwick, 3-6 p.m. Info, 832-603-9334.

CHITTENDEN

Art Play Day: Little ones and caregivers drop in and get messy with provided materials and multiple stations to spark imagination.

Ages 18 months to 5 years. Radiate Art Space, Richmond, 8:45-10:15 a.m., $4 per child, $6 max per family. Info, radiateartspace.org.

Fairs & Festivals

ARTSRIOT TRUCK STOP BURLINGTON: Foodie families enjoy an eclectic array of local grub and live music during this hip block party. ArtsRiot, Burlington, FRIDAYS, 5-10

P.M. THROUGH SEP. 21, cost for food. Info, 540-0406.

VERMONT DAIRY FESTIVAL: The state’s agricultural heritage is honored during a four-day festival with agricultural events, fair rides, live music, food contests, fireworks on Saturday night and the 40th annual Milk Run on Sunday. Events on Main Street, the green and other locations; check the website for details. Enosburg Falls, MAY 31-JUNE 3, various prices. Info, 933-4134.

ADAMANT BLACKFLY FESTIVAL: Kids and adults bug out at this cheeky town fête “honoring” pesky local insects, with a pond walk at 9 a.m., a writers’ slam featuring Geof Hewitt at 11 a.m, a fashion show, live music, a pie eating contest and a 2 p.m. parade. Adamant Co-op, SATURDAY, JUNE 2, 9 A.M.-4 P.M. Info, 223-5760. FREE

FAMILY FUN DAY: The whole family enjoys lively musical entertainment by Rockin’ Ron the Friendly Pirate, a solar-powered bounce house, face painting, food, a raffle and more. Montessori School of Central Vermont, Barre, SATURDAY, JUNE 2, 1-4 P.M., food available for purchase; ice cream and raffle tickets for sale support the school’s scholarship fund. Info, 479-0912. FREE

ST. ALBANS TOUCH A TRUCK: Honk! Kids climb in heavy machinery, from big rigs and farm tractors to dump trucks and excavators. St. Albans Public Works Garage, SATURDAY, JUNE 9, 10 A.M.-1 P.M., donations accepted. Info, 524-1500, ext. 266. FREE

SUNCOMMON SUN CARNIVAL: Vermonters check out electric cars, bikes, motorcycles and lawn mowers and chat with their owners, while youngsters enjoy a bouncy house and ice cream. Veterans Memorial Park, South Burlington, SATURDAY, JUNE 9, 2-6 P.M. Info, 398-5696. FREE

TAKE A STAKE IN THE LAKE 5K AND CLEAN

WATER FAIR: Family activities and lakefriendly info follows a 9 a.m. 5K jaunt along the shore. St. Albans Bay Park, SATURDAY, JUNE 9, 8:30 A.M.-12:30 P.M., $25 entry for 5K, no admission to fair. Info, 238-7021. FREE

QUECHEE HOT AIR BALLOON CRAFT & MUSIC FESTIVAL: Up, up and away! Watch inflatable rides rise into the sky, then hear music, play games and check out craft vendors and the Kid’s Zone. Ascension scheduled for Friday at 6 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday at 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. Check website for updated schedule.

Quechee Village Green, FRIDAY, JUNE 15, 3 P.M., SATURDAY, JUNE 16, 5:30 A.M. AND SUNDAY, JUNE 17, 5:30 A.M., $5-15 general admission tickets are good for the entire weekend; children under 6 are free; $10 for dads accompanied by a child on Father’s Day. Info, 295-7900.

CLASSIC AUTO FESTIVAL: Admirers of yesteryear’s vehicles get up close to vintage models, and celebrate the innovation of electric cars. Hands-on art activities, special events and displays make for a full day. Shelburne Museum, SATURDAY, JUNE 16, 10 A.M.-5 P.M. AND SUNDAY, JUNE 17, 10 A.M.-5 P.M., regular museum admission, $8-25; free for children under 5. Info, 985-3346.

PIZZA + TUNES: JEANNE + JIM: Community members bring out their dancing shoes for this summertime outdoor event, serenaded with live music from this NEK duo playing old-time Americana and folk music. WonderArts Community Greenspace, Craftsbury, SATURDAY, JUNE 16, 5:30-7:30 P.M., suggested donation $10-20. Info, 533-9370.

POCOCK ROCKS: This music festival and street fair fêtes the community with six local bands — including The Starline Rhythm Boys and The Eames Brothers Band — over thirty vendors, a bounce house and other children’s activities. Bristol Town Green, SATURDAY, JUNE 16, 3-8 P.M. Info, 760-6076. FREE

STRAWBERRY FESTIVAL: Say hello to summer with a berry sweet celebration featuring kids’ games, pony rides, face painting, and strawberry shakes, fudge, jam and shortcake. Sam Mazza’s Farm Market, Colchester, SATURDAY, JUNE 23, 11 A.M.-4 P.M., fee for food and some activities. Info, 655-3440. FREE

SUBMIT YOUR JULY EVENTS FOR PRINT BY JUNE 15 AT KIDSVT.COM OR CALENDAR@KIDSVT.COM

Family Gym: Indoor playground equipment provides tiny tumblers a chance to run free.

Ages 7 and under with caregivers. Greater Burlington YMCA, 10:15-11:45 a.m., $5-8 per family; free for members; preregister. Info, 862-9622.

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

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

Preschool Yoga with Danielle: Small ones stretch and relax. Ages 2 and up. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 10-10:30 a.m. Info, 878-6956. FREE

Teen Advisory Board: Teens take time together. Grades 9 and up. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 3-4:30 p.m. Info, 878-6956. FREE

ORLEANS

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

WINDSOR

Bethel First Friday Flicks: Families flock together for free films on the first Friday of each month. Seating available or bring blankets and beanbags. Bethel Town Hall, 6:30-8:30 p.m., donations accepted; popcorn and drinks available for purchase. Info, 234-6305. FREE

SUMMER REVELS IN POMFRET: With a theme of traveling across the country on a family vacation, merrymakers ring in the solstice with new arrangements of old familiar songs, from Appalachia to honky-tonk, New England to New Mexico, with dancing, live music and giant puppets. ArtisTree/Purple Crayon, South Pomfret, SATURDAY, JUNE 23, 6:30

P.M., food available for purchase. Info, 866-556-3083. FREE

VERMONT RENAISSANCE FAIRE: Medieval encampments, live music, dancing, food galore, a unicorn and more make the Middle Ages come alive. Costumes encouraged. Mayo Events Field, Stowe, SATURDAY, JUNE 23, 10 A.M.-6 P.M. AND SUNDAY, JUNE 24, 10 A.M.-6 P.M., $5-15; free for children under 6. Info, 778-9178.

FOODAROO: Foodie trucks and craft purveyors give attendees a taste of the best Vermont has to offer with entertainment from street performers and leading local bands. Marble Works, Middlebury, SUNDAY, JUNE 24, 4-8 P.M., $3 cover; free for children under 13. Info, 388-6124.

SUMMER REVELS IN NORWICH: With a theme of traveling across the country on a family vacation, merrymakers ring in the solstice with new arrangements of old familiar songs, from Appalachia to honky-tonk, New England to New Mexico, with dancing, live music and giant puppets. Norwich Town Green, SUNDAY, JUNE 24, 6:30 P.M., food available for purchase. Info, 866-556-3083.

ROCKFIRE GRANITE HERITAGE NIGHT: In this celebration of art, music and fire, families enjoy an evening 1- or 2-mile walk lit by luminaries, featuring live characters who tell Barre’s story from past to present. Live music by Emily Nyman and Ian Gauthier and local food vendors add mirth. Firewalk not recommended for children under age 7. Millstone Hill Touring Center, Websterville, FRIDAY, JUNE 29, 7 P.M. $10, $25 per family of 2 adult and 2 children, $5 each additional child; food available for purchase. Info, 479-1000.

Branch Out Teen Night: Teens enjoy time together with monthly themed activities. Grades 7-12. ArtisTree/Purple Crayon, South Pomfret, 6-9:45 p.m. Info, 457-3500. FREE

Foodways Fridays: Guests tour the heirloom garden, then watch as veggies make their way into historic recipes prepared in the 1890 farmhouse kitchen, with different menus every Friday. Billings Farm & Museum, Woodstock, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., regular museum admission, $4-16; free for children under 3. Info, 457-2355.

2 Saturday

ADDISON

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

CALEDONIA

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

CHITTENDEN

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

EvoKids Saturday Drop-In Yoga: Youngsters master basic yoga poses through games, songs and dance. Mindfulness activities improve focus and concentration. Evolution Prenatal & Family Yoga Center, Burlington, 11:45 a.m.12:30 p.m., $15. Info, 899-0339.

Girls on the Run VT 5K: In a celebratory completion of the Girls on the Run/Heart & Sole Program, enthusiastic girls and community members lace up for a non-competitive 5K. Registration, face painting and happy hair styling begins at 8:30 a.m. Grades 3 and up. Champlain Valley Expo, Essex Junction, 10 a.m.-noon, $10-30, preregister. Info, 246-1476.

2 SATURDAY, P.42

Hot air balloons in Quechee

JUNE CALENDAR

2 Saturday (cont.)

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, preregister at workshops.homedepot.com. Info, 872-0039. FREE

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

Weekend Fun at Vermont Teddy Bear Company: Families enjoy indoor fun with a factory tour, sit down to tea with the bears and check out the coloring area. Vermont four-year-olds who preregister for the Vermont Cub Project receive a free teddy bear for a best friend. Vermont Teddy Bear Company, Shelburne, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Info, 985-3001. FREE

GRAND ISLE

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

Classes

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

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

EVOKIDS YOGA SUMMER CLASSES: July 6-Aug. 1, register for any three of the four classes for $40, and make space for yoga time and beach time this summer! Ages newborn to 5. Evolution Family Yoga Center, 20 Kilburn St., Burlington. Info, evolutionprenatalandfamily.com.

FAMILY ART SATURDAY: Saturday, June 16, free admission. Families are invited to drop-in to the BCA Center every third Saturday of the month to make their own artwork inspired by our current exhibitions. Each Family Art Saturday offers a different art-making project that will ignite the imaginations of your family members! Location: BCA Center, 135 Church Street.

PRENATAL & POSTNATAL YOGA CLASSES AT EVOLUTION PRENATAL YOGA CENTER: Have a more comfortable pregnancy and prepare for birth with stretching, strengthening and relaxation in prenatal yoga — and then bring the body back to balance and strength in postnatal yoga. Join our community of mothers at any point in your pregnancy, and 6 weeks or later in your postpartum time (until baby is crawling). No yoga experience necessary. Prenatal Yoga: Saturdays, 11:30 am; Sundays 10:15 am; Mondays, 5:45 pm; Tuesdays, 4:15 pm; Wednesdays, 5:45 pm; Thursdays, 12:30 pm; Fridays, 8:15 pm. Postnatal Yoga: Sundays, 12:15 pm; Tuesdays 10 am; Thursdays, 10:45 am; Fridays, 8:15 am. Drop-ins welcome, $15/class, $130/10 class pass, or $75/monthly unlimited. Location: Evolution Prenatal Yoga Center, 20 Kilburn Street, Burlington. Info, evolutionprenatalandfamily.com.

SCHOOL OF FOOLERY: Wednesday-Friday, August 1-3, noon-3 p.m.  Ages 10-14. Learn and explore the fundamentals of circus artistry and physical comedy while embracing the power of play!  The camp will culminate on Friday, August 3 with a 3 p.m. performance on the top block of Church Street.  Don’t miss this once in a lifetime opportunity! Instructors have performed in Cirque du Soleil, starred on Broadway and “Sesame Street,” and have taught at the legendary Ringling Brothers Clown College. Location: BCA Center and Festival of Fools stage. Drop-off and pick-up is at the BCA Center, 135 Church Street. $90; $81 for BCA members; registration required. Space is limited! Learn more and register at burlingtoncityarts.org.

LAMOILLE

Spanish Musical Kids: Buenos Aires native Constancia Gomez shares stories, singing, dancing and Latin culture with small ones and caregivers. Ages 5 and under. Varnum Memorial Library, Jeffersonville, 10-11 a.m. Info, 644-2117. FREE

RUTLAND

Rutland Farmers Market: Local vendors peddle farm-fresh produce and fruits, handcrafted breads, artisan cheese, and more at this outdoor emporium. Downtown Rutland, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Info, 342-4727.

WASHINGTON

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

Green Mountain Youth Symphony

Auditions: Talented youngsters of all experience levels try out for placement in the GMYS’s three orchestras for the fall season and August camp. Center for Arts and Learning, Montpelier, $25, preregister for a specific time. Info, 888-4470.

Walk for Animals: Walkers complete an easy two-mile loop through downtown Montpelier — with or without leashed dogs — to raise funds for the Central Vermont Humane Society, then enjoy a celebration with refreshments, dog contests and a disc dog demo. Montpelier High School, 9 a.m.-noon, donations and fundraising encouraged. Info, 476-3811.

WINDSOR

Family Clay: Children and their parents make memories firing and glazing special pieces. All ages. ArtisTree/Purple Crayon, South Pomfret, 10 a.m.-noon, $20 per parent-child pair; $5 per additional family member. Info, 457-3500.

Trek to Taste: This celebration of local food, trails and healthy living includes guided walks at 10:30 a.m and noon, farm-fresh samples, arts and crafts, games, exhibits, music and an ice cream social. MarshBillings Rockefeller National Historical Park, Woodstock, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Info, 457-3368. FREE

3 Sunday

CHITTENDEN

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

Family Gym: See June 1.

Rocket Science: Nosecones, Fins and Tails on Duct Tape Rockets: Junior engineers experiment with the effects of design on handmade rockets and launch their projects. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 3 p.m. Info, 865-7216. FREE

Wildflowers Open Studio: With rotating weekly themes, little ones in play clothes check out paint exploration, tinkering, sensory play and open-ended art. Ages 1-12. Wildflowers Studio, Essex, 10 a.m.-1 p.m., $15 per child, $5 each additional child; unlimited summer membership $75. Info, 662-2001.

LAMOILLE

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

4 Monday

CHITTENDEN

Anime Club: Adolescents have a blast with manga, crafts, cosplay and more. For teens only. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 4-5:45 p.m. Info, 540-2546. FREE

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

Milton Circle of Parents: Moms and dads meet to strengthen parenting skills and socialize, with a focus on guardianship. New Life Fellowship Church, Milton, 6:30-8 p.m., preregister. Info, 498-0607. FREE

Stories That Rock: Little listeners learn and laugh. Ages 2-5. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 11 a.m. Info, 865-7216. FREE

Wildflowers Open Studio: See June 3, 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Williston Preschool Music: Lively tunes with local musicians strike the right note among the wee crowd. Second Thursdays feature Spanish music with Constancia Gomez. Ages 5 and under with a caregiver. Dorothy Alling Memorial Library, Williston, 11 a.m., limited to one session per week per family. Info, 878-4918. FREE

RUTLAND

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

WINDSOR

Young Adult Book Club: Teens make merry conversation around a brand-new young adult novel. Check the website for the title. Grades 7-12. Phoenix Books Misty Valley, Chester, 4 p.m. Info, 875-3400. FREE

5 Tuesday

CHITTENDEN

Art Play Day: See June 1.

Creative Tuesdays: Young artists involve their imaginations with interesting materials. Kids under 8 must be accompanied by an adult. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 3:15-4:45 p.m. Info, 865-7216. FREE

EvoKids at Evolution Yoga

Dorothy’s List Book Club: Middle readers make merry conversation around a DCF pick. Call the library for the title. Ages 8-11. Burnham Memorial Library, Colchester, 4 p.m. Info, 264-5660. FREE

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

Tuesday Night Trail Running Series: Athletes of all ages and abilities choose between 2.5- and 5-kilometer courses or a short “cubs” race — with a 10K option on the second Tuesday of each month — during this fun evening race. Catamount Outdoor Family Center, Williston, 6 p.m., $4-12; free for children under 8. Info, 879-6001.

Wildflowers Open Studio: See June 3, 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Winooski Lego Club: Budding builders bust out plastic-block creations with the weekly Lego challenge. Free meals available for ages 18 and under. Winooski Memorial Library, 3-6 p.m. Info, 655-6424. FREE

FRANKLIN

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

RUTLAND

Chess Club: Strategists of all skill levels partner up for playing. Ages 6 and up.

Sherburne Memorial Library, Killington, 3-4 p.m. Info, 422-9765. FREE

WINDSOR

SUBMIT YOUR JULY EVENTS FOR PRINT BY JUNE 15 AT KIDSVT.COM OR CALENDAR@KIDSVT.COM

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

6 Wednesday

CHITTENDEN

Family Game Day: Grownups and youngsters rally for a weekly round of tabletop fun. Free meals available for ages 18 and under. Winooski Memorial Library, 3-6 p.m. Info, 655-6424. FREE

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

Five Corners Farmers Market: Downtown shoppers fill their baskets with locallygrown fresh foods, agricultural products and handmade crafts. Five Corners, Essex Junction, 4-7:30 p.m.

6 WEDNESDAY, P.44

JUNE CALENDAR

6 Wednesday (cont.)

Jericho Story Time: Storyteller and musician Katie Coons gets little ones moving through song, play, rhyming games, craft and snack. Ages 5 and under. Jericho Town Library, 10:30-11:30 a.m. Info, 899-4686. FREE

LCATV Young Producers Workshop: Up-and-coming directors learn to use video equipment, put together a program and produce a take-home DVD. Ages 7-11. Burnham Memorial Library, Colchester, 2-3:30 p.m., preregister. Info, 264-5660. FREE Reading Buddies: Little literati pair up with volunteers for literacy and laughs. Kindergarten and up. Burnham Memorial Library, Colchester, 3:30-4:30 p.m., preregistration appreciated but not required. Info, 264-5660. FREE

Wednesday Night Mountain Biking: Pedalers of all ages and abilities wend their way along the trails in a non-intimidating atmosphere. This fun event includes 2.5K or 5K options and a short loop for ages 8 and under, beginning at 6 p.m. Catamount Outdoor Family Center, Williston, $4-12; free for kids under 8. Info, 879-6001.

Wildflowers Open Studio: See June 3, 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

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

FRANKLIN

Fit Moms: Expectant mamas work out together, preparing for labor with cardio, strength, stretching and breathing. Northwestern Medical Center, St. Albans, 5:30-6:30 p.m. Info, 288-1141. FREE

Stop-Motion Movie Making Workshop: Small Spielbergs shoot their own movies with Claymation, props and an iPad app. Ages 8 and up. Fairfax Community Library, 3-5 p.m., preregister. Info, 849-2420. FREE

GRAND ISLE

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

RUTLAND

Rutland Farmers Market: See June 2, 3-6 p.m.

ORANGE

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

WINDSOR

Sensory Lab for Tots: Wee ones explore selfguided art stations, including finger painting, modeling dough, moon sand and more. Ages 5 and under; adult supervision required.

ArtisTree/Purple Crayon, South Pomfret, 9:30-11:30 a.m., $5 per family. Info, 457-3500.

7 Thursday

CALEDONIA

Hardwick Lego Club: Fledgling architects construct collaboratively with colorful blocks. Jeudevine Memorial Library, Hardwick, 2:45-5 p.m. Info, 472-5948. FREE

CHITTENDEN

Audubon Homeschool Program: Homebased learners use the outdoor classroom to explore a variety of seasonal topics, from insect investigations to wilderness skills. Ages 6-8. Parent attendance optional. Audubon Vermont, Huntington, 9 a.m.-1 p.m., $20-25, preregister. Info, 434-3068.

Babytime: Infants through pre-walkers have a ball with books, rhymes, songs and socializing. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 10:15-11 a.m. Info, 865-7216. FREE

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

Food for Thought Teen Group: Young adults polish off pizza as they ponder library projects. Grades 7-12. Dorothy Alling Memorial Library, Williston, 4-5 p.m. Info, 878-4918. FREE

Preschool Yoga: Children’s Yoga Teacher

Melissa Nutting charms wee ones and caregivers with a half-hour of singing, relaxing, reading and stretching. Ages 3-5. Burnham Memorial Library, Colchester, 11:30 a.m. Info, 264-5660. FREE

Spanish Storytime: Wee ones and caregivers cozy in for stories, songs and games en español. Ages 5 and under. CarpenterCarse Library, Hinesburg, 9:30-10 a.m. Info, 482-2878. FREE

Williston Preschool Music: See June 4, 10:30 a.m.

Science & Nature

DAIRY DAYS: In celebration of dairy month, farm visitors learn about all things milk through demonstrations and programs around cows, sheep and goats. Billings

Farm & Museum, Woodstock, SATURDAY, JUNE 2, 10 A.M.-5 P.M., SATURDAY, JUNE 9, 10 A.M.-5 P.M. AND SATURDAY, JUNE 23, 10 A.M.-5 P.M., regular museum admission, $4-16; free for children under 3. Info, 457-2355.

FAMILY SCIENCE PLAY DAY: ECHO teams up with Let’s Grow Kids for hands-on enriching and discovery experiences including parachute time, games, bubble play and a crafting station. ECHO Leahy Center for Lake Champlain, Burlington, SATURDAY, JUNE 2, 10 A.M.-3 P.M., regular admission, $11.50-14.50; free for members and children under 3. Info, 864-1848.

RAPTORS IN RESIDENCE: The mysteries surrounding birds of prey are revealed as visitors come face-to-face with live feathered creatures. Shelburne Farms, SATURDAYS, TUESDAYS AND THURSDAYS, 1-1:30 P.M., regular admission, $5-8; free for children under 3. Info, 985-8686.

TOUR THE COSMOS: This 50-minute live presentation takes the audience on a journey deep into the universe. Ages 6 and up. Fairbanks Museum & Planetarium, St. Johnsbury, SATURDAYS AND SUNDAYS, 1:30 P.M., $6 plus regular museum admission, $7-9; free for children under 5. Info, 748-2372.

BIRD-MONITORING WALK: Eagle-eyed participants bring binoculars to search the museum’s property for fluttering feathers. Best for adults and older children. Please bring your own binoculars. Birds of Vermont Museum, Huntington, SUNDAYS, 7:30-9 A.M. THROUGH JUNE 24, donations welcome; preregistration encouraged. Info, 434-2167. FREE

CHILDREN’S FISHING FESTIVAL: New to fishing? Kids get “hooked” on the joys of angling with knot-tying and lure-making workshops, a fish cookout, and the opportunity to catch a fish in the property’s pond. Geared toward first-time anglers. Registration closes at 2 p.m. Ed Weed Fish Culture Station, Grand Isle, SATURDAY, JUNE 9, 9 A.M.-3 P.M. Info, 372-3171. FREE

MONTHLY WILDLIFE WALK: Otter Creek Audubon Society and the Middlebury Area Land Trust invite community members to survey birds and other wildlife. Birders of all ages and abilities welcome. Meet at the Otter View Park parking area. Otter View Park, Middlebury, SATURDAY, JUNE 9, 7-10 A.M. Info, 388-1007. FREE

VERMONT DAYS: Green Mountain State parks, historic sites and the Vermont History Museum in Montpelier kick off summer with two days of free admission and on-site activities. No license required for fishing. Various locations statewide, SATURDAY, JUNE 9 AND SUNDAY, JUNE 10. Info, 800-837-6668. FREE

NESTLINGS FIND NATURE: Preschoolers discover how feathered friends grow using imaginative play, books, crafts, nature walks and activities. Birds of Vermont Museum, Huntington, SECOND AND FOURTH TUESDAYS OF EVERY MONTH, 10:30-11:30 A.M. regular museum admission, $3.50-7; free for children under 3. Info, 434-2167.

FEATHERY FRIENDS: Young naturalists take flight on an avian adventure where they build a nest, guard their eggs and learn to fly. Ages 3-5 with adult companion. Audubon Vermont, Huntington, THURSDAY, JUNE 14, 9-10:30 A.M., $8 per child; preregister. Info, 434-3068.

FRANKLIN

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

St. Albans Circle of Parents for Foster & Adoptive Families: Parents share childrearing stories to strengthen skills and build strong families. Franklin County Seniors Center, St. Albans, 5:30-7:30 p.m., preregister. Info, 524-1700. FREE

Weekly Trail Runs: Athletes of all ages and abilities break a sweat at their own pace in a 5K race, 3K walk/run or 1K kids run. Hard’ack, St. Albans, 6-7:30 p.m., $4-6; kids 1K is free. Info, 524-1500, ext. 266.

8 Friday

CALEDONIA

Hardwick Farmers Market: See June 1.

CHEESE & DAIRY CELEBRATION: Got milk? Families sample artisan cheeses, learn how the farm cares for cows and calves and discovers why dairy reigns in Vermont. Billings Farm & Museum, Woodstock, SATURDAY, JUNE 16, 10 A.M.-5 P.M. AND SUNDAY, JUNE 17, 10 A.M.-5 P.M., regular museum admission, $4-16; free for children under 3. Info, 457-2355.

FATHER’S DAY FISHING DERBY: Anglers and their pops aim for trophies after a morning by the water. Lunch available for a minimal fee. Arrive by 8 a.m. to register. Ages 14 and under. Chittenden County Fish and Game Club, Jonesville, SUNDAY, JUNE 17, 8-11 A.M. Info, 878-4942. FREE

A WALK IN THE WOODS: WILDLIFE TRACKING: Expert tracker and longtime UVM instructor Mike Kessler leads curious nature-lovers on an educational exploration. Ages 6 and up. Birds of Vermont Museum, Huntington, THIRD SUNDAY OF EVERY MONTH, 1-3 P.M. regular museum admission, $3.50-7; free for members and children under 3. Info, 434-2167.

35TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION AT BILLINGS FARM: This fully operational dairy farm and museum throws a shindig for its special anniversary with a full day of programs, hands-on activities, live music, food, a farm animal parade, historic baseball, special guests and free admission. Billings Farm & Museum, Woodstock, SUNDAY, JUNE 24, 10 A.M.-5 P.M. Info, 457-2355. FREE

CHITTENDEN

Art Play Day: See June 1.

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

Family Gym: See June 1.

Kids Music With Linda ‘Tickle Belly’ Bassick: See June 1.

Live Performances

‘THE SLEEPING BEAUTY’: Moving Light Dance Company delights the audience with a fanciful retelling of this classic fairy tale of true love’s kiss, with new choreography set to Tchaikovsky’s original score, with guests Puss in Boots and the lovely little lilac fairies. Barre Opera House, SATURDAY, JUNE 2, 7 P.M. AND SUNDAY, JUNE 3, 2 P.M., $15-20. Info, 476-8188.

SUMMER CONCERTS: The lunch crowd soaks up open-air performances held twice a week. Check burlingtoncityarts. org for specific lineup. Burlington City Hall Park, WEDNESDAYS AND FRIDAYS, NOON. Info, 865-7166. FREE

‘HONK, JR.’: Rutland Youth Theater performs this Hans Christian Andersen story of Ugly, the duckling who looks different from his darling brothers and sisters but discovers he has his own place. Paramount Theatre, Rutland, FRIDAY, JUNE 15, 7 P.M. AND SATURDAY, JUNE 16, 2 & 7 P.M., $8-10. Info, 558-4177.

BURLINGTON CONCERT BAND SUMMER

SERIES: The community relaxes with picnic baskets and blankets on a summer’s evening and listens to live tunes. Battery Park, Burlington, SUNDAYS, 7-8:30 P.M. Info, 864-0123. FREE

‘CASTLE ON THE HILL: A TALE OF KING

ARTHUR’: Vermont Youth Dancers — a dance company of area students with local talented dancers — mesmerizes the audience with their own contemporary musical and hip-hop dance spin on this classic tale of chivalry, brotherhood and courage. Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center, Stowe, FRIDAY, JUNE 22, 7 P.M. AND SATURDAY, JUNE 23, 2 P.M. $18-20. Info, 760-4638.

‘STORIES YOU SHOULD KNOW ’18: TALES FROM INDIA’: Classic, family-friendly stories from far-off corners of the world spellbind the audience with a cast of rajas, tigers and demons. Spice Studio, Rochester, FRIDAY, JUNE 22, 7:30 P.M.,

SATURDAY, JUNE 23, 7:30 P.M. AND SUNDAY, JUNE 24, 2 P.M., $10-15. Info, 767-4800.

‘BLOOD, SWEAT, BABY AND LIFE AFTER ORGASM: STORIES FROM A MIDWIFE’: Based on her experience working with hundreds of families, midwife Katherine Bramhall mesmerizes the audience with her one-woman play illustrating the complexity, humor and transformation of pregnancy, labor and birth. Best for adults. Barre Opera House, SATURDAY, JUNE 23, 7:30 P.M. $19-23. Info, 476-8188.

RAFFI: Devoted fans of ‘Baby Beluga’ and ‘Bananaphone’ enjoy the original music from many parents’ childhoods and selections from a brand-new album. Flynn MainStage, Burlington, SATURDAY, JUNE 23, 1 P.M., $33-81.25. Info, 863-5966.

MILTON MUSIC IN THE PARK: Families settle down with a picnic basket and lawn chairs while listening to live bands.

Bombardier Park, Milton, TUESDAY, JUNE 26, 7 P.M. Info, 893-4111. FREE

‘SEUSSICAL!’: Youngsters amuse the audience with a selected assortment of Dr. Seuss stories on stage. Vermont Children’s Theater, Lyndonville, THURSDAY, JUNE 28, 7 P.M., FRIDAY, JUNE 29, 7 P.M. AND SATURDAY, JUNE 30, 7 P.M. Info, 626-5358.

CIRCUS SMIRKUS BIG TOP TOUR OPENING

WEEKEND: High-flying feats into the wild blue yonder abound as Smirkus Troupers ages 10 to 18 dazzle crowds with jugglers, high-larious clowns, and air-borne aerialists. The Circus Barn, Greensboro, FRIDAY, JUNE 29, 1 & 6 P.M., $16-22; free for children under 2. Info, 877-764-7587.

‘YOU’RE A GOOD MAN, CHARLIE BROWN’: Charles M. Schulz’s lively “Peanuts” gang comes to life on the stage. This cast of characters from the most widely read comic strip of all time — including Lucy, Linus and Snoopy — enchants the audience with humor and heart.

FlynnSpace, Burlington, FRIDAY, JUNE 29, 4 & 7 P.M. AND SATURDAY, JUNE 30, 1 & 4 P.M. $12-15. Info, 863-5966.

‘ALICE IN WONDERLAND, JR.’: Artistree’s Musical Theatre Camp performs a zany and fantastical version of the little girl who tumbles down the white rabbit’s hole where she meets the goofballs

Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, raps with a bubble-blowing Caterpillar and beats the Queen of Hearts at her own game. The Grange Theatre, South Pomfret, SATURDAY, JUNE 30, 1 P.M., $10. Info, 457-3500.

SUBMIT YOUR JULY EVENTS FOR PRINT BY JUNE 15 AT KIDSVT.COM OR CALENDAR@KIDSVT.COM

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

Music with Raph: Melody lovers of all ages play and sing. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 10-10:30 a.m. Info, 878-6956. FREE

Preschool Yoga with Danielle: Simple movement, stories and songs satisfy children ages 5 and under and their caregivers. Dorothy Alling Memorial Library, Williston, 10:30 a.m. Info, 878-4918. FREE

ORLEANS

Craftsbury Lego Club: See June 1.

WINDSOR

Foodways Fridays: See June 1.

9 Saturday

ADDISON

Middlebury Farmers Market: See June 2.

CALEDONIA

Caledonia Farmers Market: See June 2.

Simon Brooks, Storyteller: Listeners of all ages soak up a rousing performance based on Brooks’ new book, Under the Oaken Bough, a collection of 17 folk and fairy tales. Jeudevine Memorial Library, Hardwick, 10 a.m. Info, 472-5948. FREE

CHITTENDEN

Burlington Farmers Market: See June 2.

EvoKids Saturday Drop-In Yoga: See June 2. Learn to Ride: Local Motion instructors teach beginning bikers how to lose their training wheels. Ages 3 and up, preregister for an age-appropriate time slot. Leddy Park, Burlington, $20-40 per family; free for Local Motion members. Info, 861-2700.

Shelburne Farmers Market: See June 2.

Storytime Saturday: ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’: Bitty bookworms have a blast listening to this beloved children’s book. Phoenix Books, Burlington, 11 a.m. Info, 861-9757. FREE

Weekend Fun at Vermont Teddy Bear Company: See June 2.

FRANKLIN

Baby Storytime: New babies are welcomed to the library with nursery rhymes, songs and simple stories. Ages 2 and under with caregivers. St. Albans Free Library, 10:30 a.m. Info, 524-1507. FREE

Mommy and Me Pampering: Little ones enjoy free playspace provided by Wiggle Room and Wildflowers Studios while parents check out local vendors and free giveaways. 14th Star Brewing Company, St. Albans, 11 a.m.-2 p.m., free admission. Info, 881-2370. FREE

GRAND ISLE

Champlain Islands Farmers Market: See June 2.

RUTLAND

Rutland Farmers Market: See June 2.

WASHINGTON

Capital City Farmers Market: See June 2.

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

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

10 Sunday

CHITTENDEN

Essex Open Gym: See June 3.

Family Gym: See June 1.

Walk for the Animals & 5K Doggie Fun Run: Animal lovers with or without pooches walk one mile or participate in a 5K fun run as individuals or teams, with added merriment of music, snacks, contests, prizes and more. Veterans Memorial Park, South Burlington, 8-11 a.m., $15-30 registration fee, plus fundraising minimum; free for children under 12 to walk; teams of participants raise money for the Humane Society of Chittenden County; preregister. Info, 862-0135.

Wildflowers Open Studio: See June 3.

LAMOILLE

Remembrance Run: Athletes under 12 choose from half or full mile options, then older walkers and runners navigate a 5K course to raise money for scholarship funds. Registration opens at 7:30 a.m. Peoples Academy, Morrisville, 9:15 a.m., $7-30; free for children under 7. Info, 888-7707.

Stowe Farmers Market: See June 3.

WASHINGTON

Early Childhood Summer Dance Party: Rachel O’Donald and AB2 — active body, active brain — host a dance party with an open exploration of instruments and props, dance activities, parachute play, and an obstacle course. Ages 7 and under. Grange Hall Cultural Center, Waterbury Center, 3-5 p.m., $10 for one child, $5 each additional sibling; no charge for parents; preregistration encouraged. Info, 371-7400.

11 Monday

CHITTENDEN

Colchester Preschool Music: See June 4.

Crafts for Kids: Clever kiddos pursue artsy projects. Ages 5 and up. Burnham Memorial Library, Colchester, 3:30-4:30 p.m. Info, 264-5660. FREE

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

Stories That Rock: See June 4.

Wildflowers Open Studio: See June 3, 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Williston Preschool Music: See June 4.

11 MONDAY, P.46

Burlington City Hall Park

JUNE CALENDAR

New Parents

EVOLUTION POSTNATAL YOGA: New mamas tote their pre-crawling kids to an all-levels flowing yoga class focused on bringing the body back to strength and alignment in a relaxed and nurturing environment. Evolution Prenatal & Family Yoga Center, Burlington, SUNDAYS, 12:15-1:30 P.M., TUESDAYS, 11 A.M.-12:15 P.M., THURSDAYS, 10:45-11:55 A.M., AND FRIDAYS, 8:15-9:15 A.M. AND NOON-1 P.M., $15 or $130 for a 10-class pass. Info, 899-0339.

EVOLUTION PRENATAL YOGA: Mothersto-be build strength, stamina, comfort and a stronger connection to their babies. Evolution Prenatal & Family Yoga Center, Burlington, SUNDAYS, 10-11:30 A.M.,

MONDAYS, 5:45-7 P.M. TUESDAYS, 4:15-5:30 P.M., WEDNESDAYS, 5:45-7 P.M., THURSDAYS, 12:30-1:30 P.M., FRIDAYS, 8:15-9:15 A.M. AND SATURDAYS, 11:30 A.M.-12:30 P.M., $15 or $130 for 10-class pass. Info, 899-0339.

NEW PARENTS PLAYGROUP: Families with very small ones support each other with assistance from staff. Birth Journeys, Burlington, FIRST AND THIRD FRIDAY OF EVERY MONTH, 10-11:30 A.M., suggested donation $3. Info, 233-7909.

POSTPARTUM PREPARATION PACKAGE: A professional leads expectant mothers in planning for their birth recovery and bonding with their infants. Topics include perineal care, sleep, setting up a meal train, postpartum simplifying, attachment parenting and more. Kimball Public Library, Randolph, SATURDAY, JUNE 2, 2-6 P.M. preregister. Info, 595-7953. FREE

PRENATAL METHOD PRENATAL YOGA: Women prepare for birth through yoga, with a focus on strengthening the body and mind. See prenatalmethod.com for class descriptions. Prenatal Method Studio, Burlington, MONDAYS, 12:15-1:15 P.M., TUESDAYS, 4:30-5:30 P.M., WEDNESDAYS, 12:15-1:15 P.M., THURSDAYS, 4:30-5:30 P.M. AND SATURDAYS, 10:30-11:30 A.M., $15. Info, 829-0211.

BOSOM BUDDIES: New and expectant mothers, babies and supportive grandmas rally in a relaxed evening, and peers and professionals answer mothering and breastfeeding questions. Central Vermont Medical Center, Berlin, FIRST MONDAY OF EVERY MONTH, 5:30-7 P.M. Info, 371-4415. FREE

NEW MOMS SUPPORT & PLAY GROUP: New moms and moms-to-be get professional and peer support as they adjust to the ‘new normal’ of motherhood. Babies welcome. Rachel Totten, Williston, MONDAYS, 11 A.M.-12:30 P.M., preregister. Info, 448-0075. FREE

BOSOM BUDDIES TOO: Nursing mamas of toddlers and mobile wee ones socialize and swap supportive stories and advice with peers and professionals. Babies welcome. Central Vermont Medical Center, Berlin, FIRST TUESDAY OF EVERY MONTH, 5:30-7 P.M. Info, 371-4415. FREE MOM AND BABY YOGA: Brand-new mamas and their littles relax, stretch and bond. Followed by a free mothers’ gathering at 11:30 a.m. Embodied, Montpelier, TUESDAYS, 10:30-11:30 A.M., $11. Info, 223-5302.

PRENATAL YOGA: Moms-to-be stretch and bend. Embodied, Montpelier, TUESDAYS, 6-7:15 P.M., $16 per drop-in class. Info, 778-0300.

BURLINGTON EARLY MONTHS INFANT MASSAGE: This mother-infant group includes baby massage and postpartum new mama support. The Janet S. Munt Family Room, Burlington, WEDNESDAYS, 11 A.M.-NOON. Info, 862-2121. FREE

MIDDLEBURY LA LECHE LEAGUE MEETING AND PLAYGROUP: Families with infants and toddlers socialize and swap nursing stories. Junebug Mother and Child, Middlebury, FIRST WEDNESDAY OF EVERY MONTH, 10 A.M. Info, 388-1055. FREE

ESSEX LA LECHE LEAGUE: Moms bring their bitty ones to a discussion of parenting and breastfeeding. Siblings welcome. Essex Free Library, Essex Junction, FIRST THURSDAY OF EVERY MONTH, 6:30-8 P.M. Info, 879-0313. FREE

HOW TO BREASTFEED PRENATAL CLASS: Expectant mamas and their partners learn the basics of breastfeeding, how to get off to the best start with their baby and where to find assistance when needed. Central Vermont Medical Center, Berlin, FIRST THURSDAY OF EVERY MONTH, 8-9:30 A.M. AND FOURTH TUESDAY OF EVERY MONTH, 4:30-6 P.M., preregister. Info, 371-4415. FREE

HYDE PARK BABY CHAT: Parents with babies mingle, learn more about developmental needs and expectations, and have the opportunity to ask questions of a maternal health specialist. Lanpher Memorial Library, Hyde Park, FIRST THURSDAY OF EVERY MONTH, 10-11:30 A.M. Info, 888-5229.

MAMA’S CIRCLE BARRE: This supportive gathering brings moms of new babies and toddlers together to foster friendship through unique-but-shared experiences.

Yoga Barre, SECOND FRIDAY OF EVERY MONTH, 9:30-11:30 A.M. Info, 595-7953. FREE MORRISVILLE BABY CHAT: Parents with babies socialize, learn more about developmental needs and expectations, and have the opportunity to ask questions of a maternal health specialist. Lamoille Family Center, Morrisville, SECOND SATURDAY OF EVERY MONTH, 10-11:30 A.M. Info, 888-5229.

BURLINGTON LA LECHE LEAGUE: New moms bring their babies and questions to a breastfeeding support group. Older children welcome. Lending library available. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, SECOND TUESDAY OF EVERY MONTH, 10:15 A.M. Info, 985-8228. FREE

LA LECHE LEAGUE OF THE NORTHEAST KINGDOM: Expectant, novice and experienced moms join nursing experts for advice and support. Enter through the children’s section of the library. Siblings welcome. St. Johnsbury Athenaeum, SECOND TUESDAY OF EVERY MONTH, 10:30 A.M.-NOON. Info, 720-2728841. FREE

NURSING BEYOND A YEAR: In a supportive setting, mothers discuss the joys and challenges of breastfeeding children approaching one-year-old and beyond. Good Beginnings, Montpelier, THIRD FRIDAY OF EVERY MONTH, 9:30-11:30 A.M. Info, 595-7953. FREE

TODDLER LA LECHE LEAGUE MEETING: Moms who are nursing beyond a year share stories and solutions to nighttime parenting, mealtime tips, biting, weaning and other topics. St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, Middlebury, THIRD MONDAY OF EVERY MONTH, 1:30-2:30 P.M. Info, 388-0363.

FREE

BREASTFEEDING CAFÉ: Mamas nurse their babies, chat and ask for answers from a certified lactation consultant. Pregnant women, supportive dads and older siblings welcome. Ilsley Public Library, Middlebury, THIRD TUESDAY OF EVERY MONTH, 11:30 A.M.-1 P.M. Info, 349-3825.

FREE

BREASTFEEDING FAMILIES GROUP: Nursing moms (and supportive dads, too!) gather for snacks and advice. Church of the Nazarene, Johnson, THIRD WEDNESDAY OF EVERY MONTH, 11 A.M.-1 P.M. Info, 888-3470.

FREE

LA LECHE LEAGUE OF CENTRAL VERMONT: Breastfeeding mamas swap stories and support each other, with a professional available for consultation. Good Beginnings, Montpelier, THIRD THURSDAY OF EVERY MONTH, 9:30-11:30 A.M. Info, 595-7953. FREE

JOHNSON BABY CHAT: Parents with babies mingle, learn more about developmental needs and expectations, and have the opportunity to ask questions of a maternal health specialist. Church of the Nazarene, Johnson, FOURTH TUESDAY OF EVERY MONTH, 10-11:30 A.M. Info, 888-5229. FREE

MOVEMENT AND BREATH FOR BIRTH: Mamas-to-be and their partners learn about self-care and shared care during pregnancy, birth and beyond, and practice movement, breath and connection techniques for labor. For adults. Online, Burlington, TUESDAY, JUNE 26, 8 P.M., $20, preregister. Info, 373-8060.

MOMMY GROUP: Breastfeeding peer counselor Angela Scavo hosts mamas and answers questions in a relaxed setting. Middlebury Recreation Center, FOURTH WEDNESDAY OF EVERY MONTH, 9:30-10:30 A.M. Info, 349-9084. FREE

11 Monday (cont.)

FRANKLIN

Crafternoon: Artsy kiddos get imaginative with the library’s materials. Ages 6 and up. Fairfax Community Library, 3-4 p.m., preregister. Info, 849-2420. FREE

RUTLAND

Babies & Toddlers Rock: See June 4.

12 Tuesday

CHITTENDEN

Art Play Day: See June 1.

Creative Tuesdays: See June 5.

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

Spanish Musical Kids: See June 5.

Tuesday Night Trail Running Series: See June 5.

Wildflowers Open Studio: See June 3, 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Winooski Lego Club: See June 5.

WINDSOR

Norwich Lego Tuesdays: See June 5.

13 Wednesday

ADDISON

Middlebury Farmers Market: See June 2.

CHITTENDEN

Family Game Day: See June 6.

Five Corners Farmers Market: See June 6. Jericho Story Time: See June 6.

Leddy Park Beach Bites: Families relax during a lakeside afternoon lavish with kids’ activities, food trucks and entertainment. Leddy Park, Burlington, 5:30-8 p.m. Info, 864-0123. FREE

Strategy Board Games: Game lovers partake in complicated tabletop pastimes. Ages 13 and up. Milton Public Library, 5-8 p.m. Info, 893-4644. FREE

Wednesday Night Mountain Biking: See June 6.

Wildflowers Open Studio: See June 3, 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Young Writers & Storytellers: Small ones spin their own yarns. Ages 5-11. Burnham Memorial Library, Colchester, 4-5 p.m., preregister. Info, 264-5660. FREE

FRANKLIN

Fairfax Lego Club: Amateur architects construct creatively with colorful blocks. Ages 6 and up. Fairfax Community Library, 3-4 p.m., preregister. Info, 849-2420. FREE

Fit Moms: See June 6.

GRAND ISLE

Champlain Islands Farmers Market: See June 6.

RUTLAND

Rutland Farmers Market: See June 2, 3-6 p.m.

ORANGE

Randolph Lego Wednesdays: See June 6.

WINDSOR

Sensory Lab for Tots: See June 6.

14 Thursday

CALEDONIA

Hardwick Lego Club: See June 7.

CHITTENDEN

Audubon Homeschool Program: Homebased learners use the outdoor classroom to explore a variety of seasonal topics, from forests and trees to wildlife tracking. Ages 9-12. Parent attendance is optional.

Audubon Vermont, Huntington, 9 a.m.-1 p.m., $20-25, preregister. Info, 434-3068.

Babytime: See June 7.

Colchester Lego Club: See June 7.

Jericho Lego Club: Creative construction workers put plastic pieces together. Ages 4 and up with an adult. Jericho Town Library, 4-5 p.m. Info, 899-4686. FREE

Preschool Yoga: See June 7.

Williston Preschool Music: See June 4, 10:30 a.m.

FRANKLIN

Father’s Day Craft: Devoted sons and daughters drop into the library to make a personalized card for Pop. St. Albans Free Library, 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Info, 524-1507. FREE

Franklin Lego Thursdays: See June 7.

St. Albans Library Legos: Eager architects engage in construction projects with their peers. St. Albans Free Library, 3-5 p.m. Info, 524-1507. FREE

Weekly Trail Runs: See June 7.

15 Friday

CALEDONIA

Hardwick Farmers Market: See June 1.

CHITTENDEN

Art Play Day: See June 1.

Burger Night: Picnickers bring a blanket or chair to this local feast of grilled fromthe-land fare and festive music. Bread and Butter Farm, Shelburne, 4:30-7:30 p.m., $10-25; season’s passes $25-90; preregistration required this year. Info, 985-9200.

Family Gym: See June 1.

Kids Music With Linda ‘Tickle Belly’

Bassick: See June 1.

Kids’ Night Out: While parents take wellearned time o , kids delight in dinner and fun. Ages 3-12. Greater Burlington YMCA, 6-8:30 p.m., $10-19, preregister. Info, 862-9622.

Summer Reading Kick-Off Party: Brownell teens blast o the summer reading program for youngsters with a marshmallow roast and lawn games for families on the library lawn. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Info, 878-6956. FREE

ORLEANS

Craftsbury Lego Club: See June 1.

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

WASHINGTON

Montpelier Mother Up! Monthly

Meet-Up: Families discuss the realities of climate change, what that means on a local, state and national level, and how to create a more just and nature-friendly world. Dinner and nature-themed kids’ programming included. North Branch Nature Center, Montpelier, 5:30-7:30 p.m., RSVP requested. Info, 229-0041. FREE

WINDSOR

Foodways Fridays: See June 1.

16 Saturday

ADDISON

Middlebury Farmers Market: See June 2.

CALEDONIA

Caledonia Farmers Market: See June 2.

CHITTENDEN

Burlington Farmers Market: See June 2.

EvoKids Saturday Drop-In Yoga: See June 2.

Family Art Saturday: Families drop in and ignite their imaginations with a current exhibit, then get hands-on with an artistic endeavor. Burlington City Arts, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Info, 865-7166. FREE

Shelburne Farmers Market: See June 2.

Weekend Fun at Vermont Teddy Bear Company: See June 2.

GRAND ISLE

Champlain Islands Farmers Market: See June 2.

RUTLAND

Rutland Farmers Market: See June 2.

WASHINGTON

Capital City Farmers Market: See June 2.

17 Sunday

Happy

Father’s Day!

CHITTENDEN

Essex Open Gym: See June 3.

Family Gym: See June 1.

Wildflowers Open Studio: See June 3.

LAMOILLE

Stowe Farmers Market: See June 3.

18 Monday

CHITTENDEN

Colchester Preschool Music: See June 4.

18

MONDAY, P.48

JUNE CALENDAR

18 Monday (cont.)

Libraries Rock!: Summer readers get the library’s program off to a soaring start with activity stations including face painting. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 1-4 p.m. Info, 865-7216. FREE

Read to Cleo The Therapy Dog: Canine and reading enthusiasts visit with a personable pooch. Ages 2-12. Milton Public Library, 10 a.m., preregister. Info, 893-4644. FREE

Teddy Bear Picnic: The Swing Peepers sing Earth-friendly songs and tell rollicking stories to young listeners and their animal buddies. Bring blankets or lawn chairs. All ages. Maple Street Park, Essex Junction, 2-3 p.m. Info, 878-6956. FREE

Vermont Lake Monsters Opening Day: Play ball! The local baseball team’s 2018 season gets off to a high-flying start. Centennial Field, Burlington, 7:05 p.m., $5-15. Info, 655-6611.

Wildflowers Open Studio: See June 3, 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Williston Preschool Music: See June 4.

FRANKLIN

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

RUTLAND

Babies & Toddlers Rock: See June 4.

WINDSOR

Afternoon Art: Mixed Media & Crafts: Amateur artists engage in multiple mediums and enjoy each other’s company. Ages 5-12. ArtisTree/Purple Crayon, South Pomfret, 1-4 p.m., $20, preregister. Info, 457-3500.

19 Tuesday

CHITTENDEN

Art Play Day: See June 1.

Creative Tuesdays: See June 5.

Read to Willy Wonka the Therapy Dog: See June 12.

Spanish Musical Kids: See June 5. Tuesday Night Trail Running Series: See June 5.

Wildflowers Open Studio: See June 3, 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Winooski Lego Club: See June 5.

FRANKLIN

Summer Art Expressions: Youngsters explore empowerment, emotions and mindfulness through a hands-on medium. Ages 4 and up. Highgate Public Library, Highgate Center, 1 p.m., preregister. Info, 868-3970. FREE

WINDSOR

Norwich Lego Tuesdays: See June 5.

Tuesday Afternoon Art Studio: Ceramics: Youngsters create with clay and glazes while enjoying each other’s company. Ages 5-12. ArtisTree/Purple Crayon, South Pomfret, 1-4 p.m., $20, preregister. Info, 457-3500.

20 Wednesday

ADDISON

Middlebury Farmers Market: See June 2.

CHITTENDEN

A2 VT Rock Concert: A musical party kicks off with this ensemble who synthesizes their native African musical and dance roots with Western pop and hip-hop sensibilities, using up to eight unique languages. Ages 6 and up. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 6 p.m. Info, 540-2546. FREE

Booktivity: Based on the summer reading theme, imaginative kiddos get crafty each Wednesday with a hands-on project. Ages 5 and up. Burnham Memorial Library, Colchester, 3-4 p.m., preregister. Info, 264-5660. FREE

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

Family Game Day: See June 6.

Five Corners Farmers Market: See June 6.

Jericho Story Time: See June 6. Make a Mbira: Musical munchkins make an African musical instrument with a wooden board and metal tines, and pluck it with their thumbs. Ages 10-12. Milton Public Library, 10 a.m.-noon, preregister. Info, 893-4644. FREE

Vermont Lake Monsters Game: First Responders Night: Sponsored by the Vermont State Police, this evening invites kids to get up close to vehicles like police cars, ambulances and fire trucks — before the baseballs fly. Centennial Field, Burlington, 7:05 p.m., $5-15. Info, 655-6611.

Wednesday Night Mountain Biking: See June 6.

Wildflowers Open Studio: See June 3, 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

FRANKLIN

Fit Moms: See June 6.

Music & Movement With Ellie: Toddlers and preschoolers jump around to jolly tunes, delighting in a journey with parachute play and plenty of bubbles. Highgate Public Library, Highgate Center, 10 a.m., preregister. Info, 868-3970. FREE

GRAND ISLE

Champlain Islands Farmers Market: See June 6.

RUTLAND

Rutland Farmers Market: See June 2, 3-6 p.m.

ORANGE

Randolph Lego Wednesdays: See June 6.

WASHINGTON

Just for Fun Film Series: Family flicks entertain viewers of all ages. Visit jaquithpubliclibrary.org for movie titles. Jaquith Public Library, Marshfield, 6:30 p.m. Info, 426-3581. FREE

Ongoing Exhibits

AMERICAN FLATBREAD, LAREAU FARM, WAITSFIELD Info, 496-8856

STUDENT ART SHOW AT THE RED BARN: Students showcase their imagination and skills in this collective show, including submissions from all schools in the Harwood Union Unified School District. Through June 2. FREE

BOMBARDIER PARK, MILTON Info, 893-4644

JUNE STORY WALK: Nature walkers of all ages enjoy an outdoor stroll while reading the children’s story Happy Hedgehog Band by Martin Waddell. Through June 30. FREE

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

HOW PEOPLE MAKE THINGS: This temporary exhibit explores the story of how familiar childhood objects are manufactured from raw materials into finished products. Visitors step onto a factory floor for hands-on cutting, molding, deforming and assembling activities, and create objects to take home. Regular museum admission, $11.50-14.50; free for children under 3. Through September 3.

Marshfield Wednesday Morning Program: Vacationing kids soak up storytime, followed by a 10:30 a.m. activity and free lunch.

Ages 7 and under. Jaquith Public Library, Marshfield, 10 a.m. Info, 426-3581. FREE

WINDSOR

Afternoon Art: Mixed Media & Crafts: See June 18.

Sensory Lab for Tots: See June 6.

21 Thursday

CALEDONIA

Hardwick Lego Club: See June 7.

ShoeFly Trail Run Series: Fleet-footed families enjoy fitness together in a 5K, 10K or 1M walk/run. Entry includes admission to select Thursday races on the Kingdom Trails and on the second Tuesday of each month at 5:30 p.m. at the PRKR Trails in Littleton, NH. Kingdom Trails Yurt, E. Burke, 5:30 p.m., $65 for the season; free for children ages 10 and under; preregister. Info, 626-0737.

CHITTENDEN

Burlington Mother Up! Monthly Meet-Up: Families discuss the realities of climate change, what that means on a local level, and how to transition to a safer and healthier world. Vegetarian meal and childcare for ages 3 and under provided. Unitarian Universalist Society, Burlington, 5:30-7:30 p.m., RSVP requested. Info, 490-6393. FREE Colchester Lego Club: See June 7.

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

BUTTERFLY HOUSE: This living exhibit features fluttering painted ladies, monarchs, red admirals and more, including info about the life stages of these winged beauties and tips for creating a home butterfly garden. $7-9; free for children under 5. Open until the first frost.

HELEN DAY ART CENTER, STOWE Info, 253-8358

RECLAMATION: Nationally acclaimed, contemporary, figurative female artists display paintings featuring women from their perspective, transforming the way women are currently portrayed. Through August 25. FREE

MONTSHIRE MUSEUM OF SCIENCE, NORWICH Info, 649-2200

AIR WORKS: Through hands-on engineering exhibits and activities, curious investigators of all ages examine the scientific properties of air, learn how to move this invisible element, and utilize it in fun and practical ways. Regular museum admission, $14-17; free for children under 2. Through September 3.

Dorothy Canfield Fisher Book Discussion: Little literati chat about DCF pick Short by Holly Goldberg Sloan while savoring a sweet cool treat. Grades 4-8. Milton Public Library, 6:30-7:30 p.m., preregister. Info, 893-4644. FREE

Everybody Plays a Drum!: Master drummer and author Saragail Benjamin brings drums for kids of all ages to bang out a creative story together. Burnham Memorial Library, Colchester, 2-2:45 p.m., preregister. Info, 264-5660. FREE

Group Drumming with Saragail Benjamin: This master drum circle facilitator gets the summer reading program off to smashing start with the audience making music and telling stories with drums. Milton Public Library, 10-10:45 a.m., preregister. Info, 893-4644. FREE

Hinesburg Summer Reading Kickoff & Solstice Celebration: This family afternoon features signing up for summer reading programs, building musical instruments, planting flowers in the library’s raised beds and polishing off pizza from NOFA-VT’s Mobile Pizza Oven, while listening to live music. All ages; children must be accompanied by an adult. Carpenter-Carse Library, Hinesburg, 2:30-5 p.m. Info, 482-2878. FREE Lung Force Walk Burlington: After a short welcome, walkers enjoy a 1.75 mile stroll overlooking Lake Champlain, with festivities including educational ‘Mission Tents,’ refreshments and music. Battery Park, Burlington, 5 p.m., participants encouraged to fundraise for lung cancer research and awareness. Info, 876-6866. FREE

Read and Sip: Small ones savor snacks, juice and stories. Ages 5-10. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 3-4 p.m. Info, 878-6956. FREE

Ukulele Kids: Musical ones join Joe to sing and play traditional children’s songs. All ages. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 10:30-11:15 a.m. Info, 865-7216. FREE

Williston Preschool Music: See June 4, 10:30 a.m.

FRANKLIN

Family STEAM Night: Moms, dads and kids team up for activities around science, technology, engineering, art and/or math, with a theme of Star Wars Science. Fairfax Community Library, 6:30-7:30 p.m., preregister. Info, 849-2420. FREE

Franklin Lego Thursdays: See June 7.

St. Albans Summer Reading Kick-Off: Families sign up for the summer reading program and celebrate World of Music Day and the Summer Solstice with live music, food and crafts. St. Albans Free Library, 5-7 p.m. Info, 524-1507. FREE

Weekly Trail Runs: See June 7.

WASHINGTON

AB2: Books Come to Life: This Active Body-Active Brain class, led by a literacy professional, combines reading and movement. Babies through preschoolers. Waterbury Public Library, 10:15 a.m. Info, 244-7036. FREE

WINDSOR

Afternoon Art: Mixed Media & Crafts: See June 18.

22 Friday

CALEDONIA

Hardwick Farmers Market: See June 1.

CHITTENDEN

Art Play Day: See June 1.

Dungeons & Dragons: See June 8.

Family Gym: See June 1.

Family Jam: With a fun-based motto of “Anything Goes,” kids launch into a variety of instructor-led activities on the water, including SUP disc golf, hula-hooping, surf skiing, jousting and various balance games. All ages. Oakledge Park, Burlington, 11 a.m.12:30 p.m., $12 per child; parents paddle free. Info, 881-4905.

Kids Music With Linda ‘Tickle Belly’ Bassick: See June 1.

Live-Action Role Play: See June 8. Music with Raph: See June 8.

LAMOILLE

Kids’ Night Out: While their parents appreciate time o , youngsters enjoy dinner, a movie and themed activities. Ages 5-10. David Gale Recreation Center, Stowe, 6-10 p.m., $15 per child; drop-ins welcome. Info, 253-6138.

ORLEANS

Craftsbury Lego Club: See June 1.

WINDSOR

Foodways Fridays: See June 1.

23 Saturday

ADDISON

Middlebury Farmers Market: See June 2.

CALEDONIA

Caledonia Farmers Market: See June 2.

CHITTENDEN

Bike & Pet Parade with Big Insane Games: Participants in the summer reading program decorate their bikes and scooters for a parade – with pets participating, too – then partake in outdoor games. Dorothy Alling Memorial Library, Williston, 10:30 a.m. Info, 878-4918. FREE

Burlington Farmers Market: See June 2. Climb Out of the Darkness: As part of a worldwide event, this child-friendly event features mothers and fathers joining together to climb mountains and hike trails to represent their symbolic rise out of the darkness of perinatal mental health crises and into the light of hope and recovery. Williston Community Park Playground, 9 a.m.-noon. Info, 391-0661. FREE

EvoKids Saturday Drop-In Yoga: See June 2.

History Comes Alive: History bu s check out reenactors demonstrating military drills and various 18th century crafts — including textile manufacturing, woodworking and penmanship — and take part in games and hands-on activities. Ethan Allen Homestead, Burlington, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., regular museum admission, $6-10; free for children under 5. Info, 865-4556.

Shelburne Farmers Market: See June 2. Weekend Fun at Vermont Teddy Bear Company: See June 2.

FRANKLIN

Ocean Explorations: Curious kids embark on an adventure from the sea’s edge to its deepest depths. Highgate Public Library, Highgate Center, 10 a.m.-noon, preregister. Info, 868-3970. FREE

Vermont Breakfast on the Farm: Families fill their bellies with a free pancake breakfast, then take a self-guided farm tour to see firsthand how dairy farmers care for their animals and the environment and contribute to local communities. Kids’ activities include a scavenger hunt, a smoothie-blending bicycle and exploring a Lego farm. Gervais Family Farm, Enosburg Falls, 8 a.m.-1 p.m., preregistration required. Info, 828-2430. FREE

GRAND ISLE

Champlain Islands Farmers Market: See June 2.

RUTLAND

Rutland Farmers Market: See June 2.

WASHINGTON

Capital City Farmers Market: See June 2.

Climb Out of the Darkness: Good Beginnings of Central Vermont hosts Central Vermont’s first participation in this worldwide event devoted to perinatal mental health, illuminating the most common and undiagnosed complication of childbirth — postpartum mood and anxiety disorders. To raise funds to support local families, community members choose an easy 1.1 mile walk at the State House at 10 a.m. or meet at Underhill’s Sunset Ridge trailhead at 9 a.m. See website for details. Vermont Statehouse, Montpelier, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Info, 595-7953. FREE

Open House at Vermont Farm and Forest School: Families curious about the o erings of this K-6 program meet the educators, take a tour, play games and cook over the fire. Ages 12 and under. Drift Farmstead, Roxbury, 1-4 p.m. Info, 279-1548. FREE

24 Sunday

CHITTENDEN

Essex Open Gym: See June 3.

Family Gym: See June 1.

History Comes Alive: See June 23. Meteorites!: Fledgling astronomers hold a piece of the Milky Way in their hands and learn how these out-of-this-world rocks are formed. All ages. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 3 p.m. Info, 865-7216. FREE

Wildflowers Open Studio: See June 3.

LAMOILLE

Stowe Farmers Market: See June 3.

25 Monday

CHITTENDEN

Colchester Preschool Music: See June 4.

Family Movie Night: Moms, dads and kiddos munch free snacks while viewing a familyfriendly musical on the big screen. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Info, 878-6956. FREE

Gardening at the Library: Junior green thumbs dig in the dirt and sample their harvest. Grades 1-5. Milton Public Library, 10-11:30 a.m., preregister. Info, 893-4644. FREE

Teen Night: Adolescents drop in to do a di erent activity each week — plus socialize while snacking. Milton Public Library, 6-8 p.m., preregister. Info, 893-4644. FREE Turtles Rock!: Curious kids make friends with a three-toed box turtle and a giant tortoise and discover fun and educational facts about these creatures. Ages 5-10. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 3-4 p.m. Info, 878-6956. FREE

Wildflowers Open Studio: See June 3, 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Williston Preschool Music: See June 4.

FRANKLIN

‘The Princess and the Pea & Country Mouse, City Mouse’: Hosted by the Highgate Library, a local dramatic company puts their spin on two classic tales. Highgate Elementary School, Highgate Center, 10 a.m. Info, 868-3970. FREE

STEM Family Nights: See June 18.

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

RUTLAND

Babies & Toddlers Rock: See June 4.

WINDSOR

Afternoon Art: Mixed Media & Crafts: See June 18.

26 Tuesday

CHITTENDEN

Art Play Day: See June 1.

Build It!: Creative constructionists of all ages get busy with materials like Keva Planks and Legos to build coordinated projects. Milton Public Library, 10-11 a.m. Info, 893-4644. FREE

Burlington Circle of Parents for Adoptive & Guardianship Families: Moms and dads come together to socialize about their parenting experiences and strengthen skills. Childcare and dinner included without fee. Howard Center, Burlington, 5-6:30 p.m., preregister. Info, 864-7467. FREE

Creative Tuesdays: See June 5.

Kids Bowl Free Day: Youngsters who mention Kids VT bowl for free, with shoes gratis, too. Ages 15 and under. Spare Time Entertainment, Colchester, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Info, 655-2720. FREE

Library Teens Rock: Musically-minded kids make an organ from PVC and station this creation outside the library for the summer. Ages 10 and up. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 3-4 p.m. Info, 878-6956. FREE

Screech and Hoot: The Science of Bird

Communication: The Vermont Institute of Natural Sciences shares an up close encounter with talkative hawks, falcons and owls. Young naturalists practice identifying raptors by their calls, learn what these hoots might mean and how these sounds are made. Ages 5-10. Carpenter-Carse Library, Hinesburg, 10:30 a.m.-noon. Info, 482-2878.

FREE

Spanish Musical Kids: See June 5. Tuesday Night Trail Running Series: See June 5.

Wildflowers Open Studio: See June 3, 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Winooski Lego Club: See June 5.

FRANKLIN

Movie Matinee: Dim the lights and pass the popcorn for a playful PG-rated flick. St. Albans Free Library, 2 p.m. Info, 524-1507.

FREE

Summer Art Expressions: See June 19.

JUNE CALENDAR

26 Tuesday (cont.)

WASHINGTON

Southern Vermont History Museum: The Jaquith Library teams up with the Cabot Library to host this program where families get up close with live animals and learn how these creatures survive in our northern environment. Cabot Public Library, 6:30 p.m. Info, 563-2721. FREE

WINDSOR

Norwich Lego Tuesdays: See June 5. Tuesday Afternoon Art Studio: Ceramics: See June 19.

27 Wednesday

ADDISON

Middlebury Farmers Market: See June 2.

CHITTENDEN

Backpack Theater: A talented teen troupe amuses the audience by acting out two famous stories. Ages 5-10. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 1:30-2:30 p.m. Info, 878-6956. FREE

Booktivity: See June 20.

Family Game Day: See June 6.

Family Movie Night: A flick on the big screen and savory snacks amuse film lovers of all ages. Milton Public Library, 6-8 p.m. Info, 893-4644. FREE

Five Corners Farmers Market: See June 6.

Jericho Story Time: See June 6.

Leddy Park Beach Bites: See June 13.

LGBT+ Drop-In Group: LGBT+ teens and allies socialize with peers and propose projects to increase awareness. Grades 8 and up. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 4:30-5:30 p.m. Info, 878-6956. FREE

Rock Painting Workshop: Petite Picassos pursue their talents on a natural medium. Ages 7-9. Milton Public Library, 10-11 a.m., preregister. Info, 893-4644. FREE

Strategy Board Games: See June 13.

Wednesday Night Mountain Biking: See June 6.

Wildflowers Open Studio: See June 3, 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

FRANKLIN

Fit Moms: See June 6.

GRAND ISLE

Champlain Islands Farmers Market: See June 6.

RUTLAND

Rutland Farmers Market: See June 2, 3-6 p.m.

ORANGE

Randolph Lego Wednesdays: See June 6.

WASHINGTON

Family Fun Night: Family-focused activities alternate, from cardboard-guitar making to a musical sing-along. See website for specifics. Jaquith Public Library, Marshfield, 6:30 p.m. Info, 426-3581. FREE

Marshfield Wednesday Morning Program: See June 20.

WINDSOR

Afternoon Art: Media & Crafts: See June 18.

Sensory Lab for Tots: See June 6.

28 Thursday

CALEDONIA

Hardwick Lego Club: See June 7.

Screech and Hoot! The Science of Bird Communication: The Vermont Institute of Natural Sciences shares an up close encounter with talkative hawks, falcons and owls. Young naturalists practice identifying raptors by their calls, learn what these hoots might mean and how these sounds are made. Ages 4 and up. Jeudevine Memorial Library, Hardwick, 10 a.m. Info, 472-5948. FREE

CHITTENDEN

Colchester Lego Club: See June 7.

Geology Hike: Naturalists of all ages trek on a guided tour of Five Tree Hill. Meet at the Williston Town O ces parking lot to carpool. Info available through the Dorothy Alling Library. Williston Town O ces, 5:30-7 p.m. Info, 878-4918. FREE

LCATV Young Producers Video Day Camp: Aspiring Spielbergs experiment using film equipment, then create a feature program with Lake Champlain Access Television. Ages 8-9. Milton Public Library, 1-3 p.m., preregister. Info, 893-4644. FREE

Read and Sip: See June 21.

Ukulele Kids: See June 21.

VELI-STEM Family Program: Families participate in a science, technology, engineering and math project centered on sound and light. Ages 12 and under with a caregiver. Milton Public Library, 6-8 p.m., preregister. Info, 893-4644. FREE

Williston Preschool Music: See June 4, 10:30 a.m.

FRANKLIN

Franklin Lego Thursdays: See June 7.

St. Albans Library Legos: See June 14, 1-5 p.m.

Summer Reading Kick-Off with Backpack

Theater: A talented local youth troupe gets the audience clapping for a double performance of “The Princess and the Pea & Country Mouse, City Mouse.” All ages. Fairfax Community Library, 6-7:30 p.m. Info, 849-2420. FREE

Weekly Trail Runs: See June 7.

WINDSOR

Afternoon Art: Mixed Media & Crafts: See June 18.

29 Friday

CALEDONIA

Hardwick Farmers Market: See June 1.

CHITTENDEN

‘The Princess and the Pea & Country Mouse, City Mouse’: Young performers from the local dramatic company Backpack Theater put a spin on these two classic tales. Burnham Memorial Library, Colchester, 4 p.m., preregister. Info, 264-5660. FREE

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

Art Play Day: See June 1.

Burger Night: See June 15.

Family Gym: See June 1.

Family Jam: See June 22.

Kids Music With Linda ‘Tickle Belly’ Bassick: See June 1.

Teddy Bear Sleepover: Little ones drop o stu ed animals during the day, then teens photograph the furry friends and take notes while savoring a cold snack. Teens grades 6 and up attend from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Brownell Library, Essex Junction. Info, 878-6956. FREE

ORLEANS

Craftsbury Lego Club: See June 1.

WINDSOR

Foodways Fridays: See June 1.

30 Saturday

ADDISON

Middlebury Farmers Market: See June 2.

CALEDONIA

Caledonia Farmers Market: See June 2.

CHITTENDEN

Burlington Farmers Market: See June 2.

EvoKids Saturday Drop-In Yoga: See June 2.

Race 4 Sundaes: A 1-mile fun run is followed by a 5K and 10K, with a cool and sweet treat for each finisher. Registration opens at 7:45 a.m. Community Church of Huntington, 8:30 a.m., $6-30; proceeds raised benefit Neighbor Helping Neighbor. Info, 434-6715.

Shelburne Farmers Market: See June 2.

Teddy Bear Storytime: Youngsters pick up their stu ed friend from the library’s sleepover or show up with a beloved pal to this special morning of stories. All ages. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 10-10:30 a.m. Info, 878-6956. FREE

Weekend Fun at Vermont Teddy Bear Company: See June 2.

FRANKLIN

Panning for Gold: Petite prospectors play with shovels and sifting tools to pursue sparkling treasure. St. Albans Free Library, 10:30 a.m. Info, 524-1507. FREE

GRAND ISLE

Champlain Islands Farmers Market: See June 2.

RUTLAND

Rutland Farmers Market: See June 2.

WASHINGTON

Capital City Farmers Market: See June 2.

BY KEEGAN ALBAUGH

Empowering My Daughter

How the #metoo movement changed my outlook on the word “no”

“

No!” yelled Coraline as I made yet another attempt to buckle her into her car seat last November. At 17 months, my daughter had become quite vocal in announcing her displeasure with diaper changes, nose wipes, bath time, and, on that particular day, getting into the car.

At first, the word sounded pretty cute coming out of her mouth, especially when accompanied by a finger pointing at one of our cats on the kitchen counter. But it gradually became less endearing, leading to frustration and exhaustion on my part. What happened to my easy, go-withthe-flow, happy little girl?

Regardless of how long any struggle lasted, Coraline always ended each day peacefully asleep in her crib. I, on the other hand, finished most evenings with a beer in hand, trying to catch up on the day’s top news stories.

Last fall, those stories had become similar to a casino roulette wheel. Every few days it stopped on the name of a different celebrity accused of sexual harassment or assault: Harvey Weinstein, Garrison Keillor, Charlie Rose, Louis C.K., Matt Lauer, Al Franken.

Every time a new name dropped, my understanding of just how challenging it is to be a woman in today’s society deepened a little bit more. Friends’ personal accounts on Facebook furthered my awareness. I felt angry, disgusted and sad.

And I thought about Coraline. How would I be able to protect my daughter if she were ever sexually harassed or physically assaulted? As the news accounts piled up, it was looking a lot more like it wouldn’t be if something happened but when I needed to accept reality: I would have to prepare my child for a world where sexual harassment and assault are common.

I decided to focus on the present, since research indicates that most

brain development occurs during the first three years of a child’s life.

I thought about two books that had become part of Coraline’s prenaptime ritual: Hug Time by Patrick McDonnell, and The Pout-Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen. I had previously viewed these stories as sweet, innocent tales about friendship. But in the context of my recent ponderings, I saw them in a more nefarious light. Did the kitten get consent from that wombat before hugging it? Is that fish really going around planting huge smooches on other sea creatures’ faces without asking?

I decided we would have to comb through Coraline’s library and get rid of any book that appeared to celebrate nonconsensual contact.

Later that month, my partner, Stephanie, and I attended a parentteacher conference at Coraline’s childcare center. When the topic of talking came up, I was eager to discuss the challenges of raising our opinionated little lady. “Well, she sure knows the word, ‘no,’” I offered. Everyone laughed, all having witnessed the powerful force our daughter was becoming. Then one of the teachers spoke.

“We want her to use the word ‘no.’ It allows her to speak up, to advocate for herself. When a kid takes a toy out of her hands, we want her to tell that other child, ‘No!’”

When you’re wrestling with your toddler to get sunscreen on her face, it’s easy to forget why no is an important tool. But after that conference, I began to see the word in a different light.

I realized that thinking critically about the books in my daughter’s library should be accompanied by other strategies for empowering her. I came up with a handful of tenets that I’ll use to guide my parenting.

I’ll show her what respect looks like. I try my best to treat everyone we encounter with kindness and

politeness, even those who make me feel frustrated.

I’ll teach her healthy communication skills. That means modeling active listening, collaborative problem solving and finding peaceful resolutions to conflicts.

I’ll teach her to persevere. I want her to know that she is strong and can handle some challenges on her own. Sure, climbing up that staircase isn’t easy, but you can do it. But I’ll also let her know some problems are too big to handle alone, and it’s OK to ask for help.

I’ll teach her to advocate for herself and others. I will encourage her to speak up when she notices something isn’t right, whether it’s a peer being treated unfairly or a cashier giving her an incorrect amount of change.

I’ll validate her emotions. I’ll think twice before I use the common phrase, “It’s OK,” to dismiss her feelings — even if the thing making her cry is getting a blue cup instead of a purple one — because, to her, those feelings are authentic.

I’ll teach her that “boys will be boys” is not an excuse for bad behavior. A real man is someone who is kind and who listens. Someone who advocates for and helps others.

Last month, I spent a rainy afternoon at the library with Coraline, who’s now almost 2. I watched as she joyfully picked up a stray pencil from the floor in the children’s section. Seconds later, a larger boy came running over and ripped it out of her hands. I hung back and watched her response.

“No!” she yelled, marching up to the boy and attempting to take it back. The boy smiled as he pulled it away.

“No!” Coraline yelled again, increasingly frustrated. At that point, I knelt down between them.

“Hey, she was using that pencil,” I told him. “We need to share.”

He handed it back to my daughter and walked away.

Right now I’m here to help Coraline when she needs me. But I won’t always be. That’s why I’m glad she’s learning the power of no. K

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When you’re wrestling with your toddler to get sunscreen on her face, it’s easy to forget why no is an important tool.