Kids VT, Winter 2021-22
Meet Judy Dow, Indigenous Educator; Give Your Kids a Smartphone Test; Set Up a Backyard Camera; Find Local Postpartum Groups
Cover Story
Vermont Visionaries: Meet Judy Dow, Indigenous Scholar and Educator
A few years ago, educator Judy Dow contemplated retiring. She’d been an educator for more than three decades, receiving the Governor’s Award for Outstanding Vermont Educator in 2004. Instead, the scholar of French Canadian and Indigenous descent chose a different path: She became the executive director of Gedakina, an organization that supports Indigenous youth, women…
Use Your Words: My Children Taught Me to Love Our Interfaith Holidays
Each time Christmas rolled around, my wife and I did an uncomfortable dance about what it meant to celebrate a Christian holiday in our Jewish home. I felt like we were on opposite sides — wreath or no wreath on the front door? Lights outside or not?
Good Nature: Tips on Using a Game Camera to Watch Backyard Wildlife
Saint Michael’s College biology professor Declan McCabe has been using game cameras for the last six years. He and his students have placed 22 cameras across the greater Burlington area. You might be surprised by the wide variety of animals they’ve recorded, including bobcats, coyotes, weasels, deer, opossums, skunks, raccoons and fishers.
Mealtime: Family Recipes for Tourtière, and Carrots With Cranberries
When I was growing up, meat pie wasn’t on our holiday menu. Our annual Thanksgiving Pie-Palooza has always been about sweet dessert pies. At Christmas,…
Vermont Moms Talk About Giving Birth and Surviving Postpartum During a Pandemic
Women who’ve had children during the pandemic have gone through an especially complicated transition; aanxiety and mood disorders in pregnant and postpartum women have doubled since the pandemic began. Writer and birth educator Jessica Lara Ticktin received a grant to document the experiences of Vermont moms. Here are six of their stories, in their own…
Mom Takes Notes, Winter 2021-22
I loved the dark of the fall and early winter as a child. I remember the excitement of playing outside in our yard with the…
I Made My Son Pass a Test to Earn His Smartphone. Here’s How to Make One for Your Kids.
After I bought my 15-year-old his first iPhone, I made him pass a test before opening the box. When I tell other parents about my test, the most common response is: “I wish I’d thought of that.” So I’m sharing the one I made, along with the resources I used to create it, to help…
Editor’s Note: Sharing Stories
The cover of this Winter/Holiday Issue of Kids VT features local Indigenous educator Judy Dow — the subject of this month’s “Vermont Visionaries” — with…
Musical Notes: Vermont Youth Orchestra Association Returns to the Stage
After more than a year of virtual performances, Vermont Youth Orchestra flutist Logan Crocker stepped onstage in front of a live audience on October 17…
Pop Culture: How to Avoid Awkward Hugs This Holiday Season
“Oh, be nice. Go give your aunt a hug.” We’ve likely all heard some version of that instruction — or said it to our kids…
Secondhand Style: Meaningful Gifts Aren’t Always New
This year I’m thrifting all of my daughter’s gifts for Christmas. It’s a good year to try it — there are no supply-chain issues with secondhand gifts! I’ve been having so much fun hunting on her behalf and finding things that match her little personality.
