(C) Ned Castle/ECHO

Lake Champlain’s indigenous culture will be featured at the “Winter Gathering” taking place at ECHO on Feb. 19-20. The festival will feature Abenaki chiefs and tribe members, and showcase dancing, drumming, games, a roundtable, and the premiere of the “Circle of Courage” photography exhibition by Native teens, which grew from the Swanton afterschool program where acclaimed photographer Ned Castle mentored the Abenaki teens. The festival runs from 6-9pm on Feb. 19 and 10am-5pm on Feb. 20.  Admission is free for members, and $7 for non-members. On the 20th, non-members may recieve discounted admission through the Open Door community access program, which offers $2 discount for everyone in the party with the presentation of one valid ID from either Vermont or New York. For more information, visit echovermont.org/events/calendar.

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Celebrate Valentine’s Day with the family at The New England Center for Circus Arts (NECCA) in Brattleboro and td their new circus/variety show, “Just for Love” on Sat. Feb. 13. The cast, teachers and artists representing  NECCA, SHOW Circus Studio and Luminzstudio offer up their talents in aerial fabric, trapeze, contortion, juggling, dance and more.. just for your entertainment; just for your amazement; Just for Love! (Proc eeds from the cabaret-style show are being donated to help a member of the local circus community recently diagnosed with cancer.) Show times are 4 and 7:30pm. Tickets are $8 for children under 12 and $12 for adults, and are available at the door or by calling NECCA at 802-254-9780 or online at www.necenterforcircusarts.org.

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The Vermont Department of Tourism and Marketing’s “Drawn to Vermont” contest gives Vermont students in grades K-12 the opportunity to draw a picture that represents their favorite summer place or summer activity in Vermont. The top three winning illustrations will be published in the summer issue of Vermont Life, an award-winning quarterly magazine published by the State of Vermont. “The ‘Drawn to Vermont’ contest is a fun way to help local students learn about the importance of promoting Vermont’s tourism industry,” said Vermont Tourism and Marketing Deputy Commissioner Steve Cook. “Students can illustrate what they love about summer in Vermont and have a chance to show their creativity to thousands of Vermont Life readers.”
Entries will be in three grade categories, K-4, 5-8, and 9-12, and all participants will be entered into a drawing for a free two-night stay at Basin Harbor Club in Vergennes. One winning entry from each grade category will be selected to become a Vermont Department of Tourism and Marketing advertisement in Vermont Life magazine. One first place illustration will be published as a full-page advertisement on the back cover of Vermont Life magazine, and two illustrations chosen for second place will be published as quarter-page color advertisements inside the magazine. For more information and contest rules, visit www.vermontpartners.org/drawntovermont, where students interested in participating can download a template to create their ad. All entries must be received by March 5.

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What gives kids energy and lifts their spirits on cold winter days? Moving! Going outside for fresh air and exercise is a great way to have fun, get fit and stay healthy from fall to spring. Young people who learn to enjoy winter sports will find it easier to remain healthy into adulthood. Those who try new sports will find activities they enjoy and will stick with.

These are the ideas behind Stretch Your Limits, a seasonal initiative of the Vermont Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports and Department of Health. The program challenges young Vermonters to Stretch Your Limits each winter by trying a new sport or physical activity, eating more fruits and vegetables and turning off the computer and television. Kids are asked to track their efforts to “Move More,” “Eat More Colors” and “Turn It Off” during six weeks and send their tracking form to the governor. Participating children will step up to the podium this spring to shake hands with the governor and receive a signed certificate and a prize from Bogner apparel.

Tracking forms are available here or by contacting Suzanne Kelley at the Vermont Department of Health, 802- 657-4202. Read more »

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Where can baby indigenous turtles find a cozy home for the winter? At ECHO Lake Aquarium and Science Center of course! For the fourth year, a cadre of Spiny Softshell, Northern Map, and Painted turtles will be spending the winter safely housed within ECHO’s walls.

ECHO Animal Care Staff will bolster the stewardship and awareness effort with demonstrations on Saturday and Sunday mornings at 10:30 a.m. that allow guests to see the turtles up-close, highlight the various species’ unique adaptations, and point out their roles in the ecosystem. Read more »

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What are Vermont girls thinking about doing after high school? Do they have a dream job? What would help them plan their futures? The Vermont Commission on Women and the Girl Scouts of the Green and White Mountains want to know. Their 5th annual statewide on-line survey of girls in grades 6th through 12th launched New Year’s Eve and focuses this year on employment and education. To participate in “What Teen Girls Say …Exploring Employment and Education”, click here. Deadline is Valentine’s Day!

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Help inspire young children to become lifelong readers! This interactive  journal begins where classroom reading longs end – title, author, illustrator – and offers imaginative prompts that will help kids connect to stories more deeply. Kids can list their favorite books, draw scenes from a story, and write about the pleasures they get from reading. Five pages of stickered bookplates that kids can customize and use to  personalize their own books are included.

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The Vermont Children’s Trust Foundation supports organizations that give kids the right network for a fair chance at success. To learn more about how they’re helping kids in our communities, visit www.vtchildrenstrust.org. Please consider a donation to VCTF on line 29B or your Vermont taxes.

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Bolton Valley Resort is partnering with the Vermont Youth Conservation Corps (VYCC) to celebrate the corps’ 25th anniversary by launching a food drive for the Vermont Foodbank and Richmond local food shelf.  Participating skiers and riders can purchase lift tickets for $25 on each of three food drive days at Bolton Valley.

“The Drive To 25” has a goal of raising 2,500 pounds of food for the Richmond Food Shelf during three fundraising and food drive events at Bolton Valley. On the 25th of January, February and March, Bolton Valley will offer $25 lift tickets and $10 Nordic passes to consumers bringing two nonperishable food items to donate to the food shelf. A portion of each lift ticket and trail pass sale will be donated to the VYCC. Food will be distributed to the Vermont Foodbank and the Richmond Food Shelf. Read more »

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Okay, we agree. It seems like there’s a day to commemorate almost anything. But IHOP uses the day to help raise money for charity. So, help celebrate National Pancake Day by heading to Vermont’s only IHOP (at University Mall in So. Burlington) from 7am to 10pm on Feb. 23. They’ll serve you up a free short stack of pancakes! All they ask is for a donation (of what you would have paid or more) to the Children’s Miracle Network.

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In support of military youth and their families, the Vermont History Museum has teamed up with Operation: Military Kids to allow up to 10 children from military families to attend each VHS Family Fun Workshop for free. This purposeful integration of civilian and military youth is to educate Vermont communities by raising their awareness about military culture and issues that may arise from the deployment, and gain empathy for issues that confront military families. The Family Fun Workshops are offered to the public on the second Saturday of each month from 10am until noon. These workshops offer children ages 6 to 10 hands-on experience with Vermont’s past. The 2009-2010 series is entitled History in the Making: How Do We Tell Our Stories. These workshops give the opportunity to understand the history behind many of the ways we communicate.
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According to the folks at Kiss Naturals, “nature got it right the first time.” That’s why they don’t add any artificial ingredients to any of their do-it-yourself craft kits for kids. Whether it’s soap, lip balm, bath fizzies or perfume, you can be sure it’s safe for your kids. After all, creators Marie and Mike test everything in their own home in Quebec – with their own children! And the products are available in Vermont! At the gift shop at ECHO, the Shelburne Museum and at Once Upon a Time Toys in Stowe.

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If you’re looking for a refreshing new Hanukkah book and song, check out Bruce Bruce the Hanukkah Moose by Howard and Elaine Behnken. Bruce is a too-smart moose with a problem: he hasn’t managed to shed  his baby moose moss, so all the kids at school tease him because he looks funny. After consulting the wise old owl/rabbi, Bruce sets off on a path that ends up solving many problems at once. The book, which is available directly from the publisher, comes with it’s own CD that includes an audio book and the song that started it all. Visit brucebrucethemoose.com for details.

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No, not your kids! Family photos! Imagine sending your toddler off to day care with a digital slide show of Mommy and Daddy. Or giving Grandma a changing view of her most precious children. Tao Digital Picture Keychain includes a miniature digital picture frame that stores and displays digital images. Just plug into a computer or cell phone, download the images onto the keychain, and choose which one to display.  Over 50 images can be stored on the keychain at once, allowing for images of family and friends. Designed to be taken anywhere and used frequently, the Tao Digital Picture Keychain has a long-lasting rechargeable battery and it’s durable. The keychain comes in an array of cheerful colors. It’s packaged with a USB cable for transferring images from a computer and charging the battery for $14.99 online at www.taoelectronics.com.

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Without realizing it, Lou Brooks has probably added a new word to the dictionary. The word in question is “twimerick,” which describes Brooks’ innovative and often unpredictable mashup of two classic forms: limericks and tongue-twisters—creating this irresistible new type of wordplay. “It’s supposed to be a kids’ book—or at least I think it’s a kids’ book,” Brooks says. “But when adults start to read it aloud to one another, they seem to get hooked on it immediately and have a hard time stopping.” The book’s extra charm comes from Brooks’ insistence that you read the book aloud and as quickly as you can. “From the beginning, I’ve wanted Twimericks to be a portable party that you can carry around with you.”  As far as young people enjoying his book, Brooks adds, “One of the things that I love most about the book is that it really turns young people on to something they feel is unapproachable: poetry. I’m here to tell them that poetry doesn’t necessarily have to be about men in tights offering posies to twittering meadowlarks.”

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