New England Mamas

Starting the new year by homeschooling

The holiday break is almost over. Based on my Twitter feed, this is a source of great joy for many parents, but for some, this fact brings nothing but stress.

Maybe your child's teacher or school is making life miserable for your family. Maybe you are thinking your kindergartner isn't really ready for the daily schedule. Or maybe your child is a square peg trying to fit into a round hole, with little success.

Or, maybe you are like I was and are just intrigued by homeschooling but have no idea how to make the first step.

Here's your first step.

2010 First Night Events around New England

Say farewell to 2009 and hello to 2010!  Here's a round-up of First Night activities throughout New England.  All have family-friendly activities planned for kids of all ages. 

Massachusetts: 
Boston - First Night Boston
North Shore - Beverly's New Year
South Shore - First Night New Bedford
Cape Cod - First Night Chatham
Worcester - First Night Worcester (See one New England Mama's take on it here)
Western MA - First Night Northampton

Connecticut:  First Night Danbury;  First Night Westport;  First Night Hartford

Rhode Island: Bright Night Providence

Vermont:  First Night Montpelier;  First Night Burlington;  First Night St. Johnsbury

New Hampshire:  First Night Portsmouth;  First Night Wolfeboro

Maine:  First Night Bar Harbor;  First Night Old Orchard Beach

If I've missed any, please feel free to add them in the comments.  And as always, please celebrate safely and responsibly.

What's happening this weekend - Family friendly holiday events throughout New England

Looking for something holiday related to do with the family this weekend? We've got you covered.  Here's a sampling of what's going on around New England Friday, December 11 through Sunday, December 13:

Just in time for the holidays - gift ideas for teachers that deserve an A.

My oldest daughter started preschool last year, and we all couldn't have been happier.  A couple of days a week I would leave her in the care of the most wonderful women I could ever hope to ask for and know that not only would she be learning but that she would be cared for and doted on... along with the 19 other children in her class.

Seriously, how do these women do it?  Twenty kids??  I get the shakes when I have more than one over for a playdate.  Those women need gifts, pronto.

*checking calendar*

Well lookie there, it’s the holidays!  The perfect time to let your favorite educator know how much you appreciate them.  But with what?  Cookies?  Pssh.  Please.  These people help to expand your child's mind!  The least you can do is expand your own past the typical pastry gift.

Etsy to the rescue!

There are many New England artisans and crafters on Etsy, so finding a suitable gift for your kid’s favorite preschool, elementary, or secondary education teacher is a snap, right?

Put down the flour!  Let me help you find something.  I love Etsy.  Some may call it an addiction, I call it... an addiction.  But one person’s time suck is another person’s boon.  I’ve scoured Etsy to find some perfect gift ideas for the teachers in your life, gifts good enough to guarantee your child a good grade.  Not that you would bribe a teacher or anything.  That would be wrong...

Hey, look over there!

One more space: Luce's Lookout

I know the official Secret Spaces has ended, but yesterday, it was actually sunny for most of the day so we hiked to Luce's Lookout.

Luce's Lookout is on the Appalachian Trail between Woodstock and Killington. You can hike up to it on the AT from Route 12 (about 6 miles or so) or you can take the back roads up to a local trailhead for a much shorter 1 mile hike (2 miles roundtrip.) We had Douglas and two of the scotties, so we opted for the shorter version :-)

There's a hut with a viewing platform on the roof. I took some pictures of the Green Mountains and Lakota Lake. The hut is open as a hiking shelter and we met four through-hikers who were planning to stay there for the night to avoid the threatening thunderstorm.  No facilities, but at least a roof over your head which can be very welcome in a rainy summer like this one.

The Green Mountains

Rain over Killington

And in the other direction, sun over Lakota Lake

Douglas

Tags: Luce's Lookout, Vermont

Secret Spaces: Woodstock Vermont

I live in Metrowest Boston, and while I love my home and the area in which we live, my favorite New England Secret Spaces are near our second home in Barnard, Vermont.

The first is the Pogue, a man-made pond on Mount Tom just outside of Woodstock. It was originally created to serve as a water supply for Billings Farm at the foot of the mountain.

     

It's only accessible via the hiking trails, which in summer means on foot or horseback, and in winter skis or snowshoes. No motorized vehicles or mountain bikes are allowed on Mount Tom, one reason the place is so peaceful year round. It's also an easy walk, even for folks who don't like to hike up mountains.

If you decide to go, the best way is to hike in from the Prosper Road parking lot. There are a few paths to the summit of Mount Tom, most of which pass by the Pogue. We like to go all the way to the top of Mount Tom, and usually stage a car at the end of the other principal trail up Mount Tom in Woodstock. That way, we can go straight down the mountain and then go for ice cream at the Mountain Creamery.

The second is the Barnard General Store. Just a few houses down from us in Barnard on Silver Lake, BGS is a great place to pick up a few supplies for dinner or a picnic to take on your hike up Mount Tom. Stop in for breakfast for a real treat; everything is cooked to order.

Let me know if you are going this way. We spend the month of August at our house and would love to hear from you.

More sightseeing

crossposted from Snapshot Chronicles

Saturday was my birthday, and to celebrate we drove over to Burlington, Vermont — about 80 minutes from the house in Barnard — to see the Mary Cassat: Friends and Family exhibit at Shelburne Museum. For dinner, we boarded the Spirit of Ethan Allen III for a dinner cruise on Lake Champlain.  Then today, we went on the “Hidden Spaces, Unique Places” tour at the Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller mansion in Woodstock. Last summer, Douglas, my mom and I had toured the mansion, but it always bugged Doug that we couldn’t see the 3rd floor. This tour resolved that dilemma. Plus Dave didn’t come last year so he’d never seen the mansion.

In order of events

I always enjoy Shelburne Museum because it has such a great mix of things that appeal to adults and children. This visit was no exception. Douglas patiently (mostly) waited while we enjoyed the Cassat paintings and then he had the opportunity to act as tour guide for his Dad on the Ticonderoga paddlewheeler.

Cassat was an exceptional artist. Possibly the best known American Impressionist painter and best known woman Impressionist, Whistler and Berthe Morisot notwithstanding. But what made this exhibit so exceptional was the way it highlighted the personal friendship between Cassat and Louisine Havemeyer, the mother of Electra Havemayer Webb, founder of Shelburne Museum.

The exhibit will be at Shelburne through October 26th and then at the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington DC from November 21 through January 25, 2009. If you are near either place and you like Impressionist art, I urge you to check it out.

The dinner cruise on the Spirit of Ethan Allen III was fun. The food was perhaps just a notch above typical buffet food, although I would suggest having at least one fish entree that isn’t sauced, but the service was excellent. And the atmosphere — Lake Champlain at sunset — cannot be beat.  I got a special treat as well. Douglas plotted with the DJ and sang Happy Birthday to me — microphone and all — during dessert. I imagine more than a few mums envied me for that brief moment –  that my kid would do that for me. I had a few tears in my eyes.

Then today, we went on the Hidden Place, Unique Spaces tour of the Marsh-Billings Rockefeller mansion. They offer this tour about once a week, give or take, during the summer, and it is well worth it, although the regular tour is excellent as well.

On the Hidden Places tour, you see the third floor of the mansion, the servants’ quarters, a room in the Belvedere (basically the pool house, but what a pool house!) and the Bungalow, a cottage on the property, none of which are included in the regular house tour. I’d recommend either tour.

I do have pictures from all of the above, but the connection here in Vermont is slower than at home in Mass. so I’ll try to get them up tomorrow on Flickr.

Tags: Mary Cassat, Shelburne Museum, Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Park, Spirit of Ethan Allen III, Burlington, Vermont, Woodstock

Sightseeing in New England

With gas prices at these astronomical and unbelievable levels, it seems like folks are planning to stay closer to home for vacation this summer. Here are some of my favorite places to go with kids in New England. Most are within an hour of Boston, but the farthest are no more than three hours away and near great long weekend destinations for the family. Most of these attractions are seasonal.

Boston-area: The New England Aquarium, the USS Constitution and the boat cruise from the Aquarium dock to the Constitution. We go to the Aquarium fairly often but last summer Douglas and I did the boat cruise as well.

We had a great time and wrapped up our day  with an early dinner at Legal Seafoods, where Doug has his first lobster of his very own. A few years ago, we did a boat cruise in the harbor to view the USS Constitution turnaround, but they are not doing the full turnaround cruise this year. More pictures on Flickr.

Portsmouth, NH: Historical village Strawbery Banke offers a similar experience to other historical recreations like Sturbridge Village and Williamsburg, but with the added bonus of the ocean within spitting distance and the beaches of Rye NH within a few minutes drive. While in Portsmouth, don't miss the USS Albacore submarine.

Woodstock, VT: We have a second home in Barnard, VT, a small town just outside of Woodstock. This is a great area for kids. Mount Tom is a great place to hike, and not far from town, you have Silver Lake State Park for swimming. Quechee Gorge, often called the Grand Canyon of the East is about 30 minutes away on Route 4 East, and in the other direction, about 45 minutes from Woodstock, you'll find the Alpine Slide at Pico Mountain.

Mount Tom is part of Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Park, which also includes the Rockefeller Mansion. The mansion is well worth the tour, and you should check if there are any special tours available on the park website.  I do recommend the tour for older kids, not toddlers. It is guided by a Ranger and is just a bit long for short attention spans.

Our favorite places are Billings Farm and VINS (Vermont Institute of Natural Science.) We are members of both, and go at least once or twice per month during the summer. Doug is also enrolled in day camp at VINS for three weeks this August.

Billings Farm is a working farm, and has special activities pretty much every weekend --crafts, ice cream making, hay rides etc -- so it works as a repeat, familiar destination.

The public displays at VINS focus on raptors and their rehabilitation. There are two live shows daily in season as well as nature trails and exhibits featuring rehabilitated raptors who were so severely injured or compromised that they cannot be released into the wild.

Here are some of our latest pictures from Billings Farm, from Memorial Day Weekend.

You'll have a great time if you go to any of these places with your kids.

Tags: New England Aquarium, USS Constitution, Strawbery Banke, USS Albacore, Silver Lake, Quechee Gorge, Billings Farm, VINS

New England - A safe place to raise kids

Today, I came across an article by Parents Magazine and the results of their study on the safest place in America to raise children.  I am happy to see that four out of the top 10 safest states are from New England.  And the other two states round out number 11 and 12.

I'm even happier, to see that my home state of Connecticut is ranked the #1 safest state.  This is due mainly to their booster seat and bike helmet laws.  We've got some work to do to improve especially in the way of water safety, but it's great to know that overall, our kids are in safe hands.  I like knowing that our lawmakers have our children's safety in their minds.  When Connecticut first passed their upgraded child seat laws, I scoffed.  Really, what first grader (and above) is going to want to sit in a booster seat?  And how will I navigate the car line at school if I have to strap a child into a car seat/booster seat?  You know what, it doesn't take any more time.  Einey, my first grader, just hit 40 pounds, the minimum state weight to go from a car seat to a booster seat (even though I switched her earlier).  To graduate from a booster seat to a car seat, she has to have reached 60 pounds and her seventh birthday (the law is a bit ambiguous on this, but talking to seat inspectors, they all have that in agreement).  I don't see her miraculously gaining 20 pounds in the next ten months, so we'll be holding onto the booster seat for a few more years. 

How did the rest of the New England States rank?  Rhode Island, our neighboring state, comes in at #2.  Their main focus is on combating violent crimes involving children.  Their weakness is at school-bus crossing zones.  The next New England state on the list was Maine coming in at #6.  They rank high when it comes to teen drivers, but low with leaving children unattended in vehicles.  Massachusetts rounds out the top ten at #8.  They have great emergency care set up for children, but allow children as young as four to buckle up without a booster seat.  I found this surprising with their proximity to CT which has much stricter laws. Vermont just misses the top ten at #11 and New Hampshire comes in at #12.  Overall, New England seems to be a very safe place t olive.  To find out where your states ranks and some quick stats, visit Parents.com.