Shining a Light

The more parenting books I read, the more I realize there are few things we shouldn’t do, and lots of things we can do.
— Anonymous, Burlington, VT

Are you caring for a baby, toddler, or little kid? Share your stories and musings with other parents!

Events

Thursday, September 17, 2026

Family Play at the Garden hosted by The Family Room
9:00 AM–12:00 PM @ Ethan Allen Homestead
0–5 years | Free, Outside, Drop In
Community building, fun learning activities for children aged 0–5, and social connections for caregivers. Through October at the Ethan Allen Homestead Community Gardens for outdoor activities, optional gardening, nature play and more!

Toddlertime
9:15 AM–9:45 AM @ South Burlington Public Library
1–3 years | Free, Inside, Drop In
This lively, interactive storytime is just right for your wiggly toddler. Short stories and familiar songs, rhymes and fingerplays are featured, with time to wiggle and dance. Sitting still is not a pre-requisite!

Petra Cliffs Toddler Climb Time
9:30 AM–10:30 AM @ Petra Cliffs
1–4 years | Paid, Inside, Register
Registration: https://app.rockgympro.com/b/widget/?a=offering&offering_guid=a688e37683344a8baa9089e1db56d3c9&random=6a8f0a67cc0ce&iframeid=&mode=p

Toddlertime
10:00 AM–10:30 AM @ South Burlington Public Library
1–3 years | Free, Inside, Drop In
This lively, interactive storytime is just right for your wiggly toddler. Short stories and familiar songs, rhymes and fingerplays are featured, with time to wiggle and dance. Sitting still is not a pre-requisite!

Storytime
10:30 AM–11:00 AM @ Winooski Memorial Library
0–5+ years | Free, Inside, Drop In
Join the Winooski Memorial Library every Thursday for storytime! We'll be reading our favorite books, singing songs, doing a little dancing, and sharing in the fun!

GROW Preschool Yoga
11:00 AM–11:30 AM @ Fletcher Free Library
2–5 years | Free, Inside, Drop In
Join Colleen from Grow Prenatal and Family Yoga for songs, movement, and other fun yoga activities. Recommended for children ages 2-5 and their caregivers.

Petra Cliffs Homeschool Drop-In Hours
11:00 AM–1:00 PM @ Petra Cliffs
2–5+ years | Paid, Inside, Drop In
Homeschool Drop-In Hours is unstructured climbing time, with families receiving an orientation & basic safety instruction. This is a great opportunity to connect with other homeschool families!

Family Happy Hour hosted by GROW
5:00 PM–6:00 PM @ The Pinery
0–5+ years | Free, Outside, Drop In
Bring your partner, bring your baby/kids and connect with other GROW families in the area over beers and a sunset! The Pinery is a fully outside beer garden with food trucks and shade from the sun.

Friday, September 18, 2026

Sing-Along with Linda Bassick
9:00 AM–9:30 AM @ Pingala Cafe NNE
0–5+ years | Free, Inside, Drop In
Friday morning sing along!

South Burlington Farmer's Market
5:00 PM–7:00 PM @ South Burlington Farmer's Market
0–5+ years | Free, Outside, Drop In
South Burlington is getting a fresh new way to shop, connect, and celebrate local this summer! Join us for the launch of our brand new Farmers Market located along the BTV Airport Recreation Path.

Cheese the Day
5:00 PM–8:00 PM @ Church Street Marketplace
0–5+ years | Free, Outside, Drop In
Join us for an evening celebrating one of Vermont's most iconic flavors during Vermont Cheese Week! Stroll the Marketplace and discover the incredible craftsmanship, creativity, and community behind Vermont's award-winning cheesemakers.

Saturday, September 19, 2026

Burlington Farmer's Market
9:00 AM–2:00 PM @ 345 Pine Street
0–5+ years | Free, Outside, Drop In
Every Saturday more than 70 vendors gather at 345 Pine Street - just a short walk from downtown.

Camp Ta-Kum-Ta Touch-a-Truck!
9:00 AM–1:00 PM @ Delta Dental Diamond at Centennial Field
0–5+ years | Free, Outside, Drop In
There will be a variety of vehicles from hot rods, construction vehicles, first responder vehicles, and more! In addition to the Touch-a-Truck, there will be food vendors, lawn games, face painting, and music from KOOL 105. Plus, from 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. there will be special guest appearances from many local Vermont mascots!

Shelburne Farmer's Market
9:00 AM–1:00 PM @ Shelburne Parade Grounds
0–5+ years | Free, Outside, Drop In
The market is where local farms and makers welcome their neighbors and visitors to the best of Shelburne.

French Speaking Dads & Kids Playdate
10:00 AM–11:30 AM @ Soda Plant
0–5+ years | Free, Inside, Drop In
Hello French-speaking dads! Dad Guild is excited to partner with the Vermont French Learning Hub to offer a chance for dads and kids from French-speaking households to meet, connect, and play. Whether a native speaker or someone who learned it later in life, come on by. Just know the event will be entirely in French.

Stories with Geoff at the NNE Branch
11:00 AM–11:30 AM @ Fletcher Free Library NNE
0–5+ years | Free, Inside, Drop In
Join Geoff for stories, songs, and movement in the New North End Branch!

Storytime and Artmaking for Families
11:00 AM–12:00 PM @ Shelburne Museum
2–5+ years | Paid, Inside, Drop In
Join us as we read a fun and whimsical selection of books about art, creativity, community, and wonder. Each storytime will conclude with an artmaking activity.

Green Community Festival
11:00 AM–3:00 PM @ South Burlington City Hall
0–5+ years | Free, Outside, Drop In
A fun-filled engaging event for all ages, with opportunities to learn about energy efficiency, sustainability and the environment. The festival includes food trucks, music, kid entertainment and a chance to ask an expert about trees, biking, solar panels and electric vehicles.

Live in the Orchard Concert Series: Tournesol
12:00 PM–2:00 PM @ Shelburne Orchards
0–5+ years | Free, Outside, Drop In
Come on out to be serenaded by this 6 piece band playing french and Italian songs from the 40s and 50s, jazz manouche and swing standards. Pick, listen, dance!

Sunday, September 20, 2026

Winooski Farmer's Market
10:00 AM–2:00 PM @ Winooski Farmer's Market
0–5+ years | Free, Outside, Drop In
The Winooski Farmers Market is a sweet little market bringing food and fun to the Onion City. We’re proud to present Vermont-made farm-fresh products, prepared foods, crafts, live music, community guests, and activities!

Live in the Orchard Concert Series: Kids Music and Movement with Mr. Chris!
10:00 AM–11:00 AM @ Shelburne Orchards
0–5+ years | Free, Outside, Drop In
Join Mr Chris for a morning of song and dance in the Orchard! Fun for the whole family, though geared toward kiddos age birth to five.

Children's Storytime
10:30 AM–11:00 AM @ Wild Meadows Books and Cafe
0–5+ years | Free, Inside, Drop In
Join Christine, our Children's Programming Manager and a former early childhood educator, in our Children's section for storytime!

Grape-a-Palooza and Grilled Cheese Rave
12:00 PM–4:00 PM @ Sisters of Anarchy Ice Cream
1–5+ years | Free, Outside, Drop In
Join the Sisters for the First Annual Grape-apalooza and Grilled Cheese Rave. You'll be able to: pick your own grapes (billed by the pound), channel Lucille Ball by stomping grapes, rave out to music by a local DJ, get delicious grilled cheese sandwiches, try all of delicious grape products (grape ice cream, grape sorbet, and wellness syrups).

Live in the Orchard Concert Series: Sunday Morning
12:00 PM–2:00 PM @ Shelburne Orchards
0–5+ years | Free, Outside, Drop In
A group of friends who celebrate life by attempting to make pretty sounds. songs about the ins and outs of life focused on melodic harmonies, with an air of celebration. ranges from softer piano-jazz cocktail lounge songs to louder banjo driven country with an occasional latin twist.

Monday, September 21, 2026

Crawlers, Waddlers and Toddlers
10:00 AM–12:00 PM @ The Family Room
0–3 years | Free, Inside, Drop In
A playgroup for caregivers and their babies, one & two years old. We provide a space for children and caregivers to connect, play, and eat.

Stories & Crafts: Animal Antics!
11:00 AM–11:45 AM @ Fletcher Free Library
2–5+ years | Free, Inside, Drop In
Weekly animal-themed stories and art activities for kids and caregivers! Each week will star a special mystery animal to be featured in the books we read and the crafts we create.

Tuesday, September 22, 2026

Playgroup
10:30 AM–11:30 AM @ Winooski Memorial Library
0–5 years | Free, Inside, Drop In
Meet at the library for a playtime with a variety of educational toys. Adults will have the chance to talk about child development or just chat.

Sing-Along with Linda Bassick
11:00 AM–11:30 AM @ Fletcher Free Library
0–5+ years | Free, Inside, Drop In
Dance, wiggle, and sing with local musician/early educator, Linda Bassick.

Baby Playgroup
1:00 PM–2:00 PM @ GROW
0–18 months | Free, Inside, Register
Join us for some adult hangout time with babies and kiddos in tow! Our playgroup is a chance for parents of little ones to meet, connect, chat, make friends and ask questions about all things baby and parenthood.

Old North End (ONE) Farmer's Market
3:00 PM–6:30 PM @ Dewey Park
0–5+ years | Free, Outside, Drop In
Working with local farmers, we help increase food access in a growing & diverse Burlington neighborhood.

Wednesday, September 23, 2026

Babytime
10:30 AM–11:00 AM @ South Burlington Public Library
0–6 months | Free, Inside, Drop In
A gentle, slow storytime that features songs, rhymes and lap play for our youngest patrons. Grown-ups caregivers are welcome to socialize after storytime.

Children's Storytime
10:30 AM–11:00 AM @ Wild Meadows Books and Cafe
0–5+ years | Free, Inside, Drop In
Join Christine, our Children's Programming Manager and a former early childhood educator, in our Children's section for storytime!

Stories & Songs for Library Littles
11:00 AM–11:30 AM @ Fletcher Free Library
1–3 years | Free, Inside, Drop In
Storytime, songs, and open play for babies, toddlers, and their caregivers!

Live in the Orchard Concert Series: Meatpackers
12:30 PM–1:30 PM @ Shelburne Orchards
0–5+ years | Free, Outside, Drop In
Come on out to the back porch of the donut house to hear some lovely and raucous music on a Wednesday afternoon! The Meatpackers are basically local celebrities. They have been playing together for decades and honestly have so much fun doing so, it’s contagious. They like to call their music a mix of bluegrass, gospel and redneck, with vocal harmonies, guitar, mandolin, stand-up-base, lap steel and the occasional fiddle.

May we Suggest...

...The Vermont Sheep and Wool Festival

Check out some wooly fun October 3–4 at the Tunbridge Fairgrounds.

The Festival offers plenty of activities, vendors, demos, contests and animals to meet! Food vendors are also on site.