Articles by CLiF Staff
On Monday, January 28, a few dozen students were running around the playground at Johnson Elementary School when they heard the sound of a loud engine approaching. Heads turned as a green-and-white stock car barreled down the street towards the playground, only to stop right outside the fence. Children ran over to see who it … Continued
Earlier this week, a manilla envelope packed with hand-written thank-you notes arrived at the CLiF office. They were all written by English Language Learner students at McLaughlin Middle School and Beech Street School, where CLiF presenters Duncan McDougall and Marty Kelley had given storytelling presentations and lead book giveaways for nearly 400 students in November. … Continued
Too Cold to Play Outside Official Scavenger Hunt Official rules: To win this game, you must collect everything listed, without help from an adult. Some of these will be difficult, so use your smarts and imagination. You have lots of time, but don’t get distracted. You should check things off of this list as you … Continued
General / Book Recommendations
Do you know how some literature channels your perspective outward, forcing you to examine the world that you live in? It might challenge your assumptions about something outside of yourself and contribute to the way you view the world and your role in it. Other books force you to look inward and examine your own … Continued
CLiF is now accepting applications for our Year of the Book grant for the 2013-2014 school year. Our one-year partnership with elementary schools encourages students to read and write more often for enjoyment in school and at home. CLiF provides select elementary schools in New Hampshire and Vermont with more than $25,000 worth of children’s … Continued
As you have probably guessed by now, the CLiF staff is a small community of readers within itself. In our lives beyond children’s literature, we chat about the books we enjoy, circulate must-reads (oftentimes children’s literature), and recommend favorite titles to one another or for each other’s families. We have a vast array of interests … Continued
A few months ago, we decided we would ask our Facebook friends to become new CLiF donors. Our goal was to add 25 new donors at the $25 level or above. We also added an incentive: Our friends at Green Mountain Coffee had donated a new Keurig Single Cup Brewing System to CLiF, so we … Continued
My kids have been pressing me lately for an explanation. Some books have found their way into our home and my girls just LOVE them… and I don’t (to put it mildly). “Why, Mommy? Why don’t you like Barbie Princess Charm School?” “Why won’t you read the Rainbow Fairy book again?” “Why do you always … Continued
When I was a little girl sick days were a mixed bag of good and bad. First, you woke up feeling sick. That’s bad. Then you realized you might get a delicious day off from everyday life. And better yet, a day off alone! Your siblings would still have to go to school. Mmm, peace … Continued
I love a good bookstore. If I am visiting a town and I’ve heard about a cozy, quirky or otherwise interesting locally owned bookstore, you better believe I’m going to make some time to check it out. Luckily for me, I live in an area of Vermont that offers a plethora of bookstores to cater … Continued
I don’t like it when my house gets too quiet. As the mother of two little boys, silence makes red flags go up in a hurry. I have become quite talented in tuning out the everyday sounds of fights over whose truck is whose and whose turn it is to play with the fireman. I … Continued
2012 was a pretty good year. The year our girls learned to swim and to ski. The year our older daughter started kindergarten and became an “emergent reader.” Another year our old dog survived. We had some ups and downs, but mostly ups. Not too shabby. Of course, we can always improve. Onward and upward, … Continued
Jodi Wheeler is no doubt a local hero around Lyndonville, Vermont. In 2005, Jodi founded the H.O.P.E. Foundation to help address the most basic needs of her neighbors: clothing and food. H.O.P.E. operates a thrift store to provide low cost clothing, provides emergency food and operates a weekly backpack program for children in need. Jodi … Continued
General / Book Recommendations
A few months ago I tasked our readers with an important assignment: help me find books that I can read repeatedly without losing my sanity. For those of you who missed my first blog post, feel free to read it here. The gist of my request was that I now have a (just-about-in-only-one-week-where-did-the-time-go) two-year-old who has … Continued
Christmas cards! Wrapping! Cookies! And toys! Ornaments! Concerts! Family! And noise! Oh what a season to be someone’s mother Making some magic for your kids and others. The late nights of wrapping and shopping and baking Struggling in the dark morning hours of waking Wishing for peace, but racing instead Fending off “helpers” who won’t … Continued
(Thanks to Kat Colby for sending us this update about a recent book giveaway in Gilman, Vermont.) Tuesday, March 11 was a big day for Gilman Head Start in Gilman! In addition to a visit from local children’s author, David Martin, Head Start was awarded $2,000 worth of new hardcover books as part of Lunenburg-Gilman’s … Continued
Natalie Kinsey-Warnock, a children’s book author from Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom, has been visiting K-8 students at the Lunenburg Elementary School and Gilman Middle School since October to teach her Story Keepers humanities curriculum. Story Keepers is part of Lunenburg’s three-year Community Literacy grant from CLiF. Natalie’s books are often based on her own family stories. … Continued
Are you familiar with Patricia Polacco? I hope you are. I have been in love with her beautiful, funny, moving, and meaningful books for years. My all time favorite is The Bee Tree in which a little girl, with the help of her grandfather and some bees, learns that the “adventure, knowledge, and wisdom of … Continued
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