Articles by Meredith Scott
On Friday September 18, CLiF welcomed 102 librarians from 40 New Hampshire towns and 40 Vermont towns to celebrate the back-to-school season at the CLiF Rural Libraries Conference. We asked nine panelists to share their knowledge and lead open question and answer sessions on the topics of Expanding Your Collection, Connecting with Younger Patrons, and … Continued
My seven-year-old daughter recently attended a two-hour day camp with a River Wildlife theme for a week. Wildlife on The River – the St. Lawrence River – includes fish, osprey, frogs, otters, and herons (the five themes for five camp days). So I was perplexed when I picked her up on frog day, and she showed … Continued
I came home from my term abroad with rolls and rolls of undeveloped film. The excitement of seeing the real photos months later inspired me to document my adventures in scrapbooks. I very rarely looked at the books again…until my daughter’s increasing reading habit prompted the albums’ resurgence (for better or worse). Two books triggered her interest in my … Continued
General / Book Recommendations / If you're a parent and...
In February, my family took my six-year-old to a Friend-a-Versary at the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art. For the younger set, this is a dream come true – a day of face painting, tattoos, open spaces with kids running everywhere, a visit with Elephant and Piggie and free E&P books (donated by CLiF partners … Continued
In preparation for an upcoming CLiF presenter gathering, I stocked up on their books for vacation reading. My six year old and I particularly loved The Tapir Scientist by Sy Montgomery. My daughter truly loves animal facts (thank you Wild Kratts), and this in-depth look at the animals and the research process lit a spark. She … Continued
My daughter chose Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle’s Farm from the school’s free book bin. Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle takes to her farm children whose behavior overwhelms their parents and cures them of their bad habits with magic and hard work. When I first read the book, I thought not too highly of the parents, but in light of a having six year old … Continued
General / Book Recommendations / If you're a parent and...
My six-year-old daughter loves Sesame Street. I dread the day she feels too mature for the silly muppets with their quirky personalities, multicultural community, easy jokes, and advanced vocabularies. Watching it with her brings back many innocent childhood memories, and I love sharing that with her. Over the years, she has received countless Sesame Street books. We … Continued
General / If you're a parent and...
At the last Scholastic Book Fair, my daughter coveted a hot pink cat diary. She bought it with her own money. She amazes me by diligently filling in her schedule on the calendar and filling in her “contacts” in the address book. It did backfire when we wanted to change a family movie night that … Continued
General / If you're a parent and...
I went to the Vermont AfterSchool Conference on October 24 where I was inspired by the variety of programming available for out-of-school-time programs. Surprisingly, I was even more inspired by the keynote speakers. The conference kicked off with Rebecca Holcombe, Vermont Agency of Education Director, sharing her four key values: show passion, create partnerships, be innovative, … Continued
General / If you're a parent and...
Sarah Stewart Taylor, a CLiF presenter and author, interviewed CLiF’s founder and executive director Duncan McDougall for a recent parenting piece. Sarah summarizes the aspects of reading supported by our programs – relaxing and enjoying the moment, modeling by reading yourself, repeating books, and letting kids choose. I know this is true, and I feel like … Continued
General / If you're a parent and...
Countless studies analyze to what extent kids take their cues on how to react and how to behave from their parents. A devotee of the PBSKids show Wild Kratts, my six-year-old has absorbed an astonishing amount of animal facts. When she calmly and with interest told me there was a snake on the swimming ladder, … Continued
General / If you're a parent and...
New research from Harvard’s Making Caring Common Project offers suggestions on how to raise kind children. I read this with interest because recently, in a deep conversation about our strengths and weaknesses as parents, I shared with a friend that my biggest hope for my child is she be kind. As parents of only children, these hopes are … Continued
General / If you're a parent and...
Happy July 4th! This holiday inspires me to read books about American history: presidents, symbols, battles, trivia, monuments, houses – there are some great stories! Tomorrow we’ll wrap up a day of parades, candy, fireworks, barbecues, and swimming with two of my daughter’s favorite books: Looking At Lincoln and So You Want to Be President. She read one … Continued
General / If you're a parent and...
Today is the last day of school – let summer vacation begin! Planning child care, camps, vacations, work obligations, and family visits has been a three month process. And we all know that despite these best-laid plans, our carefully structured calendar will be rocked by the unforeseeable – beach days interrupted by afternoon thunderstorms or … Continued
General / Book Recommendations / If you're a parent and...
I love a good story. But making them up on the spot doesn’t come naturally to me. I dread when my child asks “tell me a story.” She usually asks when I feel least creative – driving to school, waiting in the doctor’s office, or sitting in her bed in the middle of the night after … Continued
General / If you're a parent and...
A very talented friend of mine designs modern family trees, and when I had my child, I decided to get her one. This turned into a much bigger project than I expected. I was so thankful that family members have been collecting my family’s and my husband’s lineage. I love the design and the history in … Continued
Probably most adults could not coherently discuss the differences between the 1840 and 1860 census how a daguerreotype differs from a tintype or the repercussions of the 1890 census being destroyed in a Department of Commerce fire. But the children of Island Pond and Lowell, Vermont can. Funded in part by CLiF Year of the … Continued
Photo Credit My only child celebrated her 100th day of kindergarten in February. As a parent new to public school, I was surprised that this is a milestone…and reminded that I have a lot to learn! Being new to CLiF, I have even more appreciation for how inventive schools, teachers, and parents are in designing … Continued
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