CLiF staff and presenters are saddened that COVID-19 means we can not visit schools, libraries, and out-of-school-time programs to complete our exciting grants. Instead, we offer your students the chance to interact live with our presenters from home. For five weeks starting May 5, each Tuesday at 3:00 p.m. EST, we will have an opportunity … Continued
General / Presenter Profiles / CLiF Spotlight
CLiF would like to introduce or re-introduce you to Matt Forrest Esenwine of Warner, NH. Matt has three new books (WOW!) coming out in 2020. CLiF created the outline below to help students of all ages think about his poems and poetry. Matt writes stories in verse and poems. Can you think of some books written to … Continued
General / Presenter Profiles / CLiF Spotlight
CLiF would like to introduce or re-introduce you to John and Jennifer Churchman of Moonrise Farm in Essex, VT, where they live with the now-famous Sweet Pea and Friends. CLiF created the outline below to help students of all ages think about the kind of books the Churchmans create. The Churchmans are busy people with … Continued
General / Presenter Profiles / CLiF Spotlight
CLiF would like to introduce or re-introduce you to Simon Brooks of New London, NH, originally from England. Simon has shared his stories with LOTS of children in Vermont and New Hampshire through CLiF. CLiF is offering a unique opportunity to join Simon for storytelling and questions and answers via Zoom on May 12. CLiF … Continued
General / Book Recommendations
For us book-lovers, books are more than just a pastime; they’re part of us. The books we read in our early years in particular had an impact on our ways of thinking and viewing the world. They taught us what we know, gave us an escape from whatever was happening in our young lives, and … Continued
CLiF’s wonderful roster of authors/illustrators/comics/storytellers have created content to use until CLiF can get them safely back to in-person presentations. We will keep it updated! Marek Bennett:– Comics at home and beyond– Comics Workshop “HOW TO” videos– “How to Draw Freeman Colby“– Marek’s new book – Sharjah Sketchbook about art, education, immigration & more in … Continued
Lists, resources, activities, guidance abound in this time of supporting kids learning at home. According to Room to Read, the recent data published by UNESCO, 102 countries have closed primary through secondary schools nationwide. This represents more than 849.4 million primary and secondary students enrolled in those closed schools. Additionally, 11 countries have localized school … Continued
This is a tough time for us all, and many parents are struggling with what to do with their energetic kids when they’re home from school. It’s kind of like summer without all the activities to keep them entertained. We’ve got some great ideas to keep their minds engaged, stretch their imaginations, and sharpen those … Continued
Do you remember the first book you read all by yourself? My earliest memories of reading were making up my own Beatrix Potter stories about animals, our thick cloth-bound volume of her collected stories (passed down through generations) on my lap, flipping pages randomly, sometimes in the wrong order. It was those stories, which I … Continued
For young children, school can be stressful in more ways than one. Whether they are coping with making friends, handling difficult lectures, or gaining acceptance from teachers, these problems can affect them. Any type of challenge can cause them stress. It is important that stress is detected and dealt with before it starts to cause … Continued
Every once in a while an unforgettable little moment unexpectedly unfolds and, in a few short seconds, encapsulates the power of CLiF’s work. Here is one… For the past two years CLiF has been working with families affected by the opioid crisis. Recently, I had the pleasure of speaking to a group of young mothers … Continued
I have a Friday morning routine. I get up, pour a cup of coffee that my husband has left for me, and sit down at my computer. I open the Google doc to see my student’s (let’s call them “E.”) most recent progress on their novel (they usually make changes by Thursday, so I can … Continued
“Our students come from poverty and trauma so we try to offer experiences that enrich their lives and this grant seems a perfect way to expand our offerings. We would benefit by having the opportunity to involve our students in activities that expose them to the wide array of reading experiences through books and authors. … Continued
Children love creating things probably as much as they love ruining them afterward. But when it comes to art, there are some ways you can motivate your child to be more creative with what they make. Here are ten children’s books to inspire creativity. #1 Looking at Pictures by Susan Woodford If you want your … Continued
There are few pleasures as satisfying on a wintry New England day as cuddling up with your child and a good book. Sharing this pleasure with children gives them access to the worlds that can open up before them. While fierce, icy winds blow outside, they’ll enjoy reading about a sandy beach or some other … Continued
As the year winds down and we prepare to celebrate the arrival of 2020, we took a look back at what we accomplished this year (spoiler alert: It’s a lot!). In 2019, CLiF held roughly 900 literacy events – including storytelling/author visits, family literacy dinners, writing workshops, field trips, and book giveaways – with attendance … Continued
At CLiF, we’re all about inspiring and celebrating a love of reading and writing, so it should come as no surprise that the CLiF team and families love to read! If you have the time to pick up a book this holiday season, here are a few of our favorites that we read in 2019. … Continued
When you want your child to learn something new, the most important thing is to show him that the learning process will be interesting and engaging. Forcing your child to write and driving him into a rigid framework can result in a lack of interest/engagement in writing. For a preschool child, these are all abstractions … Continued
CLiF has served over 350,000 children since 1998.