Writing is an essential skill for children’s success in school and beyond. It helps kids express themselves and process their emotions, develop necessary communication and comprehension skills, and use their imaginations. It can also be a great way to tell family stories and connect to others in their communities.
CLiF’s $25,000 Year of the Book grant program awarded to 11 schools throughout New Hampshire and Vermont this school year (in addition to two small school Year of the Book pilot programs). The program brings authors and storytellers to school to get kids excited about reading and writing. In addition to storytelling, new books, and other literacy resources, the grant program also brings multi-day writing workshops to the schools to help kids develop and improve their writing skills, which they’ll need throughout their lives.
Author/genealogist Natalie Kinsey-Warnock brings her Storykeepers program to many Year of the Book schools. Over the course of six days she teachers kids about genealogy and uncovering and telling family stories. Natalie shares her own stories from growing up on a farm in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont and shows kids how to research and share stories. They then share their family stories with their community.
The Storykeepers program is visiting Gossler Park School in Manchester, NH and Highgate Elementary School in Highgate, VT this year. You can help make this program possible by making a gift to CLiF. This Giving Tuesday (November 30) – a day to give back during the holiday season – gifts will be matched up to a total of $10,000! That means your gift goes twice as far and provides low-income, at-risk, and rural kids in New Hampshire and Vermont with fun and engaging writing programs.
Due to disrupted education over the last three years, many kids are falling behind in writing skills, which will make school and professional opportunities more challenging. Low-income kids are at even greater risk of developing low literacy skills. Help combat this trend by donating to CLiF today. Be sure to note “Giving Tuesday” when you make your gift.
Some of the stories from past Storykeepers programs:
One day in Wolcott an amazing thing happened. There had been a circus in town involving elephants. These elephants had a very interesting day. The van was driving down the street when all of a sudden, it crashed! That means that all the elephants got loose in the small town of Wolcott. My uncle, Keith Stone, happened to attend high school in Wolcott when this happened. Imagine the chaos. It would be terrifying with huge elephants storming around! Glad no one got hurt.
My grandmother’s sister Lucy could not swim. So one hot summer day Rebecca and her brother Doug rowed out onto the lake from their camp. When they got to about the middle they threw Lucy overboard, and she did not sink or die. So that is the story of how they taught Lucy to swim.
Thank you for your help in making this happen!
