Articles tagged Life With Kids
Embarking for a recent family vacation, I knew that books would be an important ingredient for the first international trip with my nine-month-old daughter, Nora. Six flights and countless retellings of The Pout-Pout Fish later, I was grateful for the durability of the humble board book. What I didn’t count on, however, was that books … Continued
If you’re a parent and your child is perpetually on the move, I can relate. My methodical, industrious two year old has snapped into a new state of existence defined by loud, energetic gross motor skills. Our afternoons, once spent quietly lining up Matchbox cars, are now full of jumping, running, soccer, roaring, and all-around … Continued
Every year CLiF works with thousands of low-income, at-risk, and rural children from birth to age 12. And every year, without fail, our most challenging clients are the oldest boys.
Here’s a holiday tradition all of us at CLiF wholeheartedly endorse. A Book On Every Bed is a program developed by the advice columnist Amy Dickinson together with Ithaca, NY’s Family Reading Partnership (whose executive director, Brigid Hubberman, was the keynote speaker at CLiF’s 2013 Community Literacy conference). The idea — and the concept can be adjusted for … Continued
General / Book Recommendations
If you are a parent and… …your child is incessantly fighting a cold–and I mean incessantly–I can certainly empathize! Every week it’s a new sniffle, a different cough, or a virus you never knew existed. You watch the tissues creep to the top of the trash can, ready to cascade down and flood the bathroom. … Continued
There is something about the truly awesome body of children’s books that tempts people to try to separate the cream from the chum. It’s just irresistible. This week the New York Times noted two organizations that have recently published their lists of the 100 “best books” in children’s literature, the New York Public Library and … Continued
Can you imagine what it must feel like to be Superman and be able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, especially when the world needs you the most? The sheer joy of such a thing! To realize you have the talent and the strength to burst through the constraints of the physical world … Continued
When I was a kid there was a vacant field in the middle of our block. It was a place from which almost all of us could hear our mothers calling when it was time for dinner, but it was hidden away just enough that we could pretend we didn’t. The best times were when … Continued
Last week my husband and I walked our two girls down the street for their first day of school. There was a strong sense of community and celebration as our children paraded into the building. We have a great school with incredible teachers, programs, and families and we feel fortunate to be a part of … Continued
I am a mean parent. It’s true. And I had mean parents, for which I am eternally grateful. How mean am I? Mean enough to use the word NO in the face of adversity (begging, foot stomping, crying, and occasional tantrums), and mean enough to make demands of my children, even if they temporarily hate … Continued
Sometimes it can be tough to get new readers to read on their own. Many beginning reader books are too complicated, too simple, or just plain don’t make sense. To be fair, it is really difficult to write a good story and stick within the necessary parameters for new readers: simple vocabulary, understandable content, and … Continued
General / Book Recommendations
The amount of thunder showers we are getting this summer seems a might bit excessive, wouldn’t you say? At our house, we have already sung, “rain, rain, go away,” until we are blue in the face. Ah well, I guess, when life gives you thunder storms the best thing to do is to make thunder … Continued
1) If you fall asleep while reading you don’t miss anything. 2) It’s quiet. 3) You can do it ANYWHERE including places with no cell service, electricity, wifi, or satellite transmission. 4) It’s private, just you and the author linking minds and ideas. 5) It’s free with a library card, and sometimes … Continued
Nine months ago I sent my newly minted kindergartener off to school with a fresh set of markers, perfectly pointy crayons, a brand new clean lunchbox, and an excitement to be a part of something bigger, a community of kids with their own job and a place to do it. She was nervous and thrilled. And … Continued
General / Book Recommendations
With the promise of summer weather on the horizon, I’ve started to contemplate fun ways to bring our reading outdoors on warm, sunny days. Luckily with the world of Pinterest and creative blogs, I found a wealth of ideas for summer literacy activities. Unfortunately, children that don’t read and write during the summer months experience … Continued
Did you ever wonder what story your book collection tells about you? We recently had a This is Your Life experience when our basement flooded and our 22 year old son’s stashed belongings exploded into our living space. His high school bedroom had been in our basement, so he had bookshelves of titles – plus … Continued
CLiF has served over 350,000 children since 1998.
