Literacy Activities / Presenter Profiles / CLiF Spotlight / Education
CLiF’s Wednesday afternoon storytelling series will be back for the winter! Join CLiF and one of our professional presenters Wednesdays at 1 p.m. EST from January 6 to February 10; register here. Watch the spring, summer, and fall presentations here. CLiF started these weekly sessions to: offer kids and teachers or caregivers a chance to take a break and … Continued
CLiF Spotlight / How You Can Help / Education
An update to this post: Now that school is underway, CLiF is looking to rethink its Community Building Grant. We NEED your ideas! We will use them to formulate the components of this year’s Community Building grant. How CLiF can support teachers, parents, librarians, and administrators to succeed with literacy curriculum in a different and … Continued
The process of writing begins before you actually put pen to paper (or words on a screen). Many people find “pre-writing” helpful, notes or an outline to help guide their writing. Some prefer to just jump in and start writing and see what happens. There’s no “right” way to go about writing. Some kids are … Continued
Year of the Book / CLiF Spotlight
Enosburg Falls Elementary School in Enosburg Falls, VT has had a busy school year so far. In September, they kicked off their CLiF Year of the Book with storytelling by Duncan McDougall, their first book giveaway where kids chose new books for themselves, and a family literacy event featuring author David Martin and two more … Continued
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
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
As a writer, I fail. A lot. Since January, I’ve submitted 116 times and gotten 69 rejections. But I’ve also gotten five acceptances, including winning Noir Nation’s Golden Fedora fiction prize, told extremely personal and difficult stories in HuffPost and OC87 Recovery Diaries, and got an Honorable Mention from Glimmer Train. In short, I’m doing … Continued
General / Book Recommendations
Getting your kid tucked into bed without any fuss can be an uphill battle some nights, and getting them to stay asleep can be even more of a struggle. If you want to make bedtime run a little smoother, try incorporating a nighttime routine into your regular evening schedule to help your child wind down … Continued
According to studies, children who work out are more likely to do well in their studies. Read on to learn how exercise can benefit your child, both physically and mentally, and how you can encourage your child to exercise. Boost Your Child’s Concentration with Exercise At school, every day, kids are dealing with a number … Continued
Front Porch Forum doesn’t just help you find your lost dog or that bunk bed you desperately need for your kids. In my case, it found me a summer internship.
One of our popular presenters is author/illustrator Marty Kelley, who has written or illustrated books such as Almost Everybody Farts, Summer Stinks, and A Cape! We asked him what inspires his work.
The question is not really what is writing, but what is good writing.
It often goes back to reading. Children and teens who read the most tend to become more successful in school than those who do not.
CLiF would like to introduce or re-introduce you to Linda Urban of Montpelier, VT. Linda wrote: “In my books, I write about the small things that matter in a big way.” She writes picture, early chapter, and middle grade books. Register to meet Linda on THURSDAY, January 21, at 1pm. Things to think about: What kind of … Continued
Research / Literacy Activities / Education
2021 begins with new challenges but with a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel. The research and ideas presented here hopefully help you on days of feeling overwhelmed (turn on our live and recorded author presentations) and of enthusiasm (initiate a new literacy activity). FOR EVERYONE National Day of Service on Monday, … Continued
General / Presenter Profiles / CLiF Spotlight / Education
CLiF would like to introduce or re-introduce you to Steve Swinburne of South Londonderry, VT. Steve is a life-long naturalist and explorer of wild places. “As an author, I love writing about wildlife and this amazing and beautiful planet we share. As a guitar and ukulele player, I love connecting music and nature.” Watch his intro video! … Continued
When: Friday, February 12, 2021 at 7:00 p.m. EST Sign up to get the Zoom link here. At the Children’s Literacy Foundation (CLiF), our mission is to inspire a love of reading and writing among low-income, at-risk, and rural kids (ages 12 and under) in New Hampshire and Vermont. We bring local authors, illustrators, and … Continued
General / Presenter Profiles / CLiF Spotlight / Education
CLiF would like to introduce or re-introduce you to Marek Bennett of Henniker, NH. Marek – a comic, musician, and educator – creates comic books based on primary sources and real experiences and places. Marek’s work ranges from his newest book – Sharjah Sketchbook about art, education, immigration & more in the Middle East – to the Freeman Colby … Continued
It should come as no surprise that the CLiF team loves to read. After all, we spend our days sharing that love with low-income, at-risk, and rural kids in the region. Here were our favorite books we read in 2020: Duncan I’m a big fan of the Master and Commander series by Patrick O’Brien. When he heard … Continued
Kids need books. Access to books is the number one way to ensure kids develop strong literacy skills, which are crucial to their future success. Books help develop empathy, vocabulary, and comprehension. They also provide a positive escape for many children from the challenges in their lives. They can be a connection to a larger … Continued
CLiF Note: Susan Elliot and our friends at P.E.O. International recently gave a presentation on CLiF’s work to their group and collected new books and donations for low-income, at-risk, and rural kids. Consider giving or hosting a CLiF team member to give a short presentation what CLiF makes possible for kids to your club or … Continued
You did it! You helped us raise $17,363 for new books for children with incarcerated parents on Giving Tuesday! You made this our most successful Giving Tuesday ever! Thanks to our generous friends, Rick and Linda Roesch, who matched all donations up to $5,000. Hundreds of children will receive new books from their incarcerated parents … Continued
This week, we give thanks for the things that make us grateful, and that’s you! All of us at CLiF appreciate the support our friends give us, which allows us to give thousands of low-income, at-risk, and rural kids each year memorable literacy programming and new books! The kids we serve appreciate your support, too. … Continued
General / Presenter Profiles / CLiF Spotlight
CLiF would like to introduce or re-introduce you to Chris Tebbetts of Hinesburg, VT. His books include co-authoring the Stranded, Middle School, and Viking series, and author of two YA books. CLiF created the outline below to help students of all ages think about his books and interests. Watch his presentation here. Things to think … Continued
Research / Literacy Activities / General / Education
As we settle in for the long haul of winter, CLiF offers some inspiration for easy, low-budget programming and guidance for connecting during these challenging times. Don’t forget to join us for our Virtual Author Series – all of the recorded presentations are available here for free! The image above was taken when Jason Chin … Continued
General / Presenter Profiles / Education
CLiF would like to introduce or re-introduce you to J.L. McCreedy of Gorham, NH. She is the author of the Liberty Frye series and The Orphan of Torundi, fantasy books for middle grade readers. CLiF created the outline below to help students of all ages think about her books and interests. See her presentation here. Things … Continued
If you’ve ever had to Google “how can I write my essay,” you’d agree that learning the essential aspects of language (writing and reading) can be exhausting. For children, it can be a long, boring journey that they don’t want to be a part of. It’s not even any less exhausting for parents and teachers. … Continued
General / Presenter Profiles / CLiF Spotlight
CLiF would like to introduce or re-introduce you to Rebeccca Rupp of Swanton, VT. She is the author of some 200 articles for national magazines, on topics ranging from the natural history of squirrels to the archaeology of privies, and nearly 20 books for both children and adults. She blogs on food science and history for National … Continued
Presenter Profiles / CLiF Spotlight / Education
CLiF would like to introduce or re-introduce you to Geof Hewitt of Calais, VT. Geof is the author of four poetry volumes and the Poetry Slam Laureate of Vermont. He also plays the nose flute (see photo). CLiF created the outline below to help students of all ages think about his poems and poetry. Watch Geof’s … Continued
We’ve been busier than ever since the COVID-19 pandemic hit! Check out what we’ve been up to in the press:
CLiF’s virtual Book Club for Grown-ups series continues! In Book Club, CLiF’s award-winning presenters share their work and answer your questions. You can find the full October discussion with author Sarah Stewart Taylor of The Mountains Wild here (skip the first 10 mins, which is just chatting and set-up). In November, we’ll be talking poetry … Continued
61% of low-income families have no children’s books at home.