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’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
General / Presenter Profiles / CLiF Spotlight
CLiF’s Wednesday afternoon storytelling series is back! Join CLiF and one of our professional presenters Wednesdays at 1 p.m. EST from October 14 to November 18; register here. Watch the spring and summer presentations here. CLiF started these weekly sessions to: offer kids and parents a chance to take a break and share a story, … Continued
Since April, we’ve been offering a weekly virtual storytelling series for kids, featuring CLiF’s amazing storytellers, authors, and illustrators. Now, we’ll be offering a virtual book club for grown-ups, too! Many of the 68 Vermont and New Hampshire authors/storytellers we work with also write for adults. This will be an opportunity to dig into the … 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.
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:
General / Presenter Profiles / Education
CLiF would like to introduce or re-introduce you to Sarah Dillard of Fayston, VT. Sarah writes and illustrates picture books, graphic novels for new readers and early chapter books. See Sarah’s presentation here. Things to think about: Many of Sarah’s books celebrate the seasons and natural world. What other themes ties her books together? Where do … Continued
General / Book Recommendations
While 2020 seems to be intensely engaged in an active round of “Up Your Game,” there is some relatively good news coming out of the book publishing industry (Cue the bullhorns! Good news!). Namely, gatekeepers at publishing houses and those who are writing book reviews are starting to step aside and give voice to those … Continued
General / Presenter Profiles / CLiF Spotlight / Education
CLiF would like to introduce or re-introduce you to Jason Chin of South Burlington, VT. Jason writes and illustrates books about science and nature. He does two things in his books: he tells a story, and he teaches about science and nature. Learn more about how he does it! Watch Jason’s presentation here. Things to think … Continued
Image Source: Unsplash Now that fall is officially upon us, children have started the school year, but thanks to COVID-19, it looks a little different. Schools across the country have taken different approaches when it comes to re-opening. Some states have allowed their schools to re-open in person while others are doing solely virtual learning … Continued
Research / Literacy Activities / Education
Welcome to school year 2020-2021! CLiF continues to serve as a resource to deliver program ideas, grants, and research to help teachers, librarians, parents, early educators, and out-of-school-time providers succeed in these challenging and confusing times. We NEED your ideas for how to do that – your ideas will be used to offer new grants … Continued
General / If you're a parent and...
One thing we might share these days is, in general, a greater appreciation for homes and communities. While some might call for change (I want to paint my front door), the COVID era, and the overlapping social justice movements, has perhaps surfaced in many a love of certain local institutions, traditions, and groups. Maybe this … Continued
While the world’s gone digital, there are all kinds of videos of celebrities reading children’s books, at-home learning resources, and ten zillion articles on how to manage remote learning. We know; it’s overwhelming! Whether you’re trying to keep your remote learners focused at home or you’re a librarian or teacher brainstorming fun, interesting ways to … Continued
Many of the books available to children and teens don’t reflect the diverse backgrounds and experiences of today’s world. According to a 2018 study, 50% of characters in children’s books were white, only 10% were Black, 5% were Latinx, and only 1% were Native American. 27% featured main characters that were animals, significantly more than … Continued
Whether you’re an aspiring author or a prolific journal-er, you can always improve your writing. The most important thing, I tell my students at New Degree Press/Creator Institute, is developing good habits and a regular practice. Schedule writing time into your routine. Not everyone can find time to write every day, though that’s a great … Continued
General / Book Recommendations
At any given time, the CLiF library is filled with thousands of beautiful new books waiting to find eager young readers. We give away high-quality books for every reader’s level and interests. We do our best to offer a wide variety of diverse titles, both classics and new books and series. Here are some of … Continued
61% of low-income families have no children’s books at home.