Summer Fun with Reading and Writing
You know how important it is to make sure your kids keep learning during the summer months.
What’s New
If You’re a Parent And…You Have A Special Summer Place
My family has been spending summers in the 1000 Islands in the St. Lawrence River since I was a child. As I have aged and introduced my own daughter to island living, it has become clearer to me how this place has influenced my life decisions, sense of friendship, love of the outdoors, and appreciation … Continued
Play Ball! A Night Out at the Ballpark with CLiF
On Sunday, July 8, CLiF’s staff gave away hundreds of children’s books to kids at the Vermont Lake Monsters game in Burlington. CLiF tries to get out in the communities we serve to let folks know what we’re up to in their area and to put books in the hands of even more kids. Several … Continued
1 Day, 6 Presenters, 9 events: Are You Ready for Summer Readers?
CLiF is taking on summer 2018 with our Summer Readers program. Summer Readers brings storytelling presentations and book giveaways to libraries, schools, camps, and more sites all across New Hampshire and Vermont. Watch this video to get a taste of CLiF’s Summer Readers program. This summer CLiF hopes to serve over 9,000 children and give … Continued
Bookmaking for Kids and Adults
In March, I traveled to Nicaragua with one of Planting Hope‘s multigenerational trips. Over the past eighteen years, this small NGO has been using volunteers to help bolster the schools and libraries in and around San Ramon. Our group of about 20 people, ranging in age from 9 to 79-ish, visited a different school or … Continued
One of Our Own: Middlesex, Vermont Author Katy Farber
I met Katy Farber around the time her first book for kids, The Order of the Trees, was published by Green Writers Press in 2015. Katy has a smile that reaches deep into her sparkly eyes. These are the kind of eyes that give her away as a curious educator and writer for children. I … Continued
5 Ways Reading Can Prevent Loneliness
Americans are lonely. The rate of people feeling misunderstood and not heard is at an all-time high. In fact, a study that was conducted by Cigna in May 2018 showed that nearly half of the 20,000 Americans surveyed feel alone or left out. In order to break away from the pattern of loneliness, people … Continued
Reading Activities and Games for All Ages
There are many learning games and activities that will not only help your child or teen to become more successful in school, but will also be fun to play.
nErDcampVT
On Sunday May 20, about 100 librarians, teachers, authors, educators gathered at Burlington High School for Vermont’s first nErDcampVT. The name says it all, and as attendees and organizers acknowledged, only true book nerds would give up a Sunday in May to talk about books, reading, and how to make more kids love both! The … Continued
Rock ‘n’ Read at your Library this Summer!
As the school year comes to a close and life begins to slow down a bit for some, public libraries everywhere are gearing up for their busiest time of the year: the summer reading program.
Inclusive New Reads
As we lean into the warmth of the changing seasons, I am excited to share some important new picture books on shelves now, or arriving very soon. These books are for the kids on the margins, and also for the rest of us learning how to be their best allies. The messages conveyed in these … Continued
CLiF’s Community Literacy Conference
Annually, CLiF invites past, present, and recently-accepted Year of the Book partners to attend the CLiF Community Literacy Conference. The main goal of the conference is to connect teachers, librarians, and administrators with ideas for making their Year of the Book fun and for continuing the momentum the grant generates. This year’s conference agenda included sessions on diversity … Continued
Building Books in Real Time
Hello out there gang….. I’m excited to have you all join me one way or another. I’ve built my last 2 books with my own readers, yup, in “real time,” too. What I mean by that is teachers and students have been following me on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter when I’m out in the field … Continued
The Power of Poetry
April is National Poetry Month, a time to celebrate poetry in all its forms. Many schools and programs take advantage of this month to launch poetry units and special events. Towns such as Montpelier, VT celebrate with Poem City, a city-wide initiative that posts poetry all over public spaces and celebrates poets with readings and … Continued
Spend April 19, 2018 with CLiF
How will you spend April 19, 2018? Maybe you will celebrate National Bicycle Day (we wish we could!), National D.A.R.E Day, or National Garlic Day. At CLiF, we will celebrate a big day of bringing kids together with books, community, authors/illustrators/storytellers, and having fun in school, the library, or at another favorite out-of-school-time place. So, … Continued
Encourage Your Child to Develop New Hobbies
Do we know what our children are extraordinary at, other than their academic curricula? That is where we, as parents, need to excel.
A Reading Specialist’s Tips: How to Help Kids with Writing
Successful writers understand the difference between strong and weak writing, and use that knowledge to create stronger drafts.
If You’re a Parent…With an Aspiring Reporter
Good news for my fourth grade daughter – for the latest semester of school, she has been appointed a member of the school’s “Awesome Reporters.” This group of students picks topics of interest to them and the student body and puts together articles with photos that are posted in school and sent to the local … Continued