My favorite part of CLiF events is always helping kids choose their own books to take home. But the CLiF event I went to last week was a little different. There were no kids. It wasn’t in a school, daycare center, or library. We were in the New Hampshire State Prison for Men in Concord … Continued
The old adage goes “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.” The same is true of reading and writing. Give a child a book and they might be entertained for a few hours, especially if that child had the chance … Continued
We recently celebrated the arrival of my niece – the only other child on my side of our family! This lucky baby girl has a fabulous library, given to her by friends of my brother and his wife, a group of writers, publishers, teachers, and book lovers. CLiF often sites research that proves that kids … Continued
Reading specialists want parents to prepare their children for school by sharing a love for reading, the attitude that reading is important, and the expectation that all children can become successful readers.
Williamstown Elementary School students giggled and shouted “Ewwwww!” as author/illustrator Jason Chin told them about salty iguana snot. Behind him a slideshow showed photographs of the salty, snotty creatures sunbathing in the Galapagos Islands, images from his research trip there for his children’s book Island: A Story of the Galapagos. Then, laughter erupted as he told … Continued
This week I returned to the CLiF office after an inspiring, invigorating, and exhausting ten-day residency at the Bennington Writing Seminars. This was the first of five residencies I will participate in during a two-year pursuit of a Master’s degree in Fiction from Bennington College. BWS is a low-residency MFA program that combines intensive on-campus … Continued
I received a letter – a handwritten card with the inside and back filled with news. It is a bit sad that this is such a remarkable event. We received lots of holiday cards, but they were either picture cards or typed and copied updates. I wish we all had more time for this personal and … Continued
You are your child’s first teacher, and your challenge is to help your child become a successful reader.
It’s probably no surprise that the CLiF Staff loves to read. After all, our mission is to share our love of reading and writing with low-income, at-risk, and rural kids in Vermont and New Hampshire. So of course, we read a lot. We read with our kids; we read by ourselves; and sometimes, we read … Continued
While children all over the world have been sending Santa their wish lists, two young CLiF donors had another idea. They decided to put Santa to work for a cause they cared about. The Patchett-Walsh grandchildren chose to raise money for the Children’s Literacy Foundation (CLiF) by making the beautiful Santas you see above and selling them … Continued
There is a four-year-old girl who comes to the library every week with her mother and older sister.
On a recent trip to Boston, my husband asked me, “Do you think going to the aquarium as an adult would be as fun as I remember it? Or is going to ruin it?” The undeniable answer: No matter how old you are, aquariums are still cool. And I’m pretty sure we weren’t the only … Continued
Image Source: Transition Town Totnes Storytelling is a great opportunity to widen a child’s imagination. In this article, we share with you 7 unique activities to make the experience a lot more fun. Children develop their imagination at a very young age, and through activities like storytelling, you can help your child develop his/her … Continued
I am writing this from my lovely little bubble of Bear Pond Books. I think we can all agree it’s been a busy, distracting fall. I know that my book reading time has taken a precipitous fall because of it. Time to dip back into the well of imagination, inspiration and contemplation. For our kids, reading … Continued
Looking for some holiday book gifts for your class, program, or out-of-school-time group? Read more about CLiF’s holiday book giveaway contest! The book giveaway is a key component of all CLiF programs. Research proves that if kids can chose their own book, then they will be more likely to read it. CLiF has some titles earmarked for giveaways … Continued
I don’t want to talk about politics. You don’t want to talk about politics. But let’s talk about how we talk to kids about politics. Because they’re paying attention, and if we don’t help them frame what they’re hearing in context, they’ll fill in their own blanks. Just because they won’t be eligible to vote … Continued
My brother James Scott, author of The Kept and creator of TK Podcast, wrote the most lovely piece about our mom as part of the Dedicate Your No-Trump Vote. From the Dedicate Your No-Trump Vote website: “Acclaimed novelist, Julianna Baggott, wrote a simple Facebook post, dedicating her No Trump Vote…Within days, it had been shared over 1100 times… The … Continued
Last week at Russell Elementary School in Rumney, NH, professional storyteller Simon Brooks captivated kindergarteners through eighth graders with a hilarious Halloween tale about a trick-or-treater and the cursed black bubblegum (that’s him telling stories at RES above). Students of all ages squealed and giggled and were completely enraptured in Simon’s scary voices and pantomiming … Continued
CLiF has served over 350,000 children since 1998.