Watching your child develop language skills is definitely one of the great joys of parenting. My five year old is picking up big, grown-up words every day, and it is fun watching her figure out how to use them. But, as with any new skill your child obtains, there are definitely drawbacks. When they learn … Continued
Love is amazing for many, many reasons. One reason is that love is one of the very few things in life that you get more of when you give it away. Typically speaking, when you give away your cookies, you have fewer cookies. If you give away your time, you run out of time. But … Continued
Storytime at the library. It paints an enticing image: stylish stay-at-home mom, peppy grin, hip outfit, adorable bright-faced child, a healthy snack in her bag, a stack of books in her arm, and endless patience. She quietly enters, sits on the floor while her little one piles neatly into her lap, and they gaze cheerily … Continued
As the biased parent of this lovable Rottweiler-Malamute mix, I look at the picture above and coo. Sylvester, a certified therapy dog with Therapy Dogs of Vermont, has just started a new gig at the Stowe Free Library. To him, this seems like the easiest job in the world: He shows up, gets loads of pets, cuddles … Continued
General / Book Recommendations
In 1967 artist Leo Lionni wrote a beautiful book about a little mouse named Frederick. Instead of working like the other mice to gather food and straw for the long winter, Frederick sat quietly soaking up the rays of the sun. When the other mice asked Frederick why he did not work, he explained, I … Continued
This job of being a full time mom is pretty hectic. There is a lot of running around, picking up, dropping off, talking, listening, soothing, managing, feeding, etc., etc. So with all that going on what would you think would be the sweetest part of my day? Would you guess that it’s the first ten … Continued
On Monday, January 28, a few dozen students were running around the playground at Johnson Elementary School when they heard the sound of a loud engine approaching. Heads turned as a green-and-white stock car barreled down the street towards the playground, only to stop right outside the fence. Children ran over to see who it … Continued
Earlier this week, a manilla envelope packed with hand-written thank-you notes arrived at the CLiF office. They were all written by English Language Learner students at McLaughlin Middle School and Beech Street School, where CLiF presenters Duncan McDougall and Marty Kelley had given storytelling presentations and lead book giveaways for nearly 400 students in November. … Continued
Too Cold to Play Outside Official Scavenger Hunt Official rules: To win this game, you must collect everything listed, without help from an adult. Some of these will be difficult, so use your smarts and imagination. You have lots of time, but don’t get distracted. You should check things off of this list as you … Continued
General / Book Recommendations
Do you know how some literature channels your perspective outward, forcing you to examine the world that you live in? It might challenge your assumptions about something outside of yourself and contribute to the way you view the world and your role in it. Other books force you to look inward and examine your own … Continued
CLiF is now accepting applications for our Year of the Book grant for the 2013-2014 school year. Our one-year partnership with elementary schools encourages students to read and write more often for enjoyment in school and at home. CLiF provides select elementary schools in New Hampshire and Vermont with more than $25,000 worth of children’s … Continued
As you have probably guessed by now, the CLiF staff is a small community of readers within itself. In our lives beyond children’s literature, we chat about the books we enjoy, circulate must-reads (oftentimes children’s literature), and recommend favorite titles to one another or for each other’s families. We have a vast array of interests … Continued
A few months ago, we decided we would ask our Facebook friends to become new CLiF donors. Our goal was to add 25 new donors at the $25 level or above. We also added an incentive: Our friends at Green Mountain Coffee had donated a new Keurig Single Cup Brewing System to CLiF, so we … Continued
My kids have been pressing me lately for an explanation. Some books have found their way into our home and my girls just LOVE them… and I don’t (to put it mildly). “Why, Mommy? Why don’t you like Barbie Princess Charm School?” “Why won’t you read the Rainbow Fairy book again?” “Why do you always … Continued
When I was a little girl sick days were a mixed bag of good and bad. First, you woke up feeling sick. That’s bad. Then you realized you might get a delicious day off from everyday life. And better yet, a day off alone! Your siblings would still have to go to school. Mmm, peace … Continued
I love a good bookstore. If I am visiting a town and I’ve heard about a cozy, quirky or otherwise interesting locally owned bookstore, you better believe I’m going to make some time to check it out. Luckily for me, I live in an area of Vermont that offers a plethora of bookstores to cater … Continued
I don’t like it when my house gets too quiet. As the mother of two little boys, silence makes red flags go up in a hurry. I have become quite talented in tuning out the everyday sounds of fights over whose truck is whose and whose turn it is to play with the fireman. I … Continued
2012 was a pretty good year. The year our girls learned to swim and to ski. The year our older daughter started kindergarten and became an “emergent reader.” Another year our old dog survived. We had some ups and downs, but mostly ups. Not too shabby. Of course, we can always improve. Onward and upward, … Continued
CLiF has served over 350,000 children since 1998.