Spring - 2016
Saturday, January 23rd, 11:00am - Noon
Cooking Experiments with Helen Labun
Cooking isn’t just about following a recipe and having it turn out “right.” There’s lots to explore with sensory perception, science, culture, history. . . in this workshop Helen Labun (author of Discovering Flavor) uses recently published cookbooks for kids to show possible learning activities involving food. Snacks will, of course, be provided. Very few items will be set on fire.
Saturday, February 6th, 11 am - Noon
Writing About Tough Topics for Kids - Author Panel
Panel with Kate Messner, Jo Knowles and Tamara Ellis Smith
Books and stories can be an important tool in helping kids cope with difficult situations. In this moderated panel, four authors speak about their experience writing about these tough topics - from natural disasters to the loss of loved ones - and the response from young readers.
Saturday, March 5th, 11am - Noon
Exploring the Boundaries of Genre
Students, and many adult readers as well, tend to think of non-fiction as objective truth and fantastical fiction as pure invention. In fact, the two have a lot in common. Exploring the boundaries between nonfiction and fiction can enrich Social Studies and Language Arts classrooms, as well as inspire great writing projects. Children’s writer and teacher Laura Williams McCaffrey and author/editor Tod Olson will talk about the ways in which non-fiction borrows from the tool kit of fiction and fantasy comments on the world we live in.
Friday, March 25th, 9:30 - 11:30 am
Exploring the Boundaries of Genre
Students, and many adult readers as well, tend to think of non-fiction as objective truth and fantastical fiction as pure invention. In fact, the two have a lot in common. Exploring the boundaries between nonfiction and fiction can enrich Social Studies and Language Arts classrooms, as well as inspire great writing projects. Children’s writer and teacher Laura Williams McCaffrey and author/editor Tod Olson will talk about the ways in which non-fiction borrows from the tool kit of fiction and fantasy comments on the world we live in.
Friday, March 25th, 9:30 - 11:30 am
The "You Don't Need To Win a Prize to be Great" Materials Review
In our fourth Materials Review, Meg Allison (U-32 Librarian & DCF Committee Member), Carrie Fitz & Jane Knight (DCF Committee Member) will take a break from talking about Dorothy Canfield Fisher books and talk instead about great books that didn’t make the list. Sometimes the perfect book for a young reader simply isn’t one that’s going to win a prize - so how do you find those overlooked books? The panelists will cover fiction and non-fiction titles for the middle grades, and also touch on how DCF books are selected. Event includes light refreshments, displays of new and upcoming books, and giveaways.
Saturday, April 9th 11:00 am - Noon
Poetry with VT Poet Laureate Chard DeNiord
Vermont’s new Poet Laureate Chard DeNiord has a goal of getting schools across Vermont engaged in poetry. He’s been involved in many poetry organizations, including the Next Stage Speaks initiative that he founded. He’ll speak about his experiences with Vermont students, in Vermont schools, and what opportunities there are for local teachers and librarians to bring poetry into their students' learning lives.
