The Province of B.C. has proclaimed Jan. 20–27 as Family Literacy Week throughout the province. Decoda Literacy Solutions, with its partner organizations in communities across British Columbia, will be celebrating throughout the week with fun activities for families.
In this area, Bridging to Literacy will be offering a number of free, fun family events in Ashcroft, Cache Creek, and Spences Bridge. There will also be a province-wide online Family Literacy Week photo contest, with entries going into a prize draw.
The 2019 theme for Family Literacy Week is “Let’s Make It!”, which recognizes that when children have the time, tools, and materials to make things, they learn to solve problems, be creative, communicate, and much more.
“Making things can help build a range of skills, including literacy,” says Margaret Sutherland, Executive Director of Decoda Literacy Solutions, BC’s provincial literacy organization. “And when children make things with their parents and caregivers, families can have fun and learn together.”
Literacy skills are crucial to all British Columbians. Family literacy encompasses the ways parents, caregivers, children, and extended family members use literacy at home and in their community.
When children make things, they’re learning and having fun. Making is learning by doing, and is an active form of learning. It is an opportunity to develop skills, including literacy skills, and gain knowledge. Being engaged in a project that is meaningful to a child sets the stage for effective learning.
Families are encouraged to get out and have fun together at one of the local events going on during the week of Jan. 20:
Monday, Jan. 21: Let’s Make It! Craft Night at the Ashcroft HUB (4 to 6 p.m.). Come on out to the HUB and get creative!
Tuesday, Jan. 22: Let’s Make It! Craft Night at the Cache Creek Community Hall (5:30 to 7 p.m.).
Wednesday, Jan. 23: Lego Fun! at the Cache Creek Library (3:30 to 4:30 p.m.). Get creative with Lego!
Thursday, Jan. 24: Let’s Make It! Craft Night at the Cook’s Ferry Indian Band office in Spences Bridge (4 to 5:30 p.m.).
Friday, Jan. 25: Free public skating at the Drylands Arena in Ashcroft (6:45 to 8:30 p.m.). Thanks to the Village of Ashcroft.
Saturday, Jan. 26: Lego Fun! at the Ashcroft Library (1 to 2:30 p.m.).
Decoda will be running a province-wide Family Literacy Week photo contest throughout the week. Individuals, families, and programs are encouraged to take photos based on the “Let’s Make It!” theme and post them on social media or send them to contest@decoda.ca. Photos will be entered to win a Keva set donated by Science World or an Amazon gift card (individual entries), or a family literacy kit (program entries). Learn more at http://bit.ly/2SOWYi9.
Decoda has also created free “Let’s Make It!” activity sheets with ideas and activities for babies, toddlers, and preschoolers, which families and programs in B.C. communities can download and use. These are available at http://bit.ly/2RO5osZ.
To learn more about family literacy, go to www.decoda.ca.
editorial@accjournal.ca
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