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Government recognizes family literacy
The Province of B.C. is officially proclaiming January 22-29 as Family Literacy Week (#FamilyLiteracyWeek).
Coordinated by Decoda Literacy Solutions, literacy groups in 400 communities across British Columbia will celebrate the week by offering fun activities to involve children and families in learning together. The theme for 2017, āTune into Music: Listen! Make! Move!ā raises awareness about how engaging in music can benefit children and improve their language, thinking skills, physical coordination and social-emotional skills.
Literacy skills are crucial to all British Columbians ā especially children. Family literacy encompasses the ways parents, children and extended family members use literacy at home and in their community. Informal music experiences are accessible to most families and offer numerous benefits.
Research shows that children who get an early start:
Are better prepared to enter school;
Do better on reading achievement tests;
Are more likely to pursue higher education;
Lead healthier lives.
Parents are their childās first and often most influential teacher. Many parents are not aware of their impacts on their childās leaning. Family Literacy Week celebrates this relationship and important time when the roots of literacy and learning are being established.
The libraries in Sparwood and Fernie will be celebrating Family Literacy Day with events throughout the day. Included in the Sparwood Public Library festivities will be special guest Fire Chief Dean during a ābook-nicā storytime.
The Columbia Basin Alliance for Literacy (CBAL) provides this outreach throughout the Columbia Basin and boundary area and will be supporting the libraries in Elkford, Sparwood, and Fernie by providing āTuning into Musicā activity handouts for their community. These handouts are full of music based, fun literacy activity ideas for 0-5 year olds. Activity suggestions vary from singing to your baby, to dancing with your toddler, to making instruments with your preschooler.
Decoda is running a social media photo contest that encourages families and literacy programs across BC to participate in music-based activities, and post their photos to Decodaās Twitter, Facebook or Instagram feed. There will be two prizes, a $100 gift card from Amazon.ca and a Family Literacy Gift Pack, one for the photo that raises the most awareness through the number of ālikesā received and the other for a random draw.
Columbia Basin Alliance for Literacy ā Elk Valley