January is all about creating new habits and this year’s Family Literacy Week encourages families to get into the habit of reading and hopefully catch the reading bug!
“Let’s Read Together” is the theme this year for this annual Canada-wide event. At the Bowen Library from Jan. 28 to Feb. 2, we’ve got activities to help you and your family engage with words and sounds together.
Book Bingo is a great way to get reading together. Individual readers or families can fill in a row by completing reading tasks like “read three poems,” “read aloud to a stuffed toy or pet,” or “draw a picture about a book you read.” With reading tasks geared to all ages of readers, including pre-readers and their families, participants fill in a line of reading tasks on the Bingo sheet and hand it in to the library before Sunday, Feb. 2 at 4 p.m. Grab a sheet at the library or find one on our website to print at home. You can even drop it through our book drop slot when you’re finished. We’ll have a draw the following week—players have a chance to win a $50 gift certificate to Phoenix on Bowen.
You can also drop in and be a kids’ section detective to learn about the library, the types of books in our children’s collection and how they are organized, through exploring, reading, and games.
This is a drop-in program for young readers (ages 5 and up) and their caregivers, happening on Thursday, Jan. 30, at 3 p.m. and Saturday, Feb. 1, at 11:30 a.m.
Adults are invited to drop in to learn about the online, narrated and animated children’s books collection called TumbleBooks on Thursday at 4:30 p.m. in the Flex Room. This collection is free to library card-holders and is a great resource for young readers, their parents and homeschoolers.
Literacy isn’t only about books, however, and our musical literacy event is sure to be a big “hit” (percussion joke there). Family Jam! Making Music Together with Shasta and Brian, on Saturday, Feb. 1 at 2 p.m. in the Library Annex will be a fantastically fun time, as Shasta Martinuk and Brian Hoover bring their music education expertise and percussion instruments to share, show, and play with. Instruments in hand, children and their caregivers will join in guided rhythm games, call and response, playing with volume and more. It might get loud, however, so consider bringing ear protection for sensitive ears. This is a free, drop-in program, which will run about 45 min.
Meanwhile, enjoy our set-up of games and literacy activities in the annex, available for drop-in enjoyment by all library users during Family Literacy Week. Scrabble, Snakes & Ladders, puzzles, matching games, crosswords and more await patrons looking for a cozy activity. We also have literacy resources printed out for parents to take home available in the kids’ section. They have with ideas on how to engage soon-to-be-readers from birth to five years old.
So don’t miss out on these final few days of Family Literacy Week, there is lots going on! The Bowen Library thanks the Literacy Task Group for funding this week of programs for the community.
