Families are invited to spend time together and engage in activities that get everyone reading this weekend.
For Family Literacy Day on Jan. 27, the Foothills, Literacy for Life is running its fourth annual bingo event through the Foothills area in partnership with the Okotoks Public Library, High River Library and Sheep River Public Library in Turner Valley.
Nicole Levesque, program co-ordinator for Literacy for Life, said bingo cards can be picked up at any of the three libraries, from Literacy for Life’s office in High River or at the Museum of the Highwood. Families have until the week after Family Day to complete their bingo cards and return them to a library, she said.
“It’s a bingo card where some of the squares are filled in with quick literacy activities or learning activities that families can do together to have fun and encourage thinking outside the box of what literacy and learning can look like, and just inspiring them to spend time together,” said Levesque.
At the end of the month-long game, families will receive one ticket in a draw for each literacy activity they’ve crossed off the card.
At each library, tickets will be drawn for prizes like tickets to Heritage Park, Calaway Park or Telus Spark, as well as board games, $50 pizza gift certificates, and passes to Kayben Farms and Big Rock Bouldering, she said.
Some activities on the card include popping some popcorn and playing a family board game together, building a fort out of blankets and reading a story inside, or going online to learn facts about Alberta or Literacy for Life’s Kindstone project, she said.
There are also six blank spaces on each card where families are able to come up with their own activities and write them in, she said.
It’s all about showing people that literacy is more than just books, she said.
“Our guiding compass at Literacy for Life is more of the essential skills, so that’s continuous learning, working together, numeracy, reading, writing, thinking skills, technology use,” said Levesque. “So, if they’re building a fort together, they’re probably working together, maybe problem-solving, and then even just thinking skills – like the chair isn’t big enough and they need to find something else.”
Lara Grunow, library program co-ordinator for the Okotoks Public Library, said the library is pleased to participate in the Family Literacy Day Bingo event again this year, in addition to its other offerings. On Jan. 27 the library will also host an Usborne Books sale, and the main celebration takes place Jan. 26.
“Throughout the day (Friday) – we’re open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. – people can come in and read their fines away,” said Grunow.
After registering in-person with Grunow, people can find a book in the library and find a place to read it. For every five minutes of reading, $1 will be taken off any overdue fines on their library accounts, she said.
In addition, there will be games, crafts, stories and snacks from Cobs from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., she said.
“It helps teach families that literacy doesn’t just mean reading a book, it can be grocery shopping and looking at the labels in the stores, it can mean counting – that’s why we have the games component – and the crafts, figuring out which colour is which, all of that improves people’s literacy,” said Grunow.
From 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., families are welcome to bring their own nut-free snacks to watch a screening of Cars 3.
The High River library will hold a book sale on Jan. 26-27.
