Each January, families, schools, libraries, and communities across B.C. come together to celebrate Family Literacy Week, a time to recognize the power of reading and other literacy activities that families can enjoy together.
This year’s Family Literacy Week theme is “Make mealtime family learning time.”
This can be through talking about and trying new foods, counting and noticing the colour and shape of foods, shopping for meal ingredients with children, reading a recipe while preparing a meal, or planting seeds and growing foods that can be harvested and enjoyed together.
It is amazing the amount learning that occurs naturally in everyday family activities and routines.
At Maple Ridge Public Library, we celebrate Family Literacy Week with our annual Winter Fun Fair, which will be held on Saturday, Jan. 31, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
We’ll have dance performances by Showstoppers Academy and Dunvegan Highland Dance Academy, as well as facepainting and popcorn for all to enjoy.
A special treat for Star Wars and Disney fans: This year, we’re thrilled to welcome Star Wars Troopers from the 501st Legion and Disney Princess Belle, who will be walking around the event to interact with kids and pose for photos.
Twenty-three community organizations will also join us, each offering fun, hands-on activities and crafts designed to build literacy skills in areas such as reading and numeracy, as well as physical, health and financial literacy. Basically all the skills we develop in childhood that help us through life.
For those interested in even more literacy-related fun, Fraser Valley Regional Library is hosting a special Family Literacy Day contest throughout January. Enter in person at your local library or online at fvrl.bc.ca, for a chance to win a beautiful cookbook.
Family Literacy Week is a wonderful reminder of how everyday activities, from cooking to reading, can foster learning in fun and engaging ways.
The Winter Fun Fair offers families a chance to explore these opportunities through interactive activities, performances, and special guests, all while celebrating the importance of literacy in our lives.
For more information about these and other Fraser Valley Regional Library programs and services, visit your local branch or check out www.fvrl.bc.ca.
– Liza Morris is a community librarian/supervisor at Maple Ridge Public Library