Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, January 24, 2003 --- Family Literacy Day will be celebrated Monday, January 27 to raise awareness of the key role of families in helping children develop literacy skills and a love of learning.
Literacy skills are the foundation skills for lifelong learning. Family literacy refers to the ways families use reading, writing and numeracy in daily activities, such as reading a bedtime story, using a recipe, or making a shopping list.
Education Minister Chester Gillan stated that literacy begins in the home, and parents play a key role in helping children develop early literacy skills that last a lifetime. "Children learn from example. When they see family members reading and writing, they see that these are fun and valued activities. As a result, they are more likely to develop good literacy skills at an early age," he said. "Children also learn by doing. When they are involved in family literacy activities, they see that these skills are key to learning and that learning is fun."
A Carousel of Family Literacy Activities will be held for parents with their children Saturday, January 25 from noon to 4 p.m. at the Charlottetown Mall. At the carousel, families can watch or join in family literacy activities such as story telling, puppet shows, book draws, face painting and Storysack presentations. The event is sponsored by Frontier College Students for Literacy@UPEI, the Confederation Centre Children's Library and the PEI Literacy Alliance.
Volunteer celebrity readers will include Education Minister Chester Gillan, story nanny Mae Ames, police officer Gord McConnell, nurse Bertha MacNeill, and provincial librarian Allan Groen.
Some readers will use the Storysack model to bring their stories to life. Storysacks are a new concept in family literacy. Handmade by volunteers, the colourful cloth sacks contain a book and several toys and props which enrich the learning experience for both children and parents. Some of the Storysacks to be used at the carousel were made by volunteers at the Provincial Correctional Centre.
For more information on family literacy contact the Department of Education, Literacy Secretariat at 902 368 6286, or the PEI Literacy Alliance at 902 368 3620.