Margaret Sanou
Mount Elizabeth Secondary School will be the venue for Kitimat Community Services’ third annual Family Literacy Night on Thursday, January 27.
The tremendous turnout last year of 700 children and parents has necessitated moving to a larger venue. A free hot dog supper, cooked by the Girl Guides, will be served in the school’s cafeteria 5:00-6:30 p.m. and activities will take place in the foyer, the large and small gyms and the drama room.
The Cat in the Hat and Thing One and Thing Two will be back.
Family Literacy Day is an initiative of ABC Canada and is celebrated across Canada. This year’s theme is Play for Literacy.
What does playing have to do with literacy? According to ABC Canada, “Research continues to show that environments promoting play-based learning offer children a wide variety of opportunities to explore the world around them and receive and process rich sensory stimulation that ultimately promotes healthy brain development.”
In keeping with this theme, Family Literacy Night in Kitimat will feature a wide variety of games including Bingo, Scrabble Slam, Twister, Sudoku and crossword puzzles.
There will be games that appeal to all ages and three creative play stations - a post office, a bank and a store. Each child will receive a “cheque” to be cashed at the bank, manned by employees of the Royal Bank. The “cash” received can then be spent in the store to purchase two items to take home.
Some of the other activities will be an arts and crafts table, Smartboard activities, knitting, and a play dough table.
In addition to writing a letter to the Cat in the Hat at the Post Office centre, children will also be able to write a postcard at the Post Cards From Around the World table.
The Book Walk, which was such a hit last year, will be back. The first 500 children up to age twelve who participate will win a free book. Parents and children will also be able to purchase books at our Scholastic Book Fair.
Once again, there will be guessing jars. The two door prizes will be an ipod and a gift basket. The winning tickets will be drawn shortly before 7 p.m. and then posted in the foyer. In addition, there will be draws for prizes associated with participation in a number of the activities.
Clowns from the Shriners will be creating and giving away balloon animals while face painting by the Multi-Cultural Society will also add to the festive feel of the event.
And employees of Envision Credit Union will be making and giving away bags of popcorn.
Be sure to mark January 27 on your calendar. Doors will open at 5 p.m. and the event will come to a close at 7:45 p.m.