Fun literacy tips for parents and children to practice literacy at home; Families can register their Family Literacy Day activity and watch their province light up
(Toronto, ON – January 14, 2011) – Family Literacy Day® is a national initiative that takes place every year on January 27 to encourage families to spend 15 minutes a day to read or practice a literacy activity together. Schools, libraries, literacy groups and community centres across the country take part in this initiative every year by hosting literacy-related events to support the literacy cause.
But did you know that literacy actually starts in the home? According to the National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth, children raised in literate households are likely to enter grade one with several thousand hours of one-to-one pre-reading experience behind them. This is why it’s especially important for parents to encourage literacy at an early age and to take time to show children that learning can be fun. Family Literacy Day offers the perfect opportunity for parents to do so!
“Family Literacy Day is a day where families can sit down and do a fun literacy-related activity, such as playing a game, and begin to build a habit of practicing literacy at home on a daily basis,” says Margaret Eaton, President of ABC Life Literacy Canada. “Literacy affects all aspects of people’s lives, so when families practice literacy daily, both child and adult are better prepared to succeed in a world of increasing literacy challenges at home, at work and in the community.”
Parents can engage their children in literacy with these fun tips and activities:
Follow a recipe together – it’s a fun way to practise reading, math and comprehension.
Surf the Internet to discover fun and educational sites.
Make everyday tasks learning experiences. Ask your children to write out a shopping list, address an envelope or help make a calendar of weekly activities.
Let children count out the change when making a purchase. Reinforce the importance of math in everyday life!
Introduce a family board game night where everyone is encouraged to read instructions, spell words and keep score.
The theme for Family Literacy Day 2011 is Play for Literacy, which can include all types of play that encourages literacy and numeracy development as well as comprehension skills, such as board games, card games and imaginative self-created activities and games. Games, and the carefree act of playing, provide a fun outlet in which individuals of all ages can engage in activities that inherently provide new learning or opportunities to improve one’s reading, writing, math and comprehension skills.
Families are encouraged to share how they plan to celebrate Family Literacy Day by registering their activity online at FamilyLiteracyDay.ca. By registering their activity, they will help support their province in the challenge to turn Canada orange on the Family Literacy Day interactive events tracking map. The map represents events and activities happening in every province and territory. To register, visit FamilyLiteracyDay.ca.
For more information on Family Literacy Day, including literacy tips and activity ideas, please visit FamilyLiteracyDay.ca.
http://abclifeliteracy.ca/en/fld/family-literacy-day-offers-parents-opportunity-practice-literacy
Friday, January 21, 2011
Thursday, January 20, 2011
ArtWorks program wraps up with public art donation to Picton Library
Photo L to R: Tony Campbell, Heather Watson (Red Barns), Jamey Armstrong, Ashley Watson, Angela Capone, Lori Farrington (ArtWorks Instructor) present Barbara Sweet (CEO) with their piece “Bounty of the County” which will be displayed at the Picton Public Library
Prince Edward Learning Centre’s ArtWorks program ended in December, but students and staff joined together once more on Jan. 14 in order to present The County of Prince Edward Public Library and Archives with their finished art piece.
Early on in the ArtWorks program, students decided that they would like to put their creative endeavors to good use and donate their mosaic art to the Picton branch of the Public Library. “I love that our mosaic will now be a piece of public art, on display for a long time”, says Ashley, a student in the program. Angela, a student, adds, “It’s great that a lot of people will get to see it and hopefully enjoy it. We had a lot of fun making it. I hope people like it.” The piece, entitled ‘Bounty of the County’, will hang in a prominent spot in the library, a fitting home for an art piece made by students at PELC. “The students chose the library because they wanted a truly community place to hang their art. Somewhere it would be seen by a large number of people”, says ArtWorks Program Instructor Lori Farrington. “The Library was a unanimous decision. It seemed right on many levels, since a library and a literacy program share common goals.”
ArtWorks was a program that PELC ran in three segments last year, the final one wrapping up in December. Students learned different art genres, depending on when they participated. Jewellery, stained glass, blacksmithing, and finally mosaics were all studied. Students learned the art genre alongside Essential Skills, business, and interpersonal skills. Mandy, a student, says, “It’s a fun way to learn and develop Essential Skills that can be used in the workforce or in everyday life. I never thought of doing something like this before and I have been blown away at how much fun it is.” Jamey, a student, continues, “I didn’t even know what the Essential Skills were when I started but now realize that I’ve been using them most of my life and can recognize which skills I am best at, and which ones I need to work on.”
ArtWorks was an innovative program that allowed students the opportunity for hands-on learning. “Doing hands on learning gives each person the skills they need to go out into the working world with a positive attitude, it also makes them more confident they can do their job properly”, said Tony, a student. Part of the program was taught at The Red Barns Artisan Playgound on Old Chapel Road. There they were able to make mosaics, cutting the glass, and grouting their pieces on their own. Along with the group project, they were able to make smaller pieces for themselves. “It was pretty incredible watching the transformation from ‘I can’t make art’ to ‘look what I made!’ Heather Watson, at the Red Barns, was a vital part of the ArtWorks program”, says Program Instructor Lori Farrington. “It’s one of the best examples of community partnership we’ve been a part of and if we’re able to find funding to run the program again, we’d love to incorporate them into the plan.”
Prince Edward Learning Centre is an adult literacy and basic skills program funded by the Ministry of Training, Colleges, and Universities. “We’re a training centre, so that means we do whatever we can to help people reach their goals - employment, further education, or personal learning”, says Farrington. “At any given moment, we have someone learning computers, studying to write the GED high school equivalency test, working on job specific curricula, or just improving some basic literacy skills. We’re here to help everyone. There is no section of the population that we are not geared toward helping.” For more information on PELC, call 613-476-1811.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Evening Hours Available
Want to upgrade your skills but aren't available during the day? PELC is now open Tuesday and Wednesday evenings from 6:30pm - 8:30pm. Call for more info!
Parents lack confidence in helping children with homework
Ipsos Reid Research shows that 50% of Canadian parents lack confidence in helping their children with reading, writing and math homework New year perfect time to refocus priorities on family and lifelong learning
(Toronto, ON – January 11, 2011) - ABC Life Literacy Canada released new research findings concerning literacy in Canada from a report conducted on its behalf by national research firm Ipsos Reid. The report uncovered insightful perception on literacy from the over 1,000 Canadians polled.
The Ipsos Reid survey found that 50 per cent of Canadian parents surveyed admitted to not feeling confident in helping their children with their reading, writing and math homework. Of those admitting that they did not feel confident in helping their children with these tasks, Quebec residents ranked the highest in lack of confidence at 12 per cent followed by 10 per cent for Atlantic Canada.
When asked about hours spent per week engaged in family leisure activities such as playing cards, board games or cooking with a recipe, 15 per cent of Canadians admitted to spending no time engaged in these activities. Provincially speaking, the figure jumps to a high of 21 per cent in British Columbia and 18 per cent in Alberta.
According to the survey, despite the approximately seven out of 10 Canadians who spend between one and 10 hours per week engaged in leisure reading, whether alone or with someone else in the household, 11per cent of Canadians aged 18 – 34 spend no time reading.
Initial findings from the Ipsos Reid report released in August 2010 found that 93% of Canadians agreed that literacy skills are critical to quality of life.
“The numbers show that Canadians believe in the importance of literacy,” commented Ipsos Reid Senior Research Manager Sean Simpson. “Despite this importance, the data reveals that many Canadians either don’t posses the literacy skills or don’t feel comfortable enough to use those skills to their fullest extent.”
“We know from international studies that 42% of Canadians don’t have a high school graduate’s level of literacy proficiency, so perhaps these results are understandable,” commented Margaret Eaton, ABC Life Literacy Canada President. “We also know that the greatest predictor of a child’s success is the literacy level of their caregivers—if we want to improve the literacy of children we need to ensure that all adult Canadians have the literacy skills they need to support their children in their learning.”
By spending a minimum of 15 minutes a day engaged in a literacy activity as a family, Canadians have the ability to make positive changes both in their own lives and in the future potential of their children. As Canada prepares to Play for Literacy on Family Literacy Day, January 27 provides a platform on which everyone can come together to learn. For additional information or tips and activity ideas on how you can Play for Literacy, please visit FamilyLiteracyDay.ca.
For full tabular results, please visit our website at www.ipsos.ca. News Releases are available at: http://www.ipsos-na.com/news/
-30-
About Ipsos Reid:
Ipsos Reid is Canada's market intelligence leader and the country’s leading provider of public opinion research. With operations in eight cities, Ipsos Reid employs more than 300 research professionals and support staff in Canada. The company has the biggest network of telephone call centres in Canada, as well as the largest pre-recruited household and on-line panels. To learn more, visit www.ipsos.ca.
About Family Literacy Day:
Family Literacy Day, held annually on January 27, was developed by ABC Life Literacy Canada in 1999 to celebrate adults and children reading and learning together, and to encourage Canadians to spend at least 15 minutes enjoying a learning activity as a family every day.
About ABC Life Literacy Canada:
ABC Life Literacy Canada is a non-profit organization that inspires Canadians to increase their literacy skills. We envision a Canada where everyone has the skills they need to live a fully engaged life.
(Toronto, ON – January 11, 2011) - ABC Life Literacy Canada released new research findings concerning literacy in Canada from a report conducted on its behalf by national research firm Ipsos Reid. The report uncovered insightful perception on literacy from the over 1,000 Canadians polled.
The Ipsos Reid survey found that 50 per cent of Canadian parents surveyed admitted to not feeling confident in helping their children with their reading, writing and math homework. Of those admitting that they did not feel confident in helping their children with these tasks, Quebec residents ranked the highest in lack of confidence at 12 per cent followed by 10 per cent for Atlantic Canada.
When asked about hours spent per week engaged in family leisure activities such as playing cards, board games or cooking with a recipe, 15 per cent of Canadians admitted to spending no time engaged in these activities. Provincially speaking, the figure jumps to a high of 21 per cent in British Columbia and 18 per cent in Alberta.
According to the survey, despite the approximately seven out of 10 Canadians who spend between one and 10 hours per week engaged in leisure reading, whether alone or with someone else in the household, 11per cent of Canadians aged 18 – 34 spend no time reading.
Initial findings from the Ipsos Reid report released in August 2010 found that 93% of Canadians agreed that literacy skills are critical to quality of life.
“The numbers show that Canadians believe in the importance of literacy,” commented Ipsos Reid Senior Research Manager Sean Simpson. “Despite this importance, the data reveals that many Canadians either don’t posses the literacy skills or don’t feel comfortable enough to use those skills to their fullest extent.”
“We know from international studies that 42% of Canadians don’t have a high school graduate’s level of literacy proficiency, so perhaps these results are understandable,” commented Margaret Eaton, ABC Life Literacy Canada President. “We also know that the greatest predictor of a child’s success is the literacy level of their caregivers—if we want to improve the literacy of children we need to ensure that all adult Canadians have the literacy skills they need to support their children in their learning.”
By spending a minimum of 15 minutes a day engaged in a literacy activity as a family, Canadians have the ability to make positive changes both in their own lives and in the future potential of their children. As Canada prepares to Play for Literacy on Family Literacy Day, January 27 provides a platform on which everyone can come together to learn. For additional information or tips and activity ideas on how you can Play for Literacy, please visit FamilyLiteracyDay.ca.
For full tabular results, please visit our website at www.ipsos.ca. News Releases are available at: http://www.ipsos-na.com/news/
-30-
About Ipsos Reid:
Ipsos Reid is Canada's market intelligence leader and the country’s leading provider of public opinion research. With operations in eight cities, Ipsos Reid employs more than 300 research professionals and support staff in Canada. The company has the biggest network of telephone call centres in Canada, as well as the largest pre-recruited household and on-line panels. To learn more, visit www.ipsos.ca.
About Family Literacy Day:
Family Literacy Day, held annually on January 27, was developed by ABC Life Literacy Canada in 1999 to celebrate adults and children reading and learning together, and to encourage Canadians to spend at least 15 minutes enjoying a learning activity as a family every day.
About ABC Life Literacy Canada:
ABC Life Literacy Canada is a non-profit organization that inspires Canadians to increase their literacy skills. We envision a Canada where everyone has the skills they need to live a fully engaged life.
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