Parents and children of all ages took the time to unplug and learn as they participated in Bonnyville's annual Family Literacy Event.
The event was hosted on Thursday, Feb. 2, with the cooperation of the Bonnyville Municipal Library, the Bonnyville Community Learning Council (BCLC), Jr. A Pontiacs, and Duclos School.
Nicole Ferbey, program director for the BCLC, said with the event, they are aiming to bring families together in the name of literacy, and to emphasize on the importance it has on day-to-day living.
“We use it in daily life, workplace, school, you name it, and we think it is very important to nurture literacy right from the roots. This is one way that we can give back to the community too, and make sure that they unplug from technology,” she said.
It was the first time the event has been hosted at Duclos School, however, school principal Richard Cameron said he hopes it won't be the last.
“We have always had our school encouraging participation (in the event), but it has never been hosted at our school before, so we were just really happy to get the opportunity to do that this year,” noted Cameron.
The main goal of the family literacy night is to promote literacy and family participation in a fun way, through games such as word bingo, the word game, music, Lego, and Pictionary with the Pontiacs.
Mandy Watters said having the Pontiacs attend and participate encourages kids to take part in the event and activities, and sends the message that reading is fun.
“It is really good to see those guys as role models here… the more kids see them, because they value what those players value, so if they see them thinking reading is important, they want to come.”
Watters said her children love attending the yearly event, and were quick to remind her it was fast approaching.
“That is exciting for me, because then I know that it is going to be something that they are going to engage in on their own… and so the learning is so much easier,” Watters explained. “I think the tough thing is, is finding fun ways for them to learn instead of making it a chore.”
The family will take what they learn from the event, and use those same activities at home such as music or the word game.
“I just really appreciate that the community and the school are wiling to put on events like this, because I know it is a lot of work.”
