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January 23, 2007
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Premier Declares January 27 Family Literacy Day in PEI

Community and Cultural Affairs

Premier Pat Binns has declared January 27, 2007 as Family Literacy Day in Prince Edward Island and – together with Elmer MacFadyen, Minister of Community and Cultural Affairs and Mildred Dover, Minister of Education – he is encouraging Islanders to participate in activities designed to promote reading and learning as family activities.

Each year on January 27, children and adults across Canada celebrate ABC CANADA Family Literacy Day®, a national initiative to celebrate the importance of reading and learning as a family.

“This special day communicates the important message that the reading and learning habits we develop at an early age set the stage for our success later in life,” said Premier Binns. “I encourage Islanders of all ages to take part in the many activities planned at provincial libraries for Family Literacy Day.”

Provincial libraries located at Alberton, Kensington, Stratford, Tyne Valley, Confederation Centre Charlottetown, as well as the Bibliotheque d’Abram Village, Bibliotheque J-Henri Blanchard and Bibliotheque Dr. J.-Edmond Arsenault will be hosting special Family Literacy Day activities.

Schedule of events at Provincial Libraries is as follows.

Bibliotheque d’Abram Village:

Story time, games, craft, goodies and prizes, partnering with Cap Enfant/Société éducative/Carrefour Immigration Rural Évangéline on activities.

Alberton Public Library ~ Friday, January 26:

7:00 Family Fun Word Games, Come and challenge your family and friends to some word games such as Scrabble, Boggle, Hangman and Trivia.

Confederation Centre Public Library ~ Family Literacy Day Party from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. in the Children’s Loft:

12:30 Join us for a Book-nic – an indoor picnic with stories. Bring your blanket and a lunch. Stories will be read while you eat. Please note that we are a peanut-free zone.

1:00 Puppet Show: Three Little Pigs

1:15 Game: Daffy Dictionary. Choose a word from the dictionary and write it on a piece of paper with one correct definition, then make up two more definitions that are incorrect but “sound” like they might be accurate. See who can guess the correct definition.

1:30 Activity: Make Chocolate Nests and Slime

1:45 Story with Guest Reader

2:00 Puppet Show: Goldilocks and the Three Bears

2:15 Game: Rhyming Bingo. Play a game of Bingo in which you look for words on your card that rhyme with the word being called.

2:30 Activity: Munsch Illustrated

2:45 Story with Guest Reader

3:00 Talk by David McQuaid, musician: You, Literacy and Music

Bibliotheque Dr. J.-Edmond Arsenault ~ Various activities throughout the week for all ages:

Kindergarten students and the public – activities highlighting stories about a grand-father who does not know how to read.

Elementary school students – stories of Robert Munsch and games with activity sheets.

Grades 7, 8 and 9 – activities highlighting the book “Le secret de l'Hippocampe.”

Bibliotheque J-Henri Blanchard:

Activities involving stories and crafts. Call the Library for more information.

Kensington Heritage Library ~ Saturday, January 27:

11:00 Celebrate Family Literacy Day. Bring your family to the library for a special parent-child story time and discover how reading together can be good for everyone.

Stratford Public Library ~ Saturday, January 27:

2:00 - 5:00 Family Literacy Day – All are invited to visit the library and sign in to have someone reading in the rocking chair continuously during open hours.

Tyne Valley Public Library ~ Saturday, January 27:

10:30 -12:30 Extra Special Family Activities to celebrate Family Literacy Day with games, stories and a display of family literacy resources.

BACKGROUNDER:

ABC CANADA Family Literacy Day® (FLD) had its beginnings on January 27, 1999, when ABC CANADA created Penny's Odyssey, a made-for-TV movie, which was broadcast nationally in prime time, on CTV. The movie told the story of a middle-class teenage girl who hides her literacy challenges from family and friends. The movie and the materials met with such a favourable response that ABC CANADA decided to create an annual, national initiative to celebrate the importance of reading and learning as a family.

ABC CANADA Family Literacy Day® is celebrated at hundreds of literacy-themed events, coordinated at home and by literacy organizations, schools and libraries. These events include story-writing contests, public story readings, read-a-thons, book drives, reading circles and family literacy workshops and seminars offered by literacy professionals.

For more information about ABC CANADA Family Literacy Day® visit their website at www.abc-canada.org/fld/

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Media Contact: Connie McNeill
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