Literacy Break

During the school March Break, our libraries always offer a wide range of programs. One of my favourite this year was Literacy Break. We recently moved our office and while packing up, I found all sorts of odds and ends, bits and pieces from previously held events which I could not bear to toss out. So instead, I put together stations to use up the supplies. This turned out to be a great way to assemble an event as well as a good way to dispense with those supplies I held on to.

In our new building we have the great fortune to have two rooms we can use for library events. We had several stations set up in each room.  In the big room, we had letter writing, Superhero clothes pin craft, letter search, magnet play, and pipe-cleaner play. For each station, I created a DIY instruction page with Literacy Tips for parents on each sheet; we let the kids and families explore and do the activities at their own pace.

In the smaller room we had our prize wheel, the Osmo (iPad game), Toss Your Cookies, and our Libraries are for Everyone game. The prize wheel is always a favourite. We asked literacy-based questions like “Tell us something that rhymes with HAT” or “Name a word that starts with D”. Easy enough for younger children and the older kids feel very smart when they say “Oh that’s easy!”. The Osmo WORDS game is a huge hit with the kids, and adults enjoy playing too. “Toss Your Cookies” is funny to adults; the kids just like throwing things. This game was originally from a Mo Willems Day, and it is still an activity they want to do over and over.

We held the event for 2 hours, and had around 25 people come through. It was lots of fun, and easy to prepare.  Take a look around; what do you have stored away that you can throw together for a drop-in Literacy Break?