Activity Ideas for Family Literacy Day

Family Literacy Day takes place on January 27, 2022 – an annual initiative in its 23rd year that aims to raise awareness of the importance of learning together as a family.

This year’s theme is Learning in the Great Outdoors. Spending time in nature provides many benefits, not just for bodies, but for minds too. This year, get outside and exercise both your mind and body together as a family. You can make outdoor time fun family learning time all while enjoying the wonders of Canada’s Great Outdoors!

Here are 10 tips from Honorary Chair Barbara Reid to make outdoor time fun family learning time.  Barbara Reid is a picture book illustrator and author whose award-winning artwork is created using modelling clay.

1. Outdoor scavenger hunt. Make a list of commonly found outdoor items, then go on a walk together with your list and see if you can find all the items. 
2. Create a nature journal Using a notebook, draw pictures and write stories about the different outdoor areas you’ve explored and the trees or animals you’ve come across. 
3. Learn about winter species Research online or at the library about winter birds and other animals in your region. Then, next time you’re outside, see if you can find any of the species you’ve learned about. 
4. Nature hike Get some fresh air and exercise while practising your math. Time your hike, work out the distance and calculate your average speed on your hike. 
5. Make story stones Find rocks outside and draw a different nature-themed picture on each. Then take turns telling stories using the stones.
6. Head in the clouds Look at the different clouds in the sky and see if the shapes of the clouds look like familiar objects, such as animals or people. 
7. Number walk As you put on your shoes, choose something you want to count during your walk. It could be dogs, trees, stop signs, cars—anything you want! On your walk, count how many you can find. 
8. Snow art Use emptied dish soap bottles filled with water and food colouring to write messages and draw in the snow. 
9. A course, of course. Build an obstacle course in your backyard or at a park and draw a map of how to go through it from beginning to end. 
10. Adopt a tree Pick a nearby tree that is special to you and spend time observing and learning about the tree.

For more family literacy activity ideas and resources, visit www.FamilyLiteracyDay.ca.

Macaroni KID Chestermere is a free local calendar, weekly e-newsletter and website focused on fun family events and information in the Chestermere, Langdon, Indus  and surrounding rural areas. We gather all kinds of local family events and activities each week and add useful information about classes, family-focused local businesses,  deals, product reviews, recipes, crafts, school and camp guides and more.

Are we missing something? Please use our Submit an Event form to send us all the details! If you have original recipes, crafts, or family fall fun ideas that you would like to share with our Macaroni KID community, please email kimmcrae@macaronikid.com. Be sure to include a poster or image if you've got one!