Upcoming Tantramar Family Literacy Day events to feature storytelling, songs and soup for all ages

Local residents are invited to join in the festivities this week as the Tantramar Family Resource Centre (TFRC) gets set to host several events in the region to celebrate National Family Literacy Day.

The events will kick off this Sunday (Jan. 24) in Sackville with an afternoon of activities for the whole family. Held at Marshview Middle School from 1-3 p.m., the 'Stone Soup' themed event will feature storytelling, songs, crafts, games, book giveaways, and, of course, soup.

Similar events are also planned for Port Elgin on Jan. 25 at 10 a.m. at PERS and in Dorchester at the village's public library at 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 28.

"There will be activities for kids of all ages," says Tracey Wade, a volunteer with the TFRC, "including, of course, the reading of the Stone Soup story, which is just one of those really great community-building stories."

Wade says there will be plenty of literacy-based activities for the children, including the chance to create their own recipe cards and design their own musical instruments for the story reading.

The overall mission of the TFRC, explains Wade, is to promote family literacy. So hosting activities such as these annual Literacy Day events is a great way to let parents know that their children can acquire reading, writing and math skills using a variety of methods.

"Literacy is so important in our everyday life, especially in today's digital age. It pervades every part of our lifestyle," she says. "So these activities will show people that it's not always just about sitting down with your child and reading a book. There's a lot of ways to encourage literacy."

The National Literacy Day events are free and everyone is invited to take part.

During Sackville's literacy day events, the TFRC will also be partnering with the Sustainable Sackville initiative to start community discussions around the town's sustainability plan.

Wade says she thinks the Sustainable Sackville project will tie in nicely with the Stone Soup theme because the story is one that's usually told as a lesson in cooperation, especially amid times of scarcity.

Parents will be asked to participate in group discussions centering around four questions that will "contribute to the goals and objectives of the sustainability plan," says Wade. These questions include: (1) Why did you or your family come to Sackville? Why do you stay in Sackville? (2) When you think about the future, what concerns you? (3) Imagine you are 30 years in the future and you're telling your grandchildren why it's a great place to live. What do you tell them to prove it? What do you see in your vision? (4) As a member of this community, what do you think is your responsibility in achieving this vision?

Also to celebrate National Family Literacy Day, TFRC will be holding an open house at its new location at 9A Willow Lane (the former drycleaners space) on Jan. 27 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. and from 6:30-8:30 p.m.

Indu Varma, president of TFRC, says it's exciting for the organization to finally have a home

"It's always been the goal of the resource centre to have its own space," she says.

She invites everyone in the community to come and check out the TFRC's new headquarters on Jan. 27, where coffee will be served, prizes will be given away, and people can find out more about the services provided by the resource centre.