The Columbia Basin Alliance for Literacy
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Annual Report
    • Board of Directors
    • Supporters
    • Regional Events
  • Community Programs
    • Arrow & Slocan Lakes
    • Boundary
    • Castlegar
    • Cranbrook
    • Creston
    • Elk Valley
    • Golden
    • Kaslo & Balfour
    • Kimberley
    • Nelson
    • Revelstoke
    • Salmo
    • Slocan Valley
    • Trail & Area
    • Valemount
    • Windermere Valley
  • Settlement Services
  • CBAL Blog
    • CBAL News Fall 2017
    • CBAL News Spring/Summer 2017
    • CBAL News Winter 2017
    • CBAL News Fall 2016
    • CBAL News Spring 2016
  • Resources
    • Computer Training
    • Links
  • Careers
  • Contact Us
    • Media

A Fresh Start

9/1/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture

At this time of year, we start to think about a fresh start. The new school year is approaching and with it comes the anticipation of a new beginning. It’s a clean slate - with potential for all sorts of experiences and learning. The anticipation is sometimes mixed with excitement, and a bit of hesitation, for what lies ahead. There might be new school shoes, fresh pencils, unmarked scribblers and packages of binder paper. There is excitement about who this year’s teachers will be, what friendships will be made and how hard the work will be.

As children, youth and adults head back to school, there will be other kinds of fresh starts. New Canadians and refugees will be settling in their new homes and may be learning English in community-based programs. New parents will be taking their little ones to programs like Mother Goose, Love 2 Learn and Together to Learn, to get a great start through rhymes, songs and stories. Seniors and adults will be dropping in to programs for help with new devices like iPads and tablets. Adults learning new skills will show what they have learned through earning digital badges.

We have many “fresh starts” in our lives. It’s part of being a life long learner, and has a big impact on individuals and communities. Here are a few statistics on the impact of literacy and learning from Decoda Literacy Solution’s website:
  • Regardless of socio-economic background, children whose parents read books to them in their early school years had better reading test scores at age 15.
  • Having strong literacy, numeracy and problem solving skills is positively connected to being part of the labour market. It is also associated with being employed and earning higher wages.
  • Investment in education and skills training (human capital) is three times as important to economic growth over the long run as investment in machinery and equipment (physical capital).
This September is the 3rd Annual Literacy is Life campaign, hosted by Decoda Literacy Solutions. This year’s theme is “A Fresh Start.”  Communities around BC are proclaiming September as Literacy Month and are participating in a variety of literacy awareness and fundraising events.

It takes courage to embrace a new beginning … and you can help! In the Columbia Basin and Boundary watch for the 6th Annual Reach a Reader campaign, which supports community-based literacy programs across the region. Save your coins for the new Loonies for Literacy piggy banks you’ll start seeing in local businesses and at community programs. Support businesses like Blue Sky Clothing Co, which is helping to “Sock it to Literacy” by donating $1 to local literacy programs for every pair of “reading purple” socks sold. Or, volunteer to tutor an adult learner or newcomer to your community.

Let’s work together to support these new beginnings.

​You can learn more about CBAL's community-based literacy programs in your community by visiting our Community Programs page. 

Joan Exley
Community Literacy Coordinator
Columbia Basin Alliance for literacy - Nelson

0 Comments

Keep up the learning momentum this summer!

6/23/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
Summer holidays are almost here! Soon the air will be filled with laughter and children will be frolicking in the sun, making memories that will last a lifetime.    After spending the last ten months in a classroom, children are ready to be with their friends, seek out adventure, and be free from the everyday responsibilities that come with being a student.  

Learning should be fun and engaging, and that is why summer is the best time of year to help children maintain their learning momentum.   There are endless opportunities for parents and children to participate in learning activities over the summer - because learning happens everywhere!   

Keep up the learning momentum with these activities:

1.  Lemonade Stand

Develop a plan for advertising, mixing ingredients, engaging with customers, and counting money - skills for everyday life.

2.  Backyard Science

With a little imagination and a few household items, help your child become a science whiz.  If you need some ideas, visit:
http://www.science-sparks.com/2013/05/19/summer-science/

3.  Reading Blog Challenge

Do you have a tween or teen who loves to read, but is always itching to get onto the next book?   If you are tech savvy and have an interest in blogging, consider helping your child build a book blog.  As with any online learning, safety is key, but with your supervision this could be a way to challenge your child and extend his learning. 

4.  Summer Memory Book

Help your child capture summer memories by documenting her favourite moments. A simple scrapbook is all you need to get started.  Add pictures, stories, and mementos.  This is an easy and simple activity will become a shelf favourite for years to come! 

5.  Garden Together

Children love to get dirty, they love to learn, and they love to be outside! What better way to capitalize on their curious natures than by getting them to help you in the garden.

Learning together is a gift.  Not only are you sharing an experience with your child, you are strengthening that special parent-child bond.   Actively engaging your child in learning activities throughout the summer will help to bridge the gap between the end of a school year and the start of a new one.  

Kick off your summer right and let the learning begin!


Desneiges Profili
Regional Program Manager
Columbia Basin Alliance for Literacy

0 Comments

The Holiday Book Basket ... and other bookish holiday traditions

12/8/2014

4 Comments

 
Picture

This morning I got out the Christmas Books! This marks the start of the holiday season in our home. The Christmas books live on a high shelf in the cupboard, only to be brought down in December. When the kids were little, they would wait with excitement for their favourite stories to be rediscovered. Each year we’d add at least one new book. Some of the books are very old, saved from my childhood, with torn edges and full of holiday love. Some are new, some are silly, some are spiritual, some are funny – all are part of the Christmas book basket that stays by the fireplace throughout the holidays.


My family is all about traditions. We love the comforting feeling of something special that only comes around every so often. We try to keep our traditions flexible and allow them to evolve over time. Aside from the Christmas book basket, we have many holiday traditions that include books. Here are a few of my favourites.

  • My husband's sister had a beautiful tradition of giving my children a book with a small stuffed toy to match the characters in the story. She’d hunt with determination to find just the right small stuffy. I still remember the many hours we spent reading Charlotte’s Web with our little spider, rat and pig in our laps. Later the kids would ‘play' the story, sending the characters on new adventures around our house.
 
  • My Mom lived in Ontario – too far to have the joy of reading bedtime stories to little ones. Her tradition was to read a storybook on tape and send the cassette with a copy of the book. We’d flip the pages of the book for our kids, as they listened to Nana read them a story. This continued for years and included chapter books and novels as the kids grew up. Now that Nana is gone, her voice reading us stories is a treasure of even greater value.

  • One year when money was tight, I went to the public library and signed out books for each of us to wrap and put under the tree. There was so much holiday spirit in spending time looking through the collection for just the right book. The kids were little, so when our borrowing time was up we went and picked some more. What a great tradition that is easy on the wallet!

  • Every year on Christmas Eve we gather on the couch and read The Polar Express before going to bed. The tradition started with my Grandmother, when we gave her the book when she was in her 90s. What do you get for an elder who has everything she needs and really doesn’t want any more things? A good story is always a good choice!  Many great Christmas storybooks have been made into movies (there could be a whole blog on that). If you haven’t read the books, go back and see where they all began!

  • For many years, I would read The Christmas Box by Richard Paul Evans in December. It never got old. Re-reading it was like visiting old friends and hearing their story again. This year my book club is reading The 13th Gift by Joanne Huist Smith. There are many people who find the joy and celebration of the holidays difficult if they are dealing with loss and grief. These are two of many books available that might offer some comfort. 

A Book Under Every Tree, and other similar programs, work to put books in holiday hampers for those who are struggling to make ends meet. Consider going through your books, or stopping by the bookstore, to pick up a great book to share with someone in need. Many communities across the Columbia Basin and Boundary collect books for holiday hampers. Contact your local community literacy coordinator or public library to find out if there is a program in your community.

Happy Holidays to you all! May your December be filled with love, happiness and some really great books!

By Joan Exley
Community Literacy Coordinator
Columbia Basin Alliance for Literacy - Nelson



4 Comments

    Follow us

    Our Blog

    The Columbia Basin Alliance for Literacy (CBAL) supports the development of healthy, inclusive communities which are committed to literacy and learning as lifelong and life-wide activities. 

    Archives

    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    November 2017
    October 2017
    July 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    September 2016
    August 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014

    Categories

    All
    Books
    Brain-based Research
    Children's Reading
    Creativity
    Early Learning
    Education
    English As A Second Language
    ESL
    Essential Skills
    Family
    Gender
    Health & Safety
    Immigrants
    International
    Lifelong Learning
    Literacy
    Newcomers
    Reading
    Seniors
    Settlement
    Summer
    Technology
    Theory Of Loose Parts
    Traditions
    Workplace Safety

    RSS Feed

 (c) CBAL 2016         Privacy  Policy          Contact Us                                                 
✕