Learning in the Great Outdoors: Family Literacy Day

Family Literacy Day takes place every January 27 to raise awareness about the importance of reading and engaging in other literacy-related activities as a family. Peterborough Public Library is proud to participate again in the annual Peterborough Family Literacy Day - only this year, we’re Learning in the Great Outdoors all week long, across the entire county!

Here’s what we’re doing to celebrate literacy at the Library:

Family Literacy Scavenger Hunt

Exercise your mind and your body together as a family:  take a walk around your neighbourhood in search of things that fit the clues on our Family Literacy Scavenger Hunt. Starting Monday, January 24 at 10 am, you can either print the clues from our website or pick up a copy at the Children’s Info Desk. Email photos of your finds for a chance to win a draw prize!  You must share your photos by midnight on Saturday, January 29 to be eligible for the draw.

Kid Lit Trivia Challenge

How well do you and your family know favourite children’s books? Celebrate your love for children's literature with this fun, interactive game that you can play together on your phone, tablet or computer.  At the end of the week, we’ll see which family makes it to the top three spots on the Podium to win some special prizes!

To sign up your family for the Kid Lit Trivia Challenge, subscribe to our Family Literacy Day eBlast.

Make Your Own Book Kits

Children aged 4 years and up could become the author or illustrator of the next children’s classic with our extra-special Family Grab & Go Craft Kits. Each kit contains the materials and instructions you need to make your very own book at home. Free kits are available on a first come, first served basis at the Children's Check-Out Desk, starting at 10 a.m. on Saturday, January 29.

Other Ways to Learn in the Great Outdoors

You can follow the Peterborough Family Literacy Day Facebook page to see what other fun activities are happening at different locations for you and your family. If your family is looking for inspiration for more ways to keep Learning in the Great Outdoors, check out some of these wonderful resources in the Library’s collection:

The Big Book of Nature Activities: A Year-Round Guide to Outdoor Learning by Jacob Rodenburg and Drew Monkman

Written by two well-known, local authors, The Big Book of Nature Activities encourages families to get out and explore the natural world around them, no matter the season. Outdoor learning can be fun with this illustrated compendium that includes crafts, stories, and information.

Cool Maps & Geocaching: Great Things to Do in the Great Outdoors by Katherine Hengel

Learn the fun of geocaching, including what to put in a secret cache, where to hide it, and how to create your own compass to find a hidden cache. Full of easy-to-follow steps and bright photography for every activity, it is a perfect book to explore together as a family.

The Kids' Outdoor Adventure Book: 448 Great Things to Do in Nature Before You Grow Up by Stacy Tornio

The Kids' Outdoor Adventure Book is a year-round, how-to activity guidebook for getting kids outdoors and exploring nature. Each of the year's four seasons includes fifty checklist items, fifty challenge items, projects, destinations, garden recipes, and outdoor games.

Wild Things: Over 100 Magical Outdoor Adventures by Jo Schofield

This fantastical guidebook from Lonely Planet Kids will help you track dragons, create fashions fit for a fairy, brew magic potions, build snow unicorns, discover trolls and go on night hunts to capture Moon magic. Discover the mysteries of nature all year round and at any time of day or night - just switch your imagination on, use your senses, brush up on your magic skills and take a giant leap.

A Stick is an Excellent Thing: Poems Celebrating Outdoor Play by Marilyn Singer

After spending all that time outside, your family will be sure to enjoy winding down as you warm up inside with this lovely collection of poems.  Celebrating “good old-fashioned play” on a long summer day, A Stick is an Excellent Thing will conjure up memories of warmer days that stretch between first light and dusk as you snuggle together before bedtime.