Unplug & Play – January 23 to 29, 2012

The Literacy Alliance of the Shuswap Society (LASS), in partnership with other community organizations, is planning a community “Unplug & Play” Family Literacy Week in January 2012 to encourage families to build literacy by reconnecting and playing.

All events are free and some of the planned events include: buddy reading with the Silverbacks, free family swim, family games night, Early Years Fair, family skating, special library storytimes, library scavenger hunt, family art afternoon, “Disconnect to Reconnect” parent workshop, Heap the Honda Children’s Book Drive, PLAY AGAIN film at the Salmar Classic, Pirate Loppet, and pond skating.

Schedule
For detailed schedule information, click here:  Final Schedule of Events 2012

Play Again – Special Presentation of award-winning film

Special Presentation
7:00 PM, January 27, 2012
Salmar Classic Theatre
Admission by Donation

PLAY AGAIN is an award winning documentary directed by Tonje Hessen Schei, produced by Meg Merrill, and edited by David Bee. The soundtrack includes music from Icelandic band Sigur Ros and singer Kimya Dawson.   At a time when children spend more time in the virtual world than the natural world, PLAY AGAIN unplugs a group of media savvy teens and takes them on their first wilderness adventure, documenting the wonder that comes from time spent in nature and inspiring action for a sustainable future. This film encourages individuals, families, schools, and communities to examine their relationships with both screen technology and nature, and inspires them to take action to reconnect children to the natural world.

Cris Rowan

Workshop creator Cris Rowan is a well-known speaker and author to teachers, parents and therapists throughout North America in the field of sensory integration, learning, attention, fine motor skills and the impact of technology on children’s neurological development. Cris has Bachelor of Science degrees in both Occupational Therapy and in Biology, and is a SIPT certified Pediatric Sensory Specialist. Cris is CEO of Zone’in Programs Inc. offering products, workshops, training, and consultation to promote technology balance and enhance productivity.  Cris is creator of the new Zone’in, Move’in and Unplug’in programs, the Foundation Series Workshops, and Zone’in Training for therapists.  Cris has authored the Unplug – Don’t Drug, Creating Sustainable Futures, and Linking Corporations to Communities initiatives, and her first book Virtual Child – The terrifying truth about what technology is doing to children.

For more information:
Disconnect to Reconnect Parent Workshop – Jan 26
Mixed Signals Early Learning Workshop – Jan 27

Learning for Life

International Adult Learners’ Week (IALW) 2011 celebrates adult learners and the joy of learning throughout life.  We are encouraging community members to become lifelong learners by attending any or all of the workshops listed on the attached poster.  These workshops are for adults of all literacy levels so please spread the word about them to your colleagues, clients, friends, and family.  All of the workshops are free and will take place at the Downtown Activity Centre in Salmon Arm.  Pre-registration is not required.

Click here for more information and the workshop schedule:
Learning for Life Schedule

Join our Learning Clubs that will be starting up in April.  These free clubs will meet monthly at the Salmon Arm library branch.  Both of these clubs are specifically for adults who struggle with low literacy:

“Quick Reads” Book Club – short, interesting adult literacy novels will be provided to the learners and we will meet monthly to discuss them.

“News & Views” Discussion Club – learners will be encouraged to come out and talk about what is happening in our community and around the world using the Westcoast Reader (an adult literacy newspaper) as a starting point for discussion.

Each club will meet monthly and pre-registration is not required.
For more information, please click here:
Learning for Life Clubs

Heap the Honda Children’s Book Drive – January 2012

LASS is pleased to work with Salmon Arm Honda to encourage community members to donate gently used children’s books during the “Heap the Honda” children’s book drive event during the month of January. The donated books will be distributed to local children’s organizations and daycares to share with families. Our hope is for every child to have good quality books at home to read and enjoy. Books may be dropped off at the Salmon Arm Honda dealership during the month of January or at the Piccadilly Mall during Literacy Week (January 24th to 29th.) or at the Silverbacks game on January 7th.

“Books for Babies” Program

A local business has stepped up to become a true “Literacy Champion” for our community.  Browne Johnson Land Surveyors has made an extremely generous donation to the Literacy Alliance of the Shuswap Society (LASS) to resurrect the “Books for Babies” program in Salmon Arm, Sicamous, Sorrento, and Enderby for 2011.

The “Books for BC Babies” program ran for four years until provincial funding was cut in 2010.  “The Book Lady”, Mary Scheidegger, also made a generous personal donation to the program and arranged the ordering of the books through Usborne/For the Kids.

Salmon Arm Honda has also stepped forward to become a community partner in the “Books for Babies” program as they have offered to sponsor the purchase of the book bags.  Each family will receive a baby board book to share with their child as well as some community resource information in a handy book bag.

In partnership with Public Health, the book bags will be distributed to all Salmon Arm, Sicamous, Sorrento, and Enderby babies born in 2011.  The generous community donations from Browne Johnson Land Surveyors, Mary Scheidegger, and Salmon Arm Honda demonstrate that it truly takes a community to raise a child.  Thank you!

Photo by James Murray – Salmon Arm Observer