Ottawa - Family Literacy Day, on January 27, is a fixture in the calendar year at Ottawa Public Library (OPL) ever since its creation by ABC Life Literacy Canada in 1999. This year, OPL decided to stretch the occasion out to a full week ―from January 21 to January 27―when Ottawa families are invited to some special storytimes that take storytelling and storybuilding to the next level. Kids and their families will get to see Cubetto in action right from the comfort of their local library.
These days, parents are working hard to cut down on kids’ daily screen time. Instead of staring at a screen, alone, your children will be watching Cubetto make its way across a story map in the company of their new library friends. Primo Toys’ Cubetto is a robot designed to get preschoolers and their families to take part in an activity and watch as a story unfolds. Cubetto initiates preschool-aged kids to computer skills such as coding―sans screens!―by getting them to manipulate blocks to work out the logical progression of a story.
Family literacy is central to the Library. Involving parents and family members in reading and literacy games boosts young children’s ease and drive to read, write and learn.
Early literacy is a cornerstone of the OPL’s mission, and it constantly strives to find creative ways to encourage, spark and foster a love and desire for reading as a family. Teachers, parents, and childcare providers are encouraged to spread the word and join the OPL in celebrating Family Literacy. Learning is much more fun and rewarding as a family!
Check out the Find a Program or Event webpage for the full schedule of the Cubetto storytimes. For more information, visit BiblioOttawaLibrary.ca.