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Welcome to Vancouver Island Regional Library

Home / What’s Happening / Family Literacy Week is Here!

What’s Happening

  • Family Literacy Week
  • Teen Advisory Group

Just 15 minutes a day…that’s all it takes. 

Family Literacy Week takes place across the nation January 24-31 to celebrate adults and children reading and learning together. We’re encouraging everyone to spend at least 15 minutes enjoying a learning activity as a family. That’s all it takes!

Check out 10 things you can do with your family below…all conveniently available with your library card!

Also, ask a librarian about how your family can spend 15 minutes of fun together! See what’s happening at your local library below.

  1. Get Crafty. Find one of thousands of easy, at-home crafts you can do as a family! Visit VIRL’s Creative Bug online here: https://www.creativebug.com/lib/virl
  2. Ciao! Learn a new language…together! Visit VIRL’s Mango Languages to do fun, kid-friendly activities here: https://connect.mangolanguages.com/vancouver-island-regional
  3. Once Upon a Time. Check out one of our millions of books, graphic novels, comics and more at your library! Start your search here: http://search.virl.bc.ca
  4. Colour Your World. Fun colouring sheets are found here! Feel free to stay outside the lines (sometimes it looks cooler that way): https://virl.bc.ca/read-watch-listen/audience/kids/colouring-sheets
  5. Go Wild. Watch the beasts and beauty of the natural world with National Geographic Kids! Found here: http://natgeo.galegroup.com/natgeo/archive?p=NGMK&u=nana74814
  6. Gather Round, Everyone. Everyone loves a story told to them…have you ever thought about listening to an audiobook as a family? Get started with kid-friendly audiobook on OverDrive Kids: https://virl.overdrive.com/library/kids
  7. Animated Reading. A combination of movies and reading, sit down and giggle together with these fun animated books: http://www.tumblebooklibrary.com/autologin.aspx?userid=ZkGAekrpCfHbhTVKNStVlw%3d%3d
  8. Great, Great, Great, Great Grandparents. Learn your family history together! Dip into our free genealogy resource here: https://virl.bc.ca/electronic-resource-authentication/?db=anc
  9. Learn en Francais, together! Our Francophone resources are tres bonne. Check them out here: https://virl.bc.ca/read-watch-listen/audience/francais-world
  10. Welcome! For all our newest neighbours, our New Canadians resources for kids will entertain and delight! Multi-cultural literacy kits are available here: https://virl.bc.ca/read-watch-listen/audience/new-canadians/

What's Family Literacy Week All About?

Family Literacy Day is an annual celebration — founded by ABC Life Literacy Canada in 1999 and always held on January 27 — that raises awareness about the importance of literacy and encourages families to engage together in reading and other literacy-related activities.

At VIRL, one day never felt like enough, so we expanded our celebration to an entire week, starting on January 20 each year and ending on January 27.

From Sidney in the South to Haida Gwaii and Bella Coola in the north, VIRL’s Family Literacy Week is seven days of programs and activities that encourage library users of every age and ability to celebrate literacy and learning. And these days, literacy is about so much more than being able to read books. There’s digital literacy — such as coding and other forms of computational thinking — and the myriad other ways we have to find, comprehend, and communicate information in today’s rapidly evolving world.

What's Been Planned to Celebrate?

Take a look at our chock-a-block events calendar to see for yourself all the wonderful ways VIRL branches are inspiring and promoting literacy across our service area during Family Literacy Week, and every week in between.

Visit your local library to find out more!

Find a Branch

Family Literacy Week

Find a family event near you!

Family Programming

St Patrick’s Day Stuffie Sleepover Party
  • Start: March 7 @ 10:00 am
  • End: March 18 @ 4:00 pm
  • Recurring event
  • Audience: Children
  • Branch: Cowichan Lake
St Patrick’s Day Stuffie Sleepover Party
  • Start: March 8 @ 10:00 am
  • End: March 19 @ 4:00 pm
  • Recurring event
  • Audience: Children
  • Branch: Cowichan Lake
Virtual Storytime
  • Date: Monday, March 8
  • Time:
    10:30 am - 10:45 am
  • Recurring event
  • Audience: Children
  • Branch: All
Falling for Rapunzel Virtual Puppet Show
  • Date: Monday, March 8
  • Time: 10:30 am - 11:00 am
  • Audience: Children
  • Branch: All
Mother and little daughter reading book together in library
Family Bubbletime
  • Date: Monday, March 8
  • Time:
    11:00 am - 12:00 pm
  • Recurring event
  • Audience: Adults, Children
  • Branch: Masset
St Patrick’s Day Stuffie Sleepover Party
  • Start: March 9 @ 10:00 am
  • End: March 20 @ 4:00 pm
  • Recurring event
  • Audience: Children
  • Branch: Cowichan Lake
Baby Rhyme Time
Virtual Babytime
  • Date: Tuesday, March 9
  • Time:
    10:30 am - 10:45 am
  • Recurring event
  • Audience: Children
  • Branch: All
Real Time Reference
  • Date: Tuesday, March 9
  • Times:
    11:00 am - 11:30 am
    2:00 pm - 2:30 pm
    3:00 pm - 3:30 pm
  • Recurring event
  • Audience: Adults, Children, Everyone, Teens & Tweens
  • Branch: Creativity Commons
Mother and little daughter reading book together in library
Family Bubbletime
  • Date: Tuesday, March 9
  • Time:
    11:00 am - 12:00 pm
  • Recurring event
  • Audience: Adults, Children
  • Branch: Masset
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