
Family Literacy Week Resources 2025
Family Literacy Week 2025 is a special time to celebrate reading and learning together as a family. This year, it runs from January 26 to February 2, with the theme “Learn to be Green, Together!” The focus is on learning how to take care of the planet.
Throughout the week, libraries, schools and community groups offer fun activities like eco-themed story times, workshops about living sustainably, book discussions about nature and crafts using recycled materials. These events helped families learn how to make greener choices while enjoying time together.
In this second part of a three-part blog series, you will learn about five resources available through the Decoda Library. Each resource focuses on nature and sustainability, along with fun, hands-on activities designed to bring these themes to life. Community resources will also be included in this blog article.
Loose Parts 3: Inspiring Culturally Sustainable Environments by Lisa Daly and Miriam Beloglovsky
This is a 12-chapter, five-part guidebook that shows how to create fun, welcoming and culturally rich spaces for children to learn and play. It focuses on using open-ended materials across various topics such as art, music, math, science and engineering that help children explore, create and play freely.
This book highlights how to make learning environments that respect and reflect the diverse cultures of the children and families involved. It shares practical ideas and beautiful photos to inspire educators to include materials and activities that celebrate different traditions and stories.
By combining cultural awareness with the principles of loose parts play, this guide helps teachers create spaces that honor diversity, encourage inclusion and help children connect with their own culture and the world around them.
Natural Curiosity: Building Children’s Understanding of the World Through Environmental Inquiry by Lorraine Chiarotto
This is a practical and inspiring 166-page guide for educators who want to deepen children’s connection to the natural world. The book promotes an inquiry-based learning approach, where children’s questions and observations drive their exploration of environmental topics. It contains four chapters, each promoting a new learning style such as inquiry-based learning, experiential learning, integrated learning and stewardship.
Chiarotto emphasizes the importance of outdoor learning and fostering curiosity through hands-on experiences. The book provides strategies, examples and tools to help educators create meaningful learning opportunities that integrate environmental education into the classroom. It also highlights the role of collaboration, critical thinking and reflection in developing children’s understanding of sustainability and their place in the world.
This resource encourages educators to support children in becoming active, thoughtful participants in their communities, helping them build a lifelong love for nature and a commitment to caring for the planet.
Nature-Based Learning for Young Children: Anytime, Anywhere on Any Budget by Julie Powers and Sheila Williams Ridge
This a 15-chapter comprehensive guide for educators seeking to integrate nature into early childhood education. The book highlights the many benefits of nature-based learning, including fostering curiosity, creativity, physical health and social-emotional development in young children. It also contains lesson plans, resource lists, websites and nature based recipes.
Powers and Ridge provide practical advice on creating outdoor learning environments, designing activities that connect children to the natural world and incorporating nature into everyday teaching practices. The book emphasizes the importance of unstructured play, exploration and building a connection to local ecosystems.
With real-world examples, strategies and resources, this book inspires educators to embrace nature as a vital part of early childhood education, empowering children to develop a deeper understanding and appreciation for the environment while building life long skills.
Nature’s Playground: Activities, Crafts and Games to Encourage Children to Get Outdoors by Fiona Danks and Jo Schofield
This is a creative and engaging 192-page guide filled with ideas to inspire children to explore and enjoy the natural world. The book encourages families, educators and caregivers to foster a love for the outdoors through fun and interactive activities suitable for children of all ages.
Packed with over 100 ideas, the book offers a wide variety of projects, from nature crafts and seasonal games to adventurous outdoor activities like building dens, scavenger hunts and creating art from natural materials. The authors emphasize using what nature provides such as sticks, leaves, stones and water which allows children to develop creativity, resourcefulness and a sense of connection to the environment.
The activities are organized by season (spring, summer, autumn and winter), making it easy to find ideas that suit the weather and the natural resources available at different times of the year. Other categories of activities include all year round and after dark. Danks and Schofield also provide safety tips and suggestions for encouraging children to take appropriate risks, explore their surroundings and develop confidence outdoors.
Nature’s Playground is a valuable resource for anyone looking to help children unplug from screens and connect with the outdoors. It offers a blend of practical advice, inspiration and hands-on activities that make spending time in nature fun, educational and deeply rewarding.
Spotlight on Young Children: Exploring Science edited by Amy Shillady
This is an 80-page book that helps teachers and caregivers guide young children as they explore science. It focuses on how children naturally ask questions and learn by experimenting, observing and playing. The book contains 14 activity-based articles each published by different authors to help give ideas on how to create fun, hands-on science activities that encourage kids to explore the world around them. It includes tips and examples to make science learning easy and enjoyable for young children. The goal is to help children develop curiosity and problem-solving skills while learning about science in everyday life.
Community Resources
- Family Literacy Week Proclamation by King Charles the Third
- ABC Life Learning
- Bowen Island Library
- Vancouver Island Regional Library
Support our Save IPALS Campaign
Due to the recent funding cuts from the federal government, Decoda has launched “Save our IPALS Campaign” and we really need your support. In our campaign, you can find ways to help such as:
- Donating directly to support the program
- Sharing a message to your MLA
- Sharing a message of support
- Spreading the message on social media like Facebook and Instagram
It is worth a read and we thank you for your time.
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