(Photo credit: Kent Simmonds).

By Stephanie Swensrude

FAMILY LITERACY

Free family fun for Interior Savings Unplug and Play Family Literacy Week

Jan 25, 2022 | 4:22 PM

KAMLOOPS — Billy Miner hopped on this train to rob it. How did he get on to the train? Will someone catch him? If not, where will he get off? What will he do next?

These are the kind of questions you’ll be asked when participating in the Alley Art Word Walk in downtown Kamloops. There are more than 30 murals within a radius of a few blocks downtown and these questions are meant to spark your imagination.

“With this activity it’s all about activities that get your creative juices flowing with creative thinking, and writing and literacy in general,” said Tamara Vukusic, curator of the walk.

It’s all part of Interior Savings Unplug and Play Family Literacy Week, a week of activities to get families up and moving and off of screens. Literacy in Kamloops (LinK) says this kind of creative play — done early — can set up a foundation for other skills to build upon.

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“The whole week is just a celebration as families as children’s first and most important teachers,” says Fiona Clare, literacy outreach coordinator at LinK

Some activities are online due to COVID. Families can get a craft kit from the library or a food kit from the Mount Paul Community Food Centre, and tune in to learn how to use it. Kids can even log on and learn magic tricks to show to their friends. It may be on a screen but the focus is still on connecting with family members.

“That’s how we build literacy and create memories,” said Clare. “Children love it when we connect, face-to-face with eye contact.”

In the downtown scavenger hunt, families will pick up a map from the library and walk around downtown to find eight letters. If you unscramble the letters and head to the Big Little Science Center (BLSC), you’ll win a prize and free entry.

With hands-on science activities that’ll make kids think, the Science Center offers opportunities to unplug and play all year long. The free pass can be used the day it is won or saved for future use.

“By unplugging and playing, it’s a chance to spend time together with your family, be creative and use your imaginations,” said Susan Hammond, operator of the BLSC.

The full list of free activities can be found on the Literacy in Kamloops website.