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Children everywhere love our Storysacks.  They are a fun way to engage children in reading and enjoying books. A Storysack is a bag that holds a children’s book, a non-fiction book related to the story’s content, an audio recording of the book and either store-bought or handmade (sewn, crocheted, knitted, etc.) props.  Each Storysack also has story extenders, or activities that are based on the… Read more.
Thank you to the 18 MLA Candidates from across our Territory who have taken the time to think about and respond to literacy and essential skills issues that face our population.  Please take a moment to read the responses and see what commitment the candidates in your riding are pledging to make for the 18th sitting of our Legislative Assembly.Download PDF (467 KB) - Kathryn Barry Paddock
In October, we held our three-day training on embedding literacy and essential skills in youth programs. The three days were filled with three facilitators, (Amanda from the NWT Literacy Council, Lisa Campbell and Sue Follinsbee, Evaluator) and people from the communities of Fort Providence, Yellowknife, N’dilo, Dettah, Whati, Nahanni Butte, Deline and Sachs Harbour. Our training was focused on… Read more.
I compile my kids’ artwork from school and home and I keep it in my scrapbook. Last week, after I returned from the Youth Literacy Training, I grabbed my scrapbook and both Jimmy and I browsed through our pictures. I told him that the NWT Literacy Council wanted me to share a blog on their website about how I encourage my children to be more creative with their drawings. In the fall, my Mom,… Read more.
Halloween is upon us! What this means for northern kids is planning a costume that will be big enough to fit over a snowsuit, planning the best route for trick-or-treating, and finding the biggest pillowcase in the house to fill with candy on Halloween night. There is a lot of excitement leading up to Halloween.  Why not harness some of that energy with some holiday-themed activities? Arts and… Read more.
2015 has been a difficult year for many literacy organizations across the country.  We have seen the shuttering of Literacy NL, Literacy Alberta, the Centre for Literacy, COPIAN (formerly NALD – the National Adult Literacy Database) to name a few.  The loss of national funding and support affected all provincial and territorial literacy coalitions, as well as national organizations.  Does this… Read more.
Guest blogger, Ollie Williams, started a new podcast series for two reasons:  to get to know interesting northerners, and to learn about books he might not know about otherwise. Can you tell a northerner's life story in five books? That's what we're setting out to do with From The Top, a new podcast series being recorded monthly at Yellowknife's Book Cellar. Northern personalities select five… Read more.
Imagine … babies, toddlers, caregivers, books, games and a bison all together! Playing, singing, telling stories, reading books, doing crafts and laughing. That’s what you’ll see when our Bison Bus Mobile Family Centre goes on the road. What is the Bison Bus? It's a mobile family centre that will tour northern communities that are accessible by road.  We will offer free family literacy programs… Read more.
Early childhood education and care has so many benefits it’s little wonder it’s an election issue both federally and territorially. The Feasibility Study of Universal, Affordable Day Care in the Northwest Territories outlines those benefits in the graphic copied here. This week’s CBC headline focused on the yearly costs to the government of making early childhood education and care (ECEC)… Read more.
NWT Literacy Week is a good time to consider what role literacy skills play in your life, and what you can do to support literacy.  We’re all impacted by literacy  – as individuals, family and community members, employees, employers and taxpayers. The adage “use it or lose it” is as true about our literacy skills as anything else.  If we don’t exercise them, literacy skills get rusty.  For me,… Read more.