by Dale Ho, Ho. RECE
"Let's sound it out together" granddad would say as he sat and read the newspaper with me every chance he got.
"Let's sound it out together" granddad would say as he sat and read the newspaper with me every chance he got.
These
moments were marked as some of my earliest and most memorable experiences
learning to read.
Time
and patience were always his strongest suit and he wore it well.
I
caught up with a few familiar faces to ask them what their most memorable
moments were growing up sharing stories with family and how these experiences
shaped their love of literacy today.
 |
| Timber King André |
Most
of you will recognize him as Timber King André Chevigny, one of the many faces of HGTV's Timber Kings and General Manager of Pioneer Log Homes of BC, a team responsible for crafting some of what I believe to be the world's most beautiful custom log homes in my humble opinion.
Storytelling
has been and continues to be an age old tradition that is handed down from
generation to generation and his father often told these stories well; Stories
of growing up and of the great outdoors, hunting and fishing...clearly just
some of André's earliest and most memorable experiences growing up, stories he
now shares with his own family.
Sharing
stories connects us all and it is now his love of sharing stories that
continues to inspire a generation of leaders to follow; from sharing stories
with his own children to sitting in an auditorium filled with eager youth just
as he once remembers himself.
 |
| Author, Lois Peterson |
Author,
Lois Peterson has enriched not only our bookshelves but our lives with titles
such as; Meeting Miss 405, The Paper House and her latest book; Three GoodThings to name a few of our favorites.
What
was her most memorable moment and how did that impact her love of literacy
today?
"The
day I watched my father recite a John Donne poem to my sleeping infant
daughter, I realized that he must have done just the same thing for me when I
was a baby, planting in me the seeds of love for words, stories and
poetry."
 |
| Meet Lorraine! |
Meet Lorraine Pond, mom to two busy pre-schoolers who currently
lives with her husband and young family in Vancouver, BC. She is also one half
of three-time JUNO nominated Canadian children's music duo, Bobs & LoLo.
Recently named Canada's Favourite Kids' Entertainer in a nationwide poll by CBC
Music, Bobs & LoLo are dedicated to connecting children to nature with
music, movement and make-believe.
"What
does literacy mean to me?"
"It sounds odd but I always loved spelling tests in school. I loved the challenge. I loved learning the rules and all the exceptions to the rules like “i before e except after c”. I loved the stickers at the top of the page for a job well done. I loved trying out new vocabulary in conversation with my family and seeing if I could stump anyone on the meaning – particularly my younger brother.
"It sounds odd but I always loved spelling tests in school. I loved the challenge. I loved learning the rules and all the exceptions to the rules like “i before e except after c”. I loved the stickers at the top of the page for a job well done. I loved trying out new vocabulary in conversation with my family and seeing if I could stump anyone on the meaning – particularly my younger brother.
Books
and reading were a part of my life long before spelling tests. My mom began
taking my brother and I to story-time at the local library when we were very
young. I can still recall the excitement of making our book choices and hauling
our literary loot up the hill each week.
I
credit my interest and success as an early reader to my mom’s love of books.
She always had a novel in hand on family holidays and road trips. By early
elementary school, I was an avid reader and flew through book after book by
childhood favourites like Beverly Cleary, Judy Blume and Ann M. Martin.
Today,
history repeats itself as my husband and I spend time reading to our young
children. And my love of words carries over to my professional career as a
songwriter, educator and children’s performer. Through song, I use words to
express emotion, share stories and teach new ideas. My partner in music, Robyn
Hardy (Bobs) and I wrote about the magic of language and literacy for our
Action Packed album in a song titled “World of Words”. I’m honoured to share
some of the lyrics below in this celebration of literacy."
World of
Words by Bobs
& LoLo
Once
upon a time they say
Or
happily ever after
The
moral of the story is
That
every word does matter
Nouns
and verbs and adjectives
Are just
building blocks to me
It’s the
magic of the words themselves
That makes
me want to read
Fairytales
and mysteries
Adventure
books and ghost stories
A world
of words on every page
Where
imagination sets the stage
Novels
that are big and small
With
practice you can read them all
Each and
every book I read
Has a
life of its own
The
first word only plants the seed
For each
story or poem
A book
is more than just a thing
It’s
like a newfound friend
That I
visit every day
Until I
reach the end
Fairytales
and mysteries
Adventure
books and ghost stories
A world of
words on every page
Where
imagination sets the stage
Novels
that are big and small
With practice you can read them all.
Everyone has their very own story, one that's unique to them...
I want to send out a HUGE thank you to André, Lois and Lorraine for sharing theirs with us and being a part of the celebration of Family Literacy Month...Literacy is a family affair.
I want to send out a HUGE thank you to André, Lois and Lorraine for sharing theirs with us and being a part of the celebration of Family Literacy Month...Literacy is a family affair.
Dale
