On January 27th, 2022, Sudbury Catholic Schools celebrated Family Literacy Day. 

Family Literacy Day takes place annually to raise awareness about the importance of reading and participating in literacy-related activities as a family. 

At the start of the day, Grades K-3 classes were invited to participate in a virtual story-time on Zoom with Howard Binkow, the author of the Howard B. Wigglebottom series. Ten classes and over 100 students joined virtually to read and answer questions about the book, “Howard B. Wigglebottom Learns About Mud and Rainbows.” 

Together we learned that sometimes life gives us a rainbow, and sometimes it gives us mud.

The characters, Howard and Ally, taught students a practical lesson on making the best of things and making the best of any situation. In the book, Howard learned that he couldn’t change a problem, so to help his friend Ally, who has been experiencing a hard time, he learns to understand to be there for her by listening, being a good friend and being happy. 

The story was an excellent opportunity for students to learn that though you may not be able to control a problem in life, you can still have control by how you feel about it. 

After the story, students were given a mini test and were asked some of the lessons they learned. Sudbury Catholic students from all our elementary schools gave excellent answers. 

One student said: “If you find something you can’t change, you can change your mind instead.” 

Another student said: “When you can’t change the world, you can change your mind.” 

Since 1999, thousands of schools, libraries, literacy organizations and other community groups have taken part in Family Literacy Day and for a good reason. Taking time every day to read or do a learning activity with children is crucial to developing and improving a child’s literacy skills. Utilizing these essential skills helps a child reach their full potential, at school, at home, and in life. We’re happy and grateful to authors that help us create wonderful experiences for students to improve their literacy as well as their understanding of the world around them.

To learn more about the activities Sudbury Catholic Schools participated in for Family Literacy Day, click here.

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