Learning Opportunities

Spend your Saturday netWORDing together with other early literacy educators to deepen your knowledge about teaching reading. 

Navigating the Deep Dark Wood: Strengthening Read-Aloud Skills for Engaging Storytimes  

Presenter: Nancy Espetveidt, Mount Royal University

Step into the deep, dark wood as we bring The Gruffalo (Donaldson, 1999) to life through intentional, interactive picture book read-aloud practices. This immersive session in the university’s Immersion Studio will spark your imagination and help you refine your read-aloud skills. Join a cast of forest animals on a lively adventure—just be careful who’s looking for their next tasty snack!

"Cut, Paste, Create: Bringing Stories to Life Through Collage"

Presenter: Jennifer Stables: Children's Book Author-Illustrator | Early Childhood Educator

How can we spark children's imaginations and encourage them to explore storytelling? Join children's book author-illustrator and Teaching Artist, Jennifer Dale Stables for an interactive, hands-on session exploring the magic of collage as a tool for storytelling. Jennifer will share her creative process, offering practical insights on engaging young readers through art and illustration. She’ll also share examples from her latest project with Seeding Readers, where she guided a group of children in collaboratively illustrating a picture book through collage.

Cultivating Resilience and Flourishing in Everyday Life: A Workshop

Presenters: Suzanne Tough, Jessica Walsh, Zahra Clayborne - Departments of Pediatrics and Community Health Sciences in the Cumming School of Medicine at the University of Calgary

Decades of research by Suzanne Tough, PhD, and others have identified practical approaches known as the 3Rs: Routines, Resources, and Relationships. These approaches help people feel better, allocate more time for what matters, and make better decisions during challenging times. This workshop will provide an overview of these approaches and the science behind why they work. It will also offer participants opportunities to consider how to incorporate these approaches into their daily lives. By taking actions inspired by the 3Rs—such as establishing routines, making brief connections with others, or using community resources—we can enhance our well-being.

Conversational Turns are the Foundation of Early Literacy

Presenter: Janelle Wydeven, Early Talks Supervisor, YW Calgary

Learn the brain science behind how conversational turns accelerate language development, and how these connections support early literacy. Explore how to increase talk during your everyday interactions, how language input in infants scaffolds emergent literacy skills, and what you can start doing now.

Peeking into Reading Places

Presenters: Steacy Pinney, former ED Calgary Reads and Reading Place designer, and Paris Radmanesh, Coordinator, Little Red Reading House, Owerko Centre, UCalgary 

Come learn why where we read matters and how to create unique places, and small spaces, that inspire reading and create a sense of wonder for children and adults alike. Small changes in your surroundings, and knowing the 3Bs, can enhance the reading experience and give rise to book love. Join us in a joyful celebration of placemaking!