In this bulletin the Campaign for Learning’s Family Learning Festival team brings you news about possible activities to match the themes for this year's Family Learning Festival. We’ve also got updates from the National Year of Reading, UK online centres and the RNID. If you didn’t receive our previous bulletins, find out what you’ve missed. And don't forget - keep clicking for more updates on the Family Learning Festival website www.familylearningweek.com

Activity Ideas

The umbrella theme for this year's Family Learning Festival is ‘Challenge’. The Family Learning Festival promotes the benefits of challenging your own knowledge and skills as well as those of other family members. Organisers can use the theme of challenge to organise events on one or more of topics - creativity, the environment, wellbeing and new media and technology.

If you are stuck for what to do why not try our themes or the updated A-Z of activities section on our website for some inspiration.

Activity Ideas from AccessArt

AccessArt specializes in creating visual arts learning resources for use at home, in the community, or in schools. Their website contains many free resources that involve drawing, sculpting, and photograhy. Visit www.accessart.org.uk for more information.

Planning materials and much more

Materials are now available to order from our website. You can order materials individually or choose our packs, designed to match the size of your event. All materials will be sent out from the 1st September except planning materials which will be sent to you within a week of ordering.

Google Family Learning Festival map

Register your event and you could be one of the first on our brand new Google Family Learning Festival map – which launches mid August. This will be promoted to families via www.welovelearning.co.uk

National Year of Reading

Get co-ordinated

Each authority has an NYR Coordinator to coordinate activity and lead planning for local events and projects and to champion the NYR locally. In most areas the Coordinator has formed a steering group, bringing together partners from across the council and from external organisations.  The steering groups are a great forum to raise awareness about projects, to map local need and opportunities, share resources and discuss ideas. Please contact the NYR Coordinator in your area and ask to join the group visit www.yearofreading.org.uk for details of the coordinator for your area.

Summer Reads

Create a reading garden ready for the Family Learning Festival. Families, individuals and organisations can create their own reading garden by downloading a free Reading Spaces Toolkit. This is a practical instruction guide with advice on planting and design.

Tell your Tale

National Year of Reading’s search for the nation’s most enthusiastic amateur storyteller will be taking them to Plymouth on 6 August. Encourage parents and carers over the age 18 to take along their favourite storybook to West Hoe Park to get filmed. Tours will continue until October. For more information on our tours around the country or to upload your entry visit www.yearofreading.org.uk

Get in touch

The Family Learning Festival Team is happy to answer any questions you may have about organising a Family Learning Festival event. To get in touch call Jamie on 020 7766 0014 or email: jhwright@cflearning.org.uk

24 October is Get online day!

Get online day aims to get families online and enjoying ICT together. The idea is to get people into UK online centres and show them how families can save time, hassle and money online - and have fun in the process! The main focus of Get online day is Challenge the Walkers, an online game where people get to explore the internet, and get the chance to win a laptop prize.

Why not partner with a UK online centre to deliver a Get online day event for your community? Call 0800 77 1234 to find your nearest UK online centre.

Action for Prisoners' Families celebrate Family Learning

This year the Campaign for Learning are joining Action for Prisoners Families to promote the Family Friendly Prison Challenge, supporting prisons to hold family-oriented events and visits. Family Learning provision for offenders provides a stimulating context for learning. There is conclusive evidence that it effectively sustains interest and commitment to learning, supports and develops family relationships and improves offenders' behaviour. It can also be a powerful tool within prisons to promote positive communication. Prisons can join the celebrations with activities from holding a Big Picture Party to recording bedtime stories.

Prisons holding events will also be eligible to enter the award for the Best Family Learning Festival Award for Working with Offenders sponsored by Action for Prisoners Families. To help you start planning download our special family learning planning guide for prisons. You can also contact jessica@actionpf.org.uk for more information about the Family Friendly Prison Challenge.

Free resources from the Royal National Institute for Deaf People

If your Family Learning Festival event is raising awareness of deafness or involves music or signing, the RNID can offer you:
Fingerspelling bookmarks
'What are you listening to?' postcards
Telephone hearing check postcards

To order materials for free, please contact 0808 808 0123 or use textphone 0808 808 9000 or email informationline@rnid.org.uk