C’est la semaine de la cabane! It’s fort week in the VIRTUAL library learning commons! Click on image and read below to learn more:
Many of our students are returning to school this week while others will be staying home. What a better way to welcome everyone back than with a Library Learning Commons Fort Challenge:
Keep on reading to find out more information about our contest!
Why Build a Fort?
Building forts, whether out of blankets, boxes, or pillows, was one of my most favourite things to do as a child. In fact, building forts are good for us and can provide us with a safe place to escape. In the article, “Why kids love building forts — and why experts say they might need them more than ever” published in the Washington Post on May 18th, 2020, fort building can “reflect children’s growth as individuals; they create a “home away from home,” free from parental control. Forts also foster creativity.”
IKEA created a wonderful fort guide for children over the lockdown to encourage people to stay home: 
This week I have to feature read alouds in our Virtual Learning Commons. The first is one of my most favourite picture books, “Everything You Need for a Treehouse” written by Carter Higgins and illustrated by the talented Emily Hughes:
Packed full of wonderful ideas for forts, “Everything You Need for a Treehouse” is a must listen before beginning your fort building.
Another featured story this week is the charming, “Fort Building Time” by Megan Wagner Lloyd and illustrated by Abigail Halpin:
So draw up some plans and get building!
École Mount Prevost’s LLC Blanket Fort Challenge
Our Blanket Fort Challenge is meant to build creativity and fun while fostering the love of reading and stories. The guidelines for the challenge are as follows:
- Use can use whatever you want to build your fort. It does not have to be from blankets only.
- You can build your fort inside or outside your home.
- You can build your fort with your siblings. Each sibling will be entered individually for the family fort.
- If you cannot build a fort for yourself due to space or time, you can draw a fort or build a fort from Lego, blocks or toys.
- You can build a model fort from cardboard or recyclables.
- Take a picture of your fort and send it to Mme Zibin at dzibin@sd79.bc.ca for a chance to win a $25, $15, or $10 gift certificate from our local bookstore, Volume One Books!
- Photos of your fort are due no later than Monday, June 8th by 7 pm.
How to Earn More Entries
You can earn more entries into the draw by including the following:
- Extra entry if we can see you reading a book in the fort. BOOK COVER SHOULD COVER YOUR FACE for privacy reasons. BOOK COVER SHOULD BE VISIBLE to help promote the book.
- Send in a design sketch of your fort to show your planning.
- Listen to ALL of the fort stories in this week’s virtual library. Send in a list of all the titles you listened to and include the author’s names.
- Create a video tour of your fort, explaining the special features.
Each bullet will earn you an extra entry. Please submit your work to Mme Zibin at dzibin@sd79.bc.ca by Monday, June 8th at 7 pm.
If you would like to contribute your child’s weekly reading responses to our Friday gallery, please visit the “Submitting Work” page for more information.
I’m going to build a fort too! I’ll share it with you later in the week.
A big thank you to SW and JW for allowing me to use their blanket fort to promote the challenge. Thank you to mom, TW, for the photograph.
Have a great week and I look forward to seeing those that return,
🙂 Mme Zibin
