Cooking Up Literacy on Digital Learning Day: Families Read, Cook, Sing, Move, and Learn Together

7 minutes ago

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What happens when families come together around books, food, music, movement, and conversation?

On Digital Learning Day, Cooking Up Literacy brought nine families and 31 participants to the Dacula Branch of the Gwinnett County Public Library for a joyful afternoon of reading, movement, music, healthy habits, and hands-on cooking.

What Happened

During the one-hour program, families participated in an interactive experience that combined reading, reader’s theater, singing, movement, vocabulary development, cooking, and healthy-habit learning.

The program was built around the What’s Stirring cooking book series and gave children and caregivers multiple opportunities to learn together through conversation and hands-on participation.

What Families Actually Did

Families:

participated in interactive reading and reader’s theater
sang and moved together
explored ingredients through literacy activities
learned new vocabulary
prepared their own Blueberry Chocolate Chip Parfaits
made Lively Lemon Mint Water
practiced measuring and following recipe directions
talked about healthy habits and hydration

The parfait was a clear favorite. Every family reported enjoying the experience of making it together.

Families also prepared a slightly different version of our Lively Lemon Mint Water using sparkling water instead of the spring water included in the original recipe, creating another fun opportunity to explore taste, ingredients, and hydration.

What the Evaluation Showed

At the end of the program, families completed a brief evaluation focused on three important outcomes.

100% of responding families said yes to all three questions:

Their family enjoyed learning together.
Their child learned something new about reading, cooking, or healthy habits.
After the program, they were more likely to read, talk, or cook together with their child at home.

For us, that final response is especially meaningful.

The goal of Cooking Up Literacy is not simply to create a fun event. It is to help families see everyday activities such as cooking, talking, measuring, reading, and singing as opportunities for learning and connection.

What Families Said

Families described the experience in their own words:

“Fun & interactive program for kids & family plus yummy snack!”

“It was very fun and interactive.”

“It is really fun to be here.”

“It’s super fun & healthy as a family together.”

“Fun and interactive way to learn about different ingredients and cooking recipes. We truly enjoyed it!”

“We enjoyed our Cooking Up Literacy event.”

Their comments reflect exactly what we hoped families would experience: learning that feels joyful, practical, and connected to everyday family life.

Why the Partnership Mattered

This event was possible because of strong community partnership.

We extend a special thank-you to the Gwinnett County Public Library for purchasing the food and supplies needed for the program and for creating a welcoming space where families could participate together.

We are especially grateful to Aidan Brack, Supervisory Librarian, for the behind-the-scenes coordination, preparation, and support that helped make the event successful.

We also thank Daniel and Alonna, coauthors of the What’s Stirring book series, who read, sang, interacted with participants, and stepped in throughout the program to support families and activities.

This event demonstrated what can happen when libraries and community-based programs combine resources around a shared goal: helping families learn together.

Families: Join Us at the Next Event

The stirring continues!

Families are invited to join us for our next Cooking Up Literacy experience on October 4 at the Gwinnett County Community Resource Center.

Come ready to read, sing, move, cook, taste, and learn together.

Partners and Funders: Help Us Reach More Families

Cooking Up Literacy brings together literacy, healthy habits, movement, family engagement, and hands-on learning in one accessible community experience.

The Dacula event showed both strong participation and promising family outcomes. With support from libraries, community organizations, sponsors, and funders, experiences like this can reach even more children and caregivers.

Support from funders, sponsors, and community partners helps provide the books, ingredients, learning materials, and program supplies needed to ensure families can participate in Cooking Up Literacy at no cost.

When families leave an event saying they enjoyed learning together and are more likely to continue reading, talking, and cooking together at home, that is an investment worth building upon.