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Sunset Elementary School hosted the twelfth annual literacy carnival Thursday night in an effort to show students reading can be fun and found in all different forms.

All four elementary schools and preschools participated.

With new takes on some old games like Twister, students incorporated reading while playing games such as bean bag toss, putt putt and fishing.

Twister became sight word Twister and was a favorite among students.

Preschoolers were introduced to reading recipes and students learned how singing karaoke involves reading.

Amy Jones, co-president with Kristin Allen of the Sagebrush Reading Council and Colorado Northwestern Community College sponsored the event, which along with games included face paint, prizes and the Moffat County High School Bulldog mascot.

“It’s just a night to celebrate fun and interactive literacy,” Jones said. “It shows parents how easy it is to engage their children in reading.”

Jones said she also liked that the event provided the opportunity for families to interact with teachers and principals outside of school hours.

On top of engaging students and families with literacy, the students who participated seemed to enjoy playing games and winning prizes.

“My favorite game was letter Twister,” Sunset third grader Natalie White said. “I like to read but I also like getting a lot of prizes.”

White’s friend, fellow third grader Amber Gonzales, said her favorite part of the night was having fun.

Which is exactly what Jones and other educators aimed to do.

“We’re trying to broaden the horizons of literacy,” Jones said.

Darian Warden can be reached at 875-1793 or dwarden@craigdailypress.com