While reading this month’s Ranger Rick Jr., compare animal behaviors with those of humans. Here are a few suggestions as you turn the pages with your child.
Let’s read about chimps on pages 6-11.
- Chimps eat fruit, leaves, seeds, and insects. Ask your child if she likes to eat these things. Does she like to eat lettuce leaves? What fruits does she like? She may not want to eat insects.
- Chimps use their hands and feet to grasp things. Have your child try to pick things up with her feet and toes.
- Chimps walk upright, but they don’t stand up straight. Show your child how to curl your fingers and walk on your knuckles the way a chimp does.
Turn to pages 12–15 and read the “Ricky and his Pals” story together. Ask your child if she likes playing Follow the Leader. Does she prefer leading or following? Get up and play Follow the Leader around the house. Then encourage your child to play this game with a group of friends.
As you read pages 16–21, talk to your child about activities you enjoy when at the beach or a swimming pool. Connect the things you like to do with the animals shown in the photographs. For example, “Same as the oystercatcher, I love to walk on the sand and look for pretty shells.” Or “I love sitting in the warm sun like marine iguanas.”
After reading the entire article, ask your child which of these things she likes to do. If you’ve never been to the beach, encourage her to pick the three beach-time activities she’d most like to try. If you have a trip to the beach this summer, reread these pages before you go.
Mike Wilson, Founder
Prekindergarten Reading Encouragement Project
PREP – Helping childhood literacy one family at a time.
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