Dear Parents and Guardians:
In each issue of Ranger Rick Jr., there is an adventure with Ricky Raccoon and his friends. This month, Ricky, Flora Skunk, Mitzi Mink, and Bizzie Beaver discover an eagle’s nest high in a tree.
Reading these stories with your child can be more fun if you use different voices for the characters and act out some of the adventures. Try using deep voices for Ricky and Bizzie and higher voices for Flora and Mitzi.
Using hand and body motions while reading can add drama to a story. As you read about Ricky climbing the tree, point to the tree on page 20 and move your hands as if you were climbing the tree with Ricky. Then, after pointing to the drawing on page 21, hold your hand above your eyes while Ricky and you peer into the nest.
If you duck down as the mother eagle flies over the friends to catch a fish on page 22, your child may duck as well. This kind of interaction can enhance your child’s imagination and increase the enjoyment of reading.
A drawing on page 23 shows the mother eagle feeding the two eaglets. Explain that eagles in real life do this as well. The photo at right is a screen capture from a live webcam of an eagle’s nest in Decorah, Iowa. If you can, show your child the Internet site so you can see how the eaglets are growing and changing.
Mike Wilson, Founder
Prekindergarten Reading Encouragement Project
PREP – Helping childhood literacy one family at a time.