Dear Parents and Guardians:
As the end of the year and winter approach, the cooler temperatures remind us that the leaves on the trees are changing color and that Thanksgiving is coming. Ricky Raccoon and his friends can help you share the season with your child in the Turkey Trouble story on pages 20-23.
Ricky’s pals made pictures using things from nature–leaves and acorns. Take your child to gather colorful leaves, and ask the child to name the leaf colors and see if he or she can identify maple and oak leaves. Look for children’s books in the library to identify leaves from other trees.
Using items from nature (leaves, acorns, twigs, seeds, stones), help your child use her or his imagination to make pictures like the story’s “star” and “happy face.”
Encouraging your child to find things in Ranger Rick Jr. will increase her or his interest in reading. Using pictures and numbers, have the child search for things in the magazine. Here are two suggestions:
- Show your child the table of contents “LOOK INSIDE” on page 2 and say you want to read about animals HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT that is on page 26. Show the child that the page numbers are on the bottom corner of each page by pointing to the number 3 on the next page. Ask the child to turn the pages until she or he finds page 26. You can write “26” on paper to help the child remember what the number looks while searching the pages. If the child had fun finding the page, go back to the table of contents to look for another article by its page number.
- On the back cover, Ricky asks readers to “Look Inside! Find three animals that are bathing.” As the child turns the pages, it is okay if she or he gets interested in other pictures. After stopping to look, remind your child that you are still looking for the “three animals that are bathing.” (HINT: The three animals are the rockhopper penguin on page 10, the elephant on page 24, and the orangutan on page 25.) Have the child write the page number where each bathing animal was found on a separate sheet of paper.
Enjoy the fall weather and colors,
Mike Wilson, PREP Founder
PREP – Helping childhood literacy one family at a time.