Dear Parents and Guardians:
October can be an exciting time as children look forward to Halloween. When you read the Ricky and Pals story “Halloween Tricks” on pages 22-25 of this month’s Ranger Rick Jr., it will be more fun for your child if you use scary and animated voices for Bizzie Beaver, Flora Skunk, Ricky Raccoon, and Mitzi Mink. What is your family doing for Halloween?
Here are two more suggestions for reading the magazine with your child:
1. The photos on pages 6-11 illustrate how foxes live during each season of the year. Ask your child to tell you what they see in the photos that identify the seasons. For example, the fox on page 8 is covered with snow, so it must be winter. Discuss what your family does differently in each of the seasons. In fall, we enjoy Halloween and Thanksgiving. Winter means we have to wear heavy clothing to keep warm. We see new flowers and trees bud in the spring. And in summer’s warmer weather, we spend more time outdoors.
2. There are a lot of different birds in this month’s issue of Ranger Rick Jr. As you turn the pages of the magazine, ask your child to find all the birds. See pages 2, 12-13, 14, 15, 16-17, 21, 27, 28, 32, and 33. How are the birds alike? How are they different? Birds make different sounds. Help your child mimic the owl calls shown on pages 16-17. What other flying animals can your child find in the magazine illustrations? (Answer: bats and butterflies)
Enjoy the fall season with your family by going outdoors to look at the changing leaves.
Mike Wilson, Founder
Prekindergarten Reading Encouragement Project
PREP – Helping childhood literacy one family at a time.