Dear Parents and Guardians:
There are many fun activities for the family using the Halloween theme found throughout this month’s Ranger Rick Jr.
- Plan your child’s Halloween costume as Ricky and Pals do on page 23.
- Carve a pumpkin to look like the one on page 24.
- Make Fruity Jack-o’-Lanterns as described on page 25.
- Turn your carved pumpkin into a bird feeder shown on page 35.
Use this month’s Ranger Rick Jr. to help your child learn about animals that live in a swamp. Turn to pages 6-7 and ask your child to name the six animals. If your child doesn’t know the animal’s name, ask him or her to describe the animal. (Answers might be “number 1 is a bird that eats fish” and “number 5 is a flying insect with big eyes”.) After spending a few minutes on pages 6-7, turn the page and read about each of the six animals. When you read that river otters “… like to eat fish and crayfish” on page 11, ask your child to find the picture of the crayfish. (See page 9).
You can also use this month’s Ranger Rick Jr. while spending time outside with your son or daughter. Turn to page 34 and look at the “Green Time” feature with your child. While walking together in the colorful leaves that have fallen from trees around your home:
- Encourage your child to touch the leaves and listen to them crunch beneath your feet.
- Ask your child to name the fifth sense that is not shown on page 34. (He or she has used this fifth sense to “see” the leaves.)
- Talk about how our bodies use senses to learn about the natural world. Ask your child what part of his or her body is used for each of the five senses.
Please use Ranger Rick Jr. to encourage your child’s imagination and to explore his or her world.
Mike Wilson, Founder
Prekindergarten Reading Encouragement Project
PREP – Helping childhood literacy one family at a time.