Dear Parents and Guardians:

Every Ranger Rick Jr. has lots of great photos and information about animals. Different features in the magazine present information in different ways.

The That’s Wild! feature on pages 4–5 showcases bite-sized facts about six different animals. The facts are written so that they are easy for kids to grasp and share with family and friends. Help your child engage with this month’s facts by doing the following:

Show your child a dinner plate (about 10 inches in diameter) when you read about a giraffe’s feet.

Tell your child that bamboo is a type of grass that pandas eat. Then explain this would be like your child eating a stack of raw celery. To see pandas eating, go to  https://rangerrick.org/rr_videos/giant-pandas-eating-bamboo/

Ask your child to stand and raise both hands, then say an ibex can jump that high without a running start. How high can your child jump off the floor?

On pages 16-21, you’ll find an in-depth article about elephant seals. It introduces children to this unusual animal and explains why they come ashore once a year.

After looking at the photos and reading the article, ask your child questions to build their comprehension skills. Some sample questions include:

• Do both father and mother elephant seals have long noses? No.
• Why do male elephant seals bump chests? To see who will be in charge of the beach.
• Why don’t the pups go back to sea when the adults do? They aren’t strong enough.

¡Hola! Read the story in Spanish at RangerRick.org/SealsSP

 

 

For more fun with your child, check out the Animals of Australia article on pages 6–11.

Mike Wilson, Founder
Prekindergarten Reading Encouragement Project
PREP – Helping childhood literacy one family at a time.
facebook.com/PREPDelaware