Dear Parents and Guardians:

Every month Ranger Rick Jr. features wonderful pictures and stories about animals. However, this month I want to share two articles about plants and seeds.

On pages 12–15, Ricky Raccoon and his pals learn how plant seeds move to different locations. When Mrs. Cardinal says, on page 13, “This is the time of year when plants are on the move,” ask your child what she might mean. You’ve probably seen dandelion seeds drifting in the breeze or maple tree “helicopter” seeds floating to the ground.

Show your child the burrs sticking to Flora on page 14 and the seeds floating away from Bizzie’s puffball on page 15. Next time you and your child are walking in nature, look for plants with seeds.

On pages 16–21, you and your child will learn how important acorns are to animals. Acorns are oak tree’s seeds; and they are food for many kinds of animals. The animals also distribute acorns, so oak trees can grow in other locations.

As you read with your child, point to acorns being eaten by birds, mammals, and insects. Did you know that humans can eat acorns, too? They can grind acorn into flour that can be used to make bread, pancakes, and muffins.

Ask your child to name plant seeds he or she eats. Answers could be oats and rice breakfast cereals; wheat and rye flour for bread; peas, corn and beans as vegetables; peanuts and walnuts as snacks; and sesame and poppy seeds on our bagels.

Enjoy looking for seeds in nature and in foods.

HOLA! Read about the small, green treefrogs from page 6-11 in Spanish at RangerRick.org/TreefrogsSP.

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