Ribbit Reader

Zeke has been talking about getting the 'penguin book' from preschool for a few weeks now. I thought he meant a penguin-themed sight word book (he checks a new one out every week). But this is much more special. The 'penguin book' is a 60 page book all about the world around us, and it comes with a plush frog named Ribbit Reader. Along with making friends with Ribbit Reader and reading the book together, the other part of the assignment was to take Ribbit Reader on a special outing, and then to draw a picture of the adventure. 

We took Ribbit Reader on a trip to Costco, and to do some window shopping with Thomas toys. 

Here is his picture. We were drawing this late the night before it was 'due' because Zeke just couldn't draw the picture before we finished the book! He decided to draw Ribbit Reader. It was the first time I have ever seen him draw something from a model, and he kept consulting Ribbit Reader to make sure he had it just right.

Of course this learning experience wasn't just for Zeke, so I have to add some mom commentary. I had a lot of little realizations through this process, particularly with the book. It was a mini children's encyclopedia, including everything from the solar system to weather to animals and more. Most of it was new information for Zeke. Some if it he had never heard of before, like the earth rotating around the sun, and some of it built on concepts he already knows something about. I could see him making connections and thinking about some new ideas. If it was brand new, he was usually quiet and just listening. But if it was something he understood some of, he told me all about it. I love being able to watch my kids learn.