Ronald the Rhino is the very first printed book from the Twinkl Originals series for the new Twinkl Book Club. It’s a completely original and beautifully illustrated story, with a ton of supportive teaching resources, and it features stunning AR technology! (I haven’t been this excited since the last Apple product launch!)
Ronald the Rhino; A Twinkl Original
We have actually read this story before, as it was previously published as a Twinkl Originals eBook. It’s a sweet tale about a rhino who lacks self-confidence and thinks he needs to be like other people to fit in. However, his friends, Leopard and Snake, convince him that he’s perfect just as himself. With gorgeous illustrations and rhyming prose, Ronald the Rhino is an engaging picture book for younger readers and a lovely message for circle time shared reading. It’s very versatile and could be used as the introduction to a KS1 Rainforest topic or a discreet PSHE reminder for older students – who would most definitely be interested in the augmented reality tech and could re-read an old favourite while playing with the AR app.
Playing with the Twinkl AR App
My kids are actually KS2 so I wasn’t sure how Ronald would be received, the second time around. However, the AR app (free on the iOS App Store) completely changes the whole experience and my children were instantly drawn to the interactive aspect. Frankly, even I was blown away by how fun it is to read with Ronald and his friends in 3D glory! We were enchanted to see Ronald, Snake, and Leopard come to life. I love how you can see every detail of their cute faces, and the kids loved trying to pick them up. (You can “hold” them in your hands!)
My elder child did the whole prenager thing, afterwards, and said it was good but older kids need more complex stories… and more AR pages. (Translation: the tech was really cool.) My younger child loved it and reckons that if you’re at least 4 years old then you could handle the app and read the book. He’s also confident that there’s no age limit as anyone would find the AR tech to be really fun. (To be honest, I agree; I’m way past the target age and I find it immensely fascinating!)
Augmented Reality Demonstration
The AR effects are so much fun; I’ve recorded a mini demo so you can see for yourselves! This was our favourite aspect of the picture book, and we thoroughly recommend it.
Ronald the Rhino Resources
You can simply enjoy Ronald the Rhino as a picture book, or a fun interactive AR story. However, you can also use it as a great teaching resource! It’s targeted at EYFS and KS1 but homeschoolers often have multiple children and a little bit of planning can extend these resources to fit your family’s needs. Pick some of your favourite activities. Think about how you can adapt them for younger children, or extend them to challenge older students.
Your preschoolers may enjoy colouring in (aka scribbling over) Ronald colouring pages, or sensory play with themed playdough mats.
Pencil control practice is great for EYFS and younger KS1 students. Make stick puppets with card and popsicle sticks. Your KS1 kids may be content with verbally retelling the story in their own words but your KS2 children may like to go a step further and write their own version or do a book review.
Differentiated worksheets can help stretch KS1 resources slightly up or down a year group. Minecraft, Terraria, and Roblox fans will probably enjoy pixellated mystery Maths hidden pictures. Let your KS1 students take their time. Set their KS2 siblings a challenge to see how fast they can race through revision sums. Finally, there’s no upper limit for poetry composition – good fun at any age!
I received this complimentary book, from Twinkl, for the purposes of reviewing it. However, all opinions are my own.
Twinkl Originals picture books are included in the Twinkl Ultimate subscription package at £101.88 GBP per year, or as a Book Club add-on to an existing Twinkl subscription. They’re also available as a standalone purchase from the Twinkl store at £3.59 GBP per book. (Prices correct at time of writing.)
October 15, 2017 at 7:04 am
Aww this looks a sweet app 🙂 Thanks for sharing at Welcome To The Weekend Blog Hop, hope to see you on Monday for our next blog hop 🙂