Day out with Thomas

Today was a very special day for Abhay, his friend Suhas and other little boys living in the Portland area– they got to ride with Thomas, the tank engine! Of course, the day out with Thomas was planned in advance with tickets booked almost a month before lest they get sold out. Ever since Abhay got to know that his favorite engine’s coming to town, not a single day went by without him asking if it was time to meet  Thomas! So as we woke up this morning, we felt relieved that our answer was not going to be disappoint him again! So we got on the road and drove for almost two hours to a place called Hood River to board the Mount Hood Railway pulled by the world’s most famous blue engine! Though the weather was not at its best, the turnout was quite significant with mostly young boys between the ages of 1-5 frenzy with excitement to  ride No.1 engine of Island of Sodor, shake hands with Sir Topham Hat, get their favorite Thomas tattoo and of course make a station stop at a place that is every parent’s nightmare - the Thomas toy store ! 

A day out with Thomas mandates reading a Thomas book. So today, I had Abhay read a couple of mini-early reader books from “On Track with Phonics”. These books are similar to the Bob books meant for emergent Readers and are in fact much better as they are based on stories from Thomas and friends. This early reader set comes with twelve mini books and a parent guide to help your pre-schooler step into reading. These books initially begin with simple stories and short vowel sounds and gradually progress into long vowel sounds and slightly complex plots. Well, simply put, if you have a who son eats, breathes, sleeps and dreams Thomas and you want him to start reading – get him on track with Phonics!