Magazines

Greetings!
I hope you are all rested and ready for school again. This week I am going to talk about periodicals. These can get quite pricey and we can wonder if it is worth the cost. I happen to think that magazines are worth the price, at least the ones I am going to share with you. I am not going to address magazines for teachers or adults, just ones for children and young people.
If I could have only three magazines in my library, I would choose these three. All three can and should be kept for future reference and will be a great addition to your library for a low price. We process these and check them out like a book. You can request single review copies to check out what the magazine is like by going to the websites.

1. Cobblestone – This is published by The Cricket Group and focuses on American History for ages 9 – 14. The cost is $33.95 for 9 issues. This magazine is one that will be kept and used for research and supplementary material so the cost isn’t as bad as you might think.

2. Kids Discover – Each issue presents a single nonfiction subject in full color photographs along with activities and interesting articles for ages 7 - 12. Subjects are from Science, Social Studies and Reading. This is another magazine that can and should be kept for reference. The cost is $19.95 for 12 issues. You might find copies at used book stores or thrift stores.

3. Appleseeds – Another publication from The Cricket Group which focuses on kids around the world and through time. Geared toward kids aged 6 – 9 and costs $33.95 for 9 issues. Subjects from 2010 include Outer Space, Medieval times, Farms, and Spies.

Those three magazines cover grades 1 – 8 and the subjects of history, science, social studies, and reading. But if I found money for three more magazines, I would then add:

4. National Geographic Kids – At a special cost of $15.00 for 12 issues, this is a very good deal. The regular price is normally around $34.00, but today (January 4, 2011) I checked and the magazine is on special. This covers topics in science, nature, and animals.

5. Faces – This is yet another from The Cricket Group. Faces deals with different cultures around the world. Issues usually have titles like Peru, Bolivia, Scandinavia, or Vietnam. The magazine discusses the different ways people live, dress, study, play, eat, and work in the country. You get 9 issues for $33.95.

6. Dig –If you have students who are interested in ancient history and archeology, this is a great resource to have. For students aged 9 – 14, this is yet another offering from The Cricket Group. Nine issues for $33.95.

Just these six magazines cost over $170.00 which is a lot of money. If your budget can’t handle this, see if you can get some church families to sponsor one subscription. If you had ten people donate just $10.00, you would already have $100.00 toward these subscriptions. What about a bake sale? Have students bring in loose change for a week or two. Be creative and see what you can do to bring good quality reading to your library.

I can hear you now wondering about old classics like Ranger Rick or National Geographic. I haven’t forgotten them at all. I know that likely someone in your school or church gets one or both of these magazines and would be willing to donate them when they are finished. We get National Geographic through a parent donation. The reason it works for us is that the parent arranged to donate his issues when he is finished with them. We have the same parent donating every time, not one parent here and there. You likely have someone who would be happy to help the school with the donation of National Geographic. Ranger Rick is also one that many parents get and may be willing to donate their issue to the school.

Don’t forget the obvious magazines like Winner, Listen, Primary Treasure, Guide, and Insight. Winner (for kids) and Listen (for teens) are health magazines with an Adventist focus. You can subscribe to them through the conference office if you aren’t already getting them. Primary Treasure, Guide, and Insight are the story magazines with Bible lessons that are given weekly at Adventist churches. You might pick up an extra one each week at your church, or even order a copy for the school through the church. It may be that a student would be willing to donate their copy when they are finished.

Set up a way to accept these donations. You may not always want them to be handed to you especially if you are in class when they arrive. Is there a box that the people can put them in? Should they bring them to the library or the office? Also, decide what you might do if you get extra copies. Some can be given away, or used for cutting out pictures.

I have a few more magazines to share next week.
Have a great week,
Audrey
Sdalibrarian.blogspot.com