More Magazine Options

Hello,
Last week I gave you a list of magazines that I felt were worth getting for your school. This week I will continue with more magazines that I consider optional, but still may be worth your time and money.

You probably noticed a lot of options from The Cricket Group. I really like the magazines they put out. They do a quality magazine and children are usually interested in them. I would give one word of caution against getting every magazine they offer. They started in 1973 with Cricket magazine which focuses on quality literature for children. The editors choose a subject such as China and then select top authors and illustrators to contribute to the magazine in both fiction and nonfiction stories in each issue. So why don’t I have Cricket first on my list? I subscribed personally to Cricket for about 10 years when my son was quite young. I don’t have this on my list because about a third of the time the topic is one that is not appropriate for a Seventh-day Adventist school. Just for example one year the topics included magic, Gershwin, the queen, dragons, folktales, the USS Maine, dogs, rainforest, fairy tales, speaking with symbols, music, magicians, ghosts, whales, Ansel Adams, Paul Revere, hockey, ancient city of Petra, just to name a few. Those were from the year 2000 and were in about eight of the copies I have on hand. It seems that nearly every issue has some kind of fairy tale or folktale in it. My copies are sitting in magazine holders on one shelf in my cupboard. I have previously chosen stories that I wanted to use and read it to the classes, but I don’t subscribe to Cricket.

OK. On to other options from The Cricket Group. If you are looking for an arts and science magazine for children aged 6 – 9, you are looking for one called ASK. ASK includes lots of interesting information written in language easy for kids to understand. The subscription cost is $33.95 for 9 issues. This month is all about size. Why are things the size they are? Why is a mile a mile?

When students outgrow ASK, they next need Odyssey, the science magazine for ages 9 – 14. Each issue focuses on a theme and delves into lots of information about that theme. A recent issue is all about snow and has information on ice, snow, a snowflake contest, and much more.

We really like American Girl magazine here, but I also notice that the girls who love it the most often have their own subscription. This is why I didn’t put it higher on the list. It also is one that a student might donate after they are finished with it. Are you worried that it might look used? Never fear. My girls devour all issues even the back ones that are practically falling apart. I take out the extra inserts such as the tiny magazine or paper dolls and use them for prizes or gifts so having them gone isn’t a problem. For $22.95 you get games, crafts, stories, and more for a whole year.

In looking for a similar type of magazine for boys, one person suggested Boy’s Life. I do not have this and I do not have any information about it except the cost which is $24.00 for a year. I would request a sample magazine before subscribing and see if this is something you would like.

Instead we do have Sports Illustrated for Kids. This is an age appropriate (ages 9 – 12) magazine on sports. Cost = $24.95 for 12 issues.

Scholastic puts out a monthly magazine similar to Weekly Reader on Life Skills, Consumer Science, and Health geared to students in grades 7 – 12. The magazine is called Choices. This would be good for classroom sets since the cost is $8.95 for a year. A teacher’s edition is included along with activities and worksheets.

Weekly Reader has two magazines on health. One is for students in grades 4 – 7 called Current Health Kids and the other is for students in grades 7 – 12 called Current Health Teens. Both include teacher’s editions, activities, lesson ideas, and worksheets and come twice a month. Current Health Kids costs $37.95 and Current Health Teens costs $46.99. Sometimes they have special pricing and you can get good discounts.

That concludes my magazine review. I hope it has been helpful to you and that you have found something that will work for your school or classroom. Don’t forget to check out past postings on my blog at sdalibrarian.blogspot.com.
Have a great week,
Audrey