Excellent Magazine for Young Inquiring Minds

Move over Nickelodeon, American Girl, and even Sports Illustrated for kids. THIS is a magazine for which I'll happily fork over the $$ to have my daughter read it. (And, read it she does, the day it comes, and many articles, again, before passing it on to a friend.)

Yes, I'll admit, there are ads for junk food and mainstream movies and even "toys" (or "gear" as they're often called). BUT there's no getting around the fact that it's chock-full of real geography and science lessons, written in an oh-so-hip, kid-friendly language that it's as appealing as the mags I listed above. And, IMHO, it's a whole lot better for our kid's brains than your average Disney mag.

And, as a related aside, I have gone way overboard in indoctrinating my kids about how media of all types proffer hidden messages. For example, I've written for a variety of national magazines - some of which have a "name no brand names" editorial policy, and more that have a "name only the brand names of our advertisers" editorial policy. Now that's what I call stealthy - the only way to live, I think, is to call it like we see it, and raise informed kids who can think for themselves. All this to say - yes, NG for Kids has ads, and really great content.

Regular Content
"Ask Dr. Seymour Katz" is a regular column featuring a pet vet answering kid's questions--FROM THE PET's point of view. Well Done.

"Cool Inventions" features 2-5 new items/"gear"/toys each month; not very commercial, as most items listed aren't yet available--just focuses on the "wow" facture, a little on the "why/how" of each invention.

"Stupid Criminals" is my daughter's favorite regular page. It features 3+ criminals like the Elk Grove, California man who escaped from jail wearing streetclothes over his prison outfit. Later, he wore the jail uniform out on the town because he liked it so much, and locals called the police. The man was returned to jail with an added sentence for stealing the county's property!

"Sports uh-oh Funnies" is like sports bloopers, with NG's trademark high quality photos. "Funnies" features moments on the ice rink, football field, gymnastic beam, etc. etc.

"Wacky World" features "strange true stories from around the globe," and, like many of the mag's sections, this one is heavy on animals, bugs, and other natural notables, such as the blue lobster found in Bristol, Rhode Island--with the explanation that a rare (one in 3 million) gene turns some lobsters neon blue. Also, square watermelons from Zentsuji, Japan (grown inside square containers). Again, NG's photos are excellent, as expected.

Features you can count on focus on holidays and movie premiers--like the one that tied Harry Potter & Halloween lore.

Age/Grade Level
The magazine should appeal to a very good reader in 2nd grade, but is more appealing and appropriate for a 3rd- to 5th-grader. I think it would appeal also to older kids--maybe through sixth grade or so (??) but probably not beyond 7th grade (for most kids).

While my active, sporty daughter likes American Girl magazine quite a bit, National Geographic is perfect for her (by her own admission!) because it deals with a broader subject matter.

Etc.
I purchased the magazine subscription for a boy's 10th birthday party, and it has been a great hit ever since.

It's worth noting, I think, that NGKids has received a bevy of awards, including the EdPress 2005 Periodical of the Year, Parent's Choice Gold Medal, the Folio Excellence Award, and a Golden Lamp Award--the last two notoriously picky.

Finally, in the interest of baring all, I should note that this mom really digs reading each issue too! (Shhh! Don't tell my kids!)