A magazine we really 'gopher'!

We have been getting Your Big Backyard Magazine for my 5 year old for about a year now, and I have decided to continue our subscription because she enjoys it so much.

We got an offer in the mail last year about this time offering us a subscription for a year for $19.95 for 12 monthly issues. My 5 year old enjoys getting a magazine every month with her name printed in the address label.

Your Big Backyard is targeted for children ages 3 to 7 years. I recall getting Ranger Rick as a child and enjoying it, but I felt like we were not old enough to get that magazine, which is suggested for ages 7 and up. There is also a Wild Animal Baby magazine, which is for ages 12 months to 4 years. But, I felt like Your Big Backyard was the choice for us because we are not quite old enough for Ranger Rick, but Wild Animal Baby looked a little juvenile for us.

How the magazine is set up:

This magazine averages about 30 pages each month.

The basic setup of this magazine is that on the inside cover there is a “what’s that?” section. This is where there is a different picture every month and you have to guess what it is, and you are given 3 clues. For example, the November 2006 issue has a raccoon’s back end hanging out of a hole in a tree. The three clues are a tree hole, a tail with rings on it, and feet that look like small people feet. To see what the ‘hole’ picture is, you have to turn to the back of the book to see that it is a raccoon.

On the next page, you will see the table of contents. The first section of the magazine will be about the featured animal of the month. This month happens to be about lions. There are six pages talking about them. After the feature section, there is a maze on the next page that features lions.

Then, every month there is a my little book section. This is where you can cut out the pictures and make a mini book of your own. Each month the little books have a theme, and this month’s theme is about the Grasslands of Africa, and the book has details about the animals living there.

Subsequently, every month there is a section called Adventures of Bonnie and Chester. Here, there are pictures that represent words in the sentences (there is a key at the bottom). For example, a picture of a blue bird means Bonnie.

After that, there is an ‘ever wonder?’ section. This section talks about why animals do certain things. This month asks the question “Ever wonder why turkeys gobble?” The answer being only male turkeys gobble, only in the spring to find a mate. But, turkeys use over 20 different calls to talk to other turkeys.


Every month, there is a pull out poster which you can keep, hang up, or what not. This month features a poster with Macaques (monkey).

Then, there is another section that investigates how we do something. This month features how we sleep, and has pictures of all different types of creatures sleeping. Squirrels, bats, hippos, mice, and owls.

Next, there is about a 4 page story, this month is about “Waiting for Blue Skies”, that you can read aloud to your children, or they can read themselves. These stories also have illustrations.

The next section is called “Crafty Creations”, about taking things from nature and making something. This month is about leaf critters- taking leaves and forming them into shapes of animals.

The “Family Fun Guide” takes up two pages, and it has songs (a tune about an animal sung to the tune of something else), book suggestions, crafts (this month is turkey napkin rings), and science experiments. Also, on the next page is a super science experiment about acorns.

On the inside of the back cover, you talk about the animal that was in the “what’s that?’ section of the magazine.

Also, on the back cover, it will have a factoid poem about an animal, this month being about a turkey.


Experience

Like I said earlier, we have really enjoyed this magazine so much, that I have renewed our subscription. My 5 year old loves getting her own mail, and seeing her name on the address label.

Also, this magazine gives us a chance to talk about animals, some we know about and others we have never seen before. Not only animals, but plants and flowers also. The text is setup in a way that younger children can understand it and not be bored. Very educational, and gives us something other than storybooks to read, getting her interested in different types of educational media. I also like having the craft ideas in the magazine, considering we do a lot of crafts here at home.

We save all our issues of this magazine, for when my 5 year old has her alphabet wall each week at school. Whatever letter she is studying that week, we go through our magazines and cut out pictures of animals that start with the letter of the week, send them to school, and everyone gets to share learning a new word with that letter.

I think this would make a nice gift for any child in the 3-5 range. It’s educational, interesting, and set up to where young children will not be bored with it.