magazines for inquisitive 5 1/2 year old?

[akmbloom]

I'm wondering if anyone has suggestions for a magazine subscription for my very bright, accelerated-reading, loves animals and music and art 5 1/2 year old daughter... we have a new baby coming in February and were thinking this would be a good way to ensure she gets new quiet time activities on a regular basis... we were thinking maybe National Geographic Kids, or Ranger Rick. New Moon seems to be for a little older demographic, but she'd like a thoughtful girls' magazine as much as a magazine about animals. She also likes activities/puzzles, and we liked the Highlights Puzzle Buzz when we got it for a while, but it's a little expensive. Ideas?

[momto4plus4]

We've like Ranger Rick. We also get the basic Highlights (G-ma buys it) and Clubhouse Jr. by Focus on the Family.

[leighi123]

For a reading magazine I LOVED Ladybug Magazine, and then Cricket Magazine when I outgrew that.

Ds likes the National Geographic one. We also get the 'My Big Backyard' one, but I think we will try Ranger Rick when I need to renew, b/c the backyard one is already too babyish for him (he is 3, but smart)

[Pavlovs]

I really like Click magazine, but it is kind of expensive (a friend got it as a gift for our son). It's all about nature which my son really likes.

[puffingirl]

DD gets Ladybug and loves it. Ranger Rick is great for the animal stuff that you mentioned. Magazine subscriptions are such a great gift--new stuff to read all year!

[beanma]

Don't get National Geographic unless you want a lot of ads for video games/Pokemon/movies, etc. Big pass on that one around here.

We've had subscriptions to Your Big Backyard and Ranger Rick and like them both for animal stories and articles.

We love all the magazines from the Carus Publishing (www.cricketmag.com), Ladyboug, Spider, Click, Ask, Cricket, etc. Can't say enough good things about 'em.

Don't think you're looking for New Moon yet. It's a crunchier alternative to Seventeen and mags of that ilk with a fair amount of mainstream influence. The latest issue has an article about the right age to start wearing make-up and popularity. Not what I'm looking for right now although I know thoughtful MDC-like folks who love it for their girls.

Anyway, I'd suggest Ladybug, Ranger Rick or Your Big Backyard, or Click. All of these are completely ad-free. I don't think Your Big Backyard is too babyish at all for a 3 year old, leighi123, so you must have a really bright 3 year old! My almost 7 year old first grader still likes Your Big Backyard and can now start to read it to herself. Ranger Rick is great, too, though. We've let out subscriptions lapse to those right now and just get Ladybug and Spider. My dds absolutely love them. I think we'll get a Carus mag until they move away to go to college. They have them all the way through teenagerdom.

[akmbloom]

thanks for the suggestions! I'll probably get one and ask Grandma to get one for a holiday gift.

[Oubliette8]

I loved Ranger Rick as a kid. Zoobooks were a hit too. Although, they started to repeat after a few years. I was also thinking, does she have a favorite animal? There are a few animal specific magazines for kids too. If she's horse crazy for instance there are several magazines just for young kids who have or are interested in horses. I've also seen a dog magazine that's aimed just at kids.

[bobandjess99]

we like zoobooks, we get highlights high five, we like big backyard. I think ranger rick and regular highjlights would be too advanced, unless your childs reading level is at least 2nd grade or so? unless of course you plan to mostly read them TO your child, rather than the child reading it their self.

[lonegirl]

Here we have Chirp (3-6), Chickadee(6-9) and Owl (9-13)
I loved Owl as a kid and my neices love Chirp and Chickadee (one is 5yo one is 7yo)

[mommy_to_2angels]

Highlights is great! My daughter gets the puzzle magazine, the basic highlights and the regular highlights magazine. She is just learning to read, sounding out words and sounds. But she adores puzzles and search and finds. These are great and very stimulating for her.

[Holiztic]

Spider looks great to me! DS is 3.5 so we're thinking of getting Ladybug (we get High Five and he loves it). We'll probably continue with Highlights and Spider when he's 5 or so.

[squimp]

We like Click and Ask (both from the publisher of Cricket). Our library has all of them in back issues available to check out - that's a good way to try them out.

[PatchChild]

Ladybug, Cricket, Click, and hat whole family of magazines are great. DS is only three and he's off the walls when his come in. We get Cricket and Click, so that is one fiction and one non-fiction. Lots of great stories, no adds.