Eco Kids planet is a
new monthly magazine for children but with a bit of a difference –
targeted at children aged around 7 to 12 years old, Eco Kids Planet
is a factual magazine packed full of science and nature facts,
activities and games. I think its an excellent magazine which has
the balance between education and fun for this age group just about
right.
Lara is just a touch on
the young side for Eco Kids Planet and was a little overwhelmed by
the volume of reading content but you could tell that she desperately
wanted to get going and find out more – finding out science “facts”
is a big theme at school for her at present and you could see her
eyes light up when she realised that this magazine would allow her to
practice her new skills AND learn about the world. She very much enjoys he challenge of reading new words and since reading these magazines she has been able to add a few tricky ones from the regular glossary feature including "meteorological", "meander" and "mollusc"!
Eco Kids Planet has a
different theme each month – sometimes a part of the world such as
the Alps, or the Amazon river, and sometimes a scientific phenomenon
such as “light” in nature or animal “superpowers”. Each
edition features animal facts, geography exercises, lots of beautiful
images from the natural world, board games, puzzles, stories and
step-by-step instructions for creative activities on the same theme.
One copy of this magazine would probably provide enough entertainment
for a week of school holiday fun for Lara.
I think it is brilliant
to see a children's magazine that isn't covered in cheap plastic
toys, or the beaming faces of television characters – this science
and geography magazine really appeals to Lara's inquisitive and
active side and her current thirst for knowledge. I also think its
good value for money, certainly compared to other children's
magazines – an annual subscription currently costs £29.90 but
there are special offers for your first few editions if you subscribe
by direct debit.
The magazine is glossy
and packed full of material – it feels much more like an adult's
magazine than a kids one, except for the noticable lack of
advertising (this, we like).
Lara has most enjoyed
the puzzles in Eco Kids Planet but she has also enjoyed looking at
the pictures of giant amazonian fish (great when your mother is a
fish-a-phobic) and awe-inspiring birds of prey. For the pages with
lots of text, we've read the magazine together and on a couple of
occasions this has prompted Lara to ask to go online to find out more
about the topic – we've used the magazine as a starting point for
learning about different types of dolphins, or what the biggest bird
is. As an adult, on the surface, the facts in the magazine are quite
high-level but for Lara, these are her first introduction to topics
such as rainforests, or avalanches and these facts are just the
beginning of her learning adventure.
If your child is
interested in science, nature or geography, or if you are looking for
something which will spark their interest in a different type of
reading (perhaps you've a keen reader who normally sticks to fiction)
then I'd highly recommend Eco Kids Planet.
