When I was a kid, I had a subscription to a nature/environment kids' magazine, and I remember knowing roughly when it was about to arrive. Every day after school, I would look up at the mail box, hoping to see the one piece of mail with my name on it. Because really, it was the only mail I got, and when you're a kid, there's nothing like getting mail addressed to you to make you feel like "you've arrived."
So I was very excited to try these 3 magazines, and of course, the day after I showed them to my kids, I ended up subscribing to two of them. I subscribed to Humpty Dumpty for my 5-year-old boy. It's aimed at ages 5-7, but I feel he's ready for most of it. He was a very early reader, and I feel like he could really get into the whole community part of the magazine (like sending pictures to the editors). I also got a subscription to Turtle, which is aimed at kids 3-5 for my just-turned-3 girl, because I couldn't get a subscription just for the boy. She still seems a little young for most of it, but she's getting there. And she called it "My book," which was cute and made my doubts about getting the magazine disappear. No one can say No to a 3-year-old girl reading a magazine by herself on the couch.
The third magazine I was sent, Jack and Jill, is aimed at ages 7-12. Maybe in a couple of years...
Each of the magazines has just won a 2013 Parents’ Choice Award from the Parents’ Choice Foundation. And here are some words from the email I got:
Turtle, Humpty Dumpty, and Jack and Jill are published by the nonprofit Saturday Evening Post Society based in Indianapolis. U.S. Kids magazines encourage children to strive for excellence and are designed to promote creativity, personal fitness, and academics among children in a format that is entertaining and engaging.
Can't argue with that. There are art projects, science projects, poems, comics, contests, mazes, spot the differences, and like I said, a sense of community. And the mail is addressed to your kid, which is the best part.
It's a little short, especially considering issues come out every 2 months, but I'm sure my kids will be happy no matter what. And this link will get you to a subscription form for $10 per year, which should help make your decision. I just got my two subscriptions using that link.