Web Watch:
Online Magazines for Children and Teens
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Like the fingerprints that show on the edge of my door frame, all of us are different--our families are different; our kids and young adults are different. Our tastes differ; our reading needs differ. We need choices. That's what we find in magazines. Bernice Cullinan, Magazines for Kids and Teens |
October, 2002 is the inaugural celebration of Children's Magazine Month, sponsored by the Association of Educational Publishers (AEP) and supported by the International Reading Association. AEP is launching this new initiative to "create heightened interest in magazines so that children, parents, and teachers will view magazine reading as a more valuable activity."
The issue that seems to underlie the need for Children's Magazine Month is whether or not magazines count as valuable reading material for children and young adults. When asked this question by the mother of a 13-year-old son who hated to read (with the exception of Sports Illustrated, which he read from cover to cover), Trelease (2001) stated "that it did count, that I had read (and saved) every issue of Sports Illustrated from the time I was thirteen until I was eighteen and that was where I first encountered Faulkner, Hemingway, and J.P. Marquand" (p. 161). As a matter of fact, Darigan, Tunnell, & Jacobs (2002) state that the 19th century children's magazine St. Nicholas set standards of excellence in the world of children's literature, "The best-known children's authors and illustrators contributed to St. Nicholas, and several novels appeared first in the magazine in serialized form, including Jo's Boys, by Louisa May Alcott, Sara Crewe, by Frances Hodgson Burnett, and The Jungle Book, by Rudyard Kipling" (p. 60). Similarly, Jack London wrote hundreds of short stories and essays for magazines.
But magazines do much more than simply count as good material for reading. Bernice Cullinan (1994), in her introduction to Magazines for Kids and Teens, wrote, "...magazines keep up with the times. Magazines adapt to a changing world; they match what today's kids need and young adults want" (p. xii). Cullinan goes on to outline the following benefits of magazines:
Furthermore, an article by Nancy Seminoff (1986) titled "Children's Periodicals Throughout the World: An Overlooked Educational Resource," offers additional benefits of magazines:
All of these factors help motivate children and teens to read. As a result, many teachers use magazines in their classrooms. According to a survey of K-6 teachers in New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania, 76% of respondents indicated that they use magazines in their classrooms, and 81% thought all children should receive magazines throughout their academic career (Morrow and Lesnick, 2001).
Yet magazines, like trade books and content area textbooks, are expensive. Many schools do not have additional funding for resources such as magazines. This is where there is good news. Most popular magazines for children and teens have companion websites used to advertise and provide convenient access to subscription information. Often, in addition to this information, sample articles, stories, activities, and more are available online--free of charge.
Magazines on the Web have the added advantage of being interactive so that students can participate in polls and surveys about issues of interest to them; submit their own stories, art work, or science projects for online publication; e-mail experts with questions on a broad range of topics; play interactive games; watch short audio and video clips; or follow links to find more information on a subject.
The following is a list of websites for many of the most popular print magazines for children and teens. Most of the websites have links to subscription information and online stores. A few of these magazines are online only.
Inspired by the popular collection of dolls, this online accompaniment to the print magazine provides readers with printable paper dolls, puzzles, planner pages for the American Girl Planner, quizzes, e-cards, and more
Boys' Quest is designed to inspire boys to develop an interest in reading at an early age through problem solving, entertainment, enlightenment, exploration, and investigation. The Boys' Quest website provides a sampling of what you'll find in the print magazine, such as activities, jokes, poetry, and articles.
Consumer Reports for Kids Online
Consumer Reports for Kids Online is for kids ages 8 and older. The range of learning opportunities includes: (1) Reading, writing, thinking skills: Money Q&A's and reviews invite kids to form opinions and read other kids' contributions. (2) Charts and graphs: Toy tests and other ratings charts motivate kids to read charts and bar graphs, compare and contrast, and organize information. (3) Life skills: Features analyzing ads and evaluating products help teach critical thinking, consumer skills, and media literacy.
The Cricket Magazine Group publishes age-appropriate print magazines, including Babybug for babies and toddlers ages 6 months to 2 years, Click and Ladybug for students ages 3 to 6, Spider and Ask for children 7 and up, Cricket and Muse for ages 9 and up, and Cicada for teenagers and young adults. The website for each of these magazines also has many fun and interesting activities for children, such as crossword puzzles, monthly writing and drawing contests, question of the month, jokes (children are also encouraged to submit jokes), projects, stories, poetry, songs, and a parent's corner.
Children's Better Health Institute
The Children's Better Health Institute, a not-for-profit health foundation, publishes seven different print magazines (Turtle Magazine, Humpty Dumpty, Children's Playmate, Jack and Jill, Child's Life, Children's Digest, and U.S. Kids) focusing on the fundamentals of health, nutrition, safety, and exercise for children. The Children's Better Health Institute has one website for all of their magazines. Students can send a health-related question to "Ask Dr. Cory," and parents and teachers can receive free educational software titles such as Amazon Trail 3rd Edition: Rainforest Adventures, Carmen Sandiego Junior Detective and Kid Pix Studio Deluxe for the cost of shipping.
Dolphin Log is The Cousteau Society's educational publication for children ages 8 to 12. The philosophy of the magazine is to delight, instruct, and instill in children an environmental awareness of the interconnectedness of all life on the Water Planet. The companion website for the print magazine offers biographical information about Jacques-Yves Cousteau and his ships, in-depth information and pictures of ocean creatures, Cousteau quizzes, and a teachers' guide for each monthly issue.
Developed by Miami University (Oxford, Ohio, USA), Dragonfly gives children a voice in the community of science by linking students and scientists in an open community of investigation. The website offers information, video clips, students' submissions, links, and more for over 20 science themes, from Animal Talk to Water!
For over 50 years, the print publication Highlights for Children has been entertaining its readers. Now, many of the same fun activities are available on the interactive website. The site has games, tongue twisters, jokes, riddles, stories, and science activities, as well as a host of activities children can create and save for future reference.
Hopscotch magazine's online version provides a sampling of what you'll find in the print magazine, such as puzzles, stories, poetry, cartoons, and science activities.
The mission of MidLink Magazine is to highlight exemplary work from the most creative classrooms around the globe. The online magazine publishes students' writing, poetry, and music. The site also hosts a Stock Market Simulation game and the Multimedia Mania awards program for students and teachers who use multimedia to teach and learn in a specific content area.
This online edition of National Geographic for Kids, a new classroom magazine for students ages 8 to 12, is an extension of the print version and invites students to "explore the world and all that is in it." The site offers articles, games, online adventures, "quick flicks" on different topics, contests, quizzes, a section for teachers and parents, and much more!
Nickelodeon, a favorite cartoon channel for many kids, also has a print magazine. Nickelodeon Magazine Online hosts interviews with kids' favorite cartoon characters and celebrities, crossword puzzles, games, activities and projects, chats and message boards, and other activites.
Ranger Rick is a nature magazine for ages 7 to 12, published by the National Wildlife Federation. The companion website offers fun activities, articles (which are also available in Spanish), and homework help. Students can send in nature-related questions or access an archive of past questions and answers. Your Big Back Yard is another publication by NWF offering games and stories for young children ages 3 to 7.
The online version of Odyssey Magazine, the science magazine for young readers ages 10 to 16, offers the latest news in science. Check out special science features just for kids such as StarGazing with Jack Horkheimer, Ask A Scientist, live Webcams, and more!
The OWL Group publishes Chirp for ages 3 to 6, ChickaDEE for ages 6 to 9, and OWL for ages 9 to 13. These magazines focus on science, nature, and the world. The companion website hosts jokes, puzzles, activities, quizzes, and information. Kids can create their own information poll, and submit jokes and story ideas. Teachers can download free e-books!
Arthur, Barney, Clifford, Sesame Street--sound familiar? PBS broadcasts many popular television shows for kids and their website provides lots of opportunities for children to learn more about their favorite TV character, or join in activities. Also featured on the site are games, stories, music, and more.
The website for Plays, a drama magazine for young people, offers an array of scripts, including comedies, farces, dramas, mysteries, and melodramas for year-round use, as well as plays for holidays and special occasions. A great resource for students in elementary through high school.
A companion site for the print edition of Scholastic News, this site offers top news stories, games and quizzes, interviews with sport stars and celebrities, special online issues, and Newszone Radio.
Skipping Stones is a nonprofit children's magazine that encourages cooperation, creativity, and the celebration of cultural and environmental richness. This website offers access to many of Skipping Stones' articles online. The annual winners of the Skipping Stones Honor Awards for multicultural and nature books, teaching resources, and educational videos are also posted on the site--an excellent resource!
The website for the kid-friendly version of the popular magazine is full of fun and interesting activities. Kids can find volumes of information on their favorite sport, team, or player, ask players questions online, play fantasy sports, games, trivia challenge, and more.
This website for Stone Soup, the magazine by young writers and artists, offers readers hundreds of stories and poems, including recordings of authors reading their own work and many beautiful paintings and drawings by young artists from all over the world. Students are encouraged to submit their own stories, poems, or artwork.
This companion website for Time for Kids magazine offers current news and entertainment articles, games, reader's polls, search and homework tools, and explorations.
Weekly Reader is a long-running newspaper for children in the elementary grades. The online version is divided into areas for ages 5 to 12, teens, teachers, and parents. Kids and teens will find news articles, coloring pages, contests, polls, and trivia games. Teachers and parents will find contests and activities for kids.
The World Almanac for Kids Online
A companion website to the popular World Almanac For Kids, this site is full of fun and interesting facts that kids will love! Readers can explore various topics, play games, participate in polls, contests, and quizzes, and ask the editors questions.
This site offers a variety of news stories, from current events to updates on pop stars. Links also take kids to games, jokes, movie reviews, science stories and movie clips, access to online reference books, and a place to submit questions.
Kids love comics! At this website, kids can read comics, create their own comic pages, submit comics to be published, and read about their favorite artists, creators, and characters.
A companion site to Zoobooks magazine, this site features educational games and fascinating information about the animals kids love. Kids can visit a virtual zoo, play games, learn about their favorite animal, and take quizzes. Teachers and parents can order an interactive CD-ROM entitled "Paw Island" that includes 5 interactive learning adventures, 12 interactive games, and 12 songs.
Do magazines count as valuable reading material? Yes, they do! Where else can you find a variety of topics, written at a wide range of reading levels and genres that keep up with current events and are visually appealing? As a matter of fact, one is not enough. Adults read anywhere from 15 to 20 magazines a month to keep up with professional, societal, and leisurely interests. Children and teenagers have varying interests, too. The World Wide Web makes access to many magazines an invaluable and inexpensive way to help children and teens become enthusiastic readers and informed students. Check out some of these resources as a great way to celebrate Children's Magazine Month!
References
Darigan, D., Tunnell, M., & Jacobs, J. (2002). Children's literature: Engaging teachers and children in good books. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
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Morrow, L. & Lesnick, J. (2001). Examining the educational value of children's magazines. The California Reader, 34(2), 2-13.
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Seminoff, N. (1986). Children's periodicals throughout the world: An overlooked educational resource. The Reading Teacher, 39(9), 889-895.
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Stoll, D. (Ed.). (1994). Magazines for kids and teens: A resource for parents, teachers, librarians, and kids! New Jersey: Educational Press Association of America.
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Trelease, J. (2001). The read-aloud handbook (4th ed.). New York: Penguin Books.
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Denise Johnson is an assistant professor of reading education at the College of William & Mary, Williamsburg, Virigina, USA. She received her Ed.D. in reading from the University of Memphis, Tennessee. She has worked as an elementary classroom teacher, a middle school reading specialist, and a Reading Recovery teacher. She now teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in literacy education and conducts research on the integration of technology into preservice and inservice education courses and within elementary classrooms. Her articles on literacy and technology have been published in a variety of journals and she is active in several professional organizations. She enjoys traveling with her family and reading to her son, Derek. Contact her by e-mail at cdjohn@wm.edu. |
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Citation: Johnson, D. (2002, September). Web watch: Online magazines for children and teens. Reading Online, 6(2). Available: http://www.readingonline.org/electronic/elec_index.asp?HREF=webwatch/magazines/index.html
Reading Online, www.readingonline.org
Posted September 2002
© 2002 International Reading Association, Inc. ISSN 1096-1232