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Focus
by ladybracknell My friend, Jill and I have a reciprocal agreement whereby we exchange magazines each month after we've read them. She gets my Essentials, Style at Home and Gardeners' World and I get her House Beautiful, Choice and BBC Focus magazines. The first two of these magazines are easy reading but I was a bit taken aback by Focus in the ... beginning as I'm a complete science numpty. However, once I began to read it, this magazine proved to be an absolute revelation and I now look forward to reading it each month. BBC Focus is a month glossy magazine which covers all aspects of science and nature not only on our own planet or even within our solar system but like Buzz Lightyear takes the reader to infinity and beyond. The magazine currently retails at £3.99 per issue although there is a 32% price reduction if readers take out a subscription. The format for Focus is similar to most glossy monthlies, or at least it is now as it has recently undergone a bit of a style makeover. Like many other magazines, Focus begins with an editorial and contents page all neatly divided into sections: On the Cover, Discoveries, Features, Tech Hub, To Do List; all of which makes navigating the articles pretty easy in order to dip in and out. Personally, however, I tend to start at the beginning and work my way through, skimming over those articles which are way beyond the grasp of my feeble brain. There is the obligatory letters page and recently published scientific books, too, and as one would expect from a BBC publication, quite a bit about upcoming TV programmes including an interview with Dara O'Brien about his new science series. There is such a diversity of subject matter within the natural world covered in this magazine that I doubt there are many people who wouldn't find something to engage their interest. As a schoolgirl going into physics and chemistry lessons was just like walking into a fog and I never fully grasped any of the concepts my teachers tried to impart. Reading this magazine, however, has shown me that physics and chemistry aren't exclusively for brainboxes and also that these subjects can be interesting and that they are very relevant to all our lives. The November issue of the magazine covers many scientific disciplines such as excavating the remains of our prehistoric origins from the floor of the North Sea and revealing information of life before Britain was separated from the rest of the European landmass; the ultimate spy - not James Bond but in the shape of a supercomputer; and, even more sci-fi, the plans to mine asteroids as the world's natural resources run out. Many of the articles in the magazine demonstrate over and over again just how interconnected the natural world is. For instance, the current issue includes an article about some current research being undertaken using sea squirts from the Great Barrier Reef. These sea squirts produce a molecule which can take on two different forms and scientists from Aberdeen University hope to be able to produce a molecule which will replace the silicon atoms currently used in transistors, research which should aid the building of smaller, faster computers. It isn't only the feature articles which make this magazine so fascinating but also the little snippets of information dotted throughout as well as the stunning photography. In fact, the November issue surpasses itself with not only a beautiful photograph of a lake edge in Southern France showing deep red water and salt encrusted reeds, caused by the abundance of salt-loving organisms in the water, but also an absolutely stunning photograph showing the anus of a sea urchin and it's far more aesthetically pleasing than any human possesses, I can tell you! Now I can't pretend to understand every single word in this magazine as there are some articles which go way over my head. These tend to be the ones dealing with big scientific theories such as high end biology (DNA and the like) and nuclear physics and even when explained in pure layman's terms, it's still a struggle for me. However, there is so much else which is more accessible and which makes this well worth reading. I've already touched on the article about digging up our past from beneath the sea and I found reading about this particularly fascinating. It's hard to imagine that until as recently as about 8,000 years ago, our ancestors were hunting mammoths in the area we now know as the North Sea and which scientists are now calling Doggerland but diving teams have not only unearthed a complete mammoth skeleton but also the bones of early man and some obviously man made structures, all of which give us much more information about our past and the cataclysmic cause of our separation from other lands. The article about mining asteroids is equally interesting and it's amazing to think that there are resources in our solar system worth billions of pounds just there for the taking, once we master the technology. In my time I've read science fiction which centred around mining in space but who knew it would ever be within the realms of possibility? There's a pretty good balance between articles and advertising here with roughly only 10% of the magazine's 122 pages being devoted to advertising, most of which has some kind of scientific base. If I have one criticism about BBC Focus magazine it's the cost. I really feel that £3.99 is far too much to expect anyone to pay for a monthly magazine. Although the articles are erudite and many written by leading scientists, I can't really see how the BBC can justify asking this price. The quality of paper is top grade but with the exception of some of the photographs, it could quite easily be printed on a lower grade paper without it being detrimental to the quality of the magazine as a whole. All that being said, I can highly recommend this magazine. I feel it would appeal to anyone interested in the natural world, and it isn't just for adults either. I think if I can understand most of the concepts presented here, then any reasonably educated child should be able to as well. In fact, I think it would be positively beneficial reading for any student of science. Read the complete review |
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Discovery Box
by broxi3781 I am a firm believer in children having access to a wide variety of printed material as an aid to developing literacy. Because I home educate, and the only local library sadly has less variety in reading material than my own home, I feel very strongly that I must make sure my son has all the resources he needs to not only learn to read, ... but to develop a love for reading. For this reason I like to have a variety of magazines as well as books, comics, and other medium to encourage reading. We subscribed to National Geographic Kids for some time, but my son has grown bored with these, so I've been searching for other magazines to replace it. While many of the magazines I have reviewed were free samples, I bought a collection of 10 older magazines in this series. As one of these is still shown online as the companies example of this magazine, I am quite confident they still represent the overall feel of the magazine. Discovery Box is produced by Bayard Magazines for children ages 9 -12. They also produce Storybox for ages 3-6, and Adventure Box for ages 6 -9. My children are ages 4 and 7, so perhaps it would have made more sense to choose one of the magazines designed for older children, but thankfully 2 full issues of each magazine are available to read online free of charge here: http://issuu.com/bayard_magazines It was immediately obvious that the older children's magazine would be far more suitable for my son, as both of the publications for younger children are fiction only. My children do enjoy fiction, but they are quite selective in what fiction they enjoy - a trait very common in boys. It is often said that boys do not enjoy reading as much as girls do. This is not true - boys do enjoy reading - you just have to put more work into finding the right books. My sons are also both very interested in non - fiction, again a trait typical of boys. Many boys will only self select non fiction titles, and a good supply of non fiction materials is considered essential for developing literacy in boys, where girls are more likely to read whatever is available. That said there are girls who follow the same reading pattern as boys - and without access to a wide selection of reading materials are just as likely to fall behind in reading as the boys as are. Discovery Box is an excellent magazine for those who are looking for a publication that covers a wide variety of educational interests. It does contain some fiction. Each magazine has one story told in comic book style, complete with illustrated panels, a second short work of fiction and a secret sleuth case in which the reader will read all the clues and try to solve the case. The majority of the magazine is non fiction however, and there is a good mix of subjects covered. Each issue has a has articles on science, nature and geography. The 10 issues I own contain articles introducing us to such far flung parts of the globe as Kenya, India, Antarctica, Malaysia, Dominican Republic, Togo, China, Venice, Kyrgyzstan, Ecuador, South Africa and Australia. This is my favourite feature of this magazine. As a home educator, I am all too aware that while home educated children often develop very specialised knowledge within their fields of interests, they can be lacking in more general knowledge simply because we tend to select the materials we enjoy most and are already familiar with. A magazine such as this brings new places to our attention and is a wonderful way for children to learn a bit about the world around them. Each issue contains a section for animal lovers as well, with a wide mix of creatures. My sons liked the penguins, sharks,and of course the limited articles on prehistoric creatures best. There were plenty of other animals as well from tigers to lemurs to anacondas and ants. I quite liked a section on the wolf in Europe. There is also an animal info column with advice on pets - although I'm not so sure about their rabbit advice. The best part for my sons is the science articles. All sorts of topics were covered including the moon, animatronic dinosaurs, a microscope, what causes tooth decay, how mountains are formed, volcanoes and more. These are certainly fun, well illustrated and easy to read - but my son has caught one error in an article on Archeopteryx. The magazine lists this as a flying dinosaur, where any paleontology buff, including my seven year old son can tell you that by definition - dinosaurs do not fly. While my sons wasn't interested enough to read any of the history articles except the one on the South Pole expeditions of Scott and Amundsen, unless it was part of his schoolwork, I was quite impressed with the way the history stories are presented. The stories are well written, they appear in graphic novel format, and the illustrations are quite good. This is followed by a separate traditional article on the same general subject. This will make a wonderful resource in teaching history and these are an excellent addition to our curriculum. Some of the topics covered include: The Journey To the South Pole, A Merchant Family in Venice The Sioux at War, The American Gold Rush, Charles Lindbergh, Nelson Mandela and South Africa, the Aztecs, the tomb of king Tut and the people of ancient Egypt. Again, using the magazine as part of our curriculum encourages to read about familiar topics we enjoy, but also new and different ones, giving my son a broader perspective on history. In addition to the main topics, the magazine also contains fun facts, puzzles, science experiments, recipes and more. Like most publications, they do have a brief advertisement for subscriptions, but there is no commercial advertising whatsoever. So a 60 page magazine contains one page advertising for the Bayard Magazines, a second page urging you not to miss the next issue and 58 pages of content. Quite fair in my opinion. So will I be subscribing? I'm afraid not at the moment. I can only subscribe to so many magazines and my sons primary interest is science. While this magazine is wonderful as part of a home education curriculum, and would be wonderful in a classroom as well - I'm afraid it does not interest my son enough that he will pick it up to read on his own. He will use this when I assign reading from it as part of his school work, and he may quite enjoy some of the activities and articles but he does not seek this out himself. This does not get read cover to cover as Aquila does - nor does it quite match Aquila or How it Works in terms of really capturing his interest. Some magazines manage to be very educational without you ever noticing it. This magazine is very educational - but you do notice it. It is good but I do feel that Aquila and How it Works deliver a bit more educationally and are more fun in the process. I will certainly use the magazines I have now, and I may subscribe to more in the future as a part of our curriculum. I would not consider buying these if I were not home educating but this is largely due to my sons' own tastes. If I am buying a magazine to encourage reading for pleasure - it needs to be one that suits them best - and primarily science magazines are more suitable for my children. If you are looking for a good general interest magazine for children, to cover a wide variety of interests, this may suit you perfectly. If you are a home educator - I can certainly see this being a useful resource. At £40 for 10 issues, I do feel the subscription price is too much for what you get, but if you happen to be a Tesco Clubcard member you can get this for a much more reasonable £11 in vouchers. I feel that most children will at least find something they like in each magazine - but it may be too much like school work for many. If you child is attending a regular school - I don't see much reason for more school work at home unless your child genuinely enjoys these types of articles. I do feel that a child going to school should be getting most of their education there. For ordinary families you might very well be better off with a subscription to Marvel comics, Moshi Monsters or a Football magazine. Sometimes we try to hard to make everything educational when the best way to learn is simply by having fun. Outside of school - I would rather see a child read any magazine for pleasure then an educational one because they have to. Read the complete review |
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Anorak Magazine
by broxi3781 The bright colours and bold design of this magazine catch the readers eye right away, and I believe the cover would be especially attractive to young children. Looking over their website, I can see this high standard in cover illustration is the norm. These are lovely bright magazines and the illustrations of a good quality with vivid ... colours and eye catching patterns throughout the magazine. The magazine begins with four pages of book reviews written by children, which I found very interesting, as it is always nice to get a child's perspective on a book for children. The majority of this magazine is stories. The first is about a stuffed monkey who doesn't think he is good enough to enter an art competition. His friends enter the picture and surprise - surprise - he wins. This is illustrated completely with photographs, primarily of stuffed animals. While I'm afraid this did not interest my children in the least - they did like the idea of illustrating a book using toys, and we may be trying this out on our own. This was certainly the best story in the magazine - and the one the children listened to the most of. The next story was invasion of the Blobs. This was a rather strange story about an alien race with screws for heads that are attacked by globs of goo. I gather this is meant to fill the desire for adventure stories of most boys, without having anything scary or exciting, but again, it hit a sour note with my own sons who found the whole idea a bit stupid. The third story is Teddy. This is a cute little story about a teddy bear who travels everywhere in his owners rucksack. I could see this being much more interesting to children who are really fond of soft toys, and again, it could serve as good starting point for your own stories, but once again my children were not interested. I do feel other children might enjoy this one more though. The 4th story , Tobias is about a boy who dreams of being "the best shot put athlete". None of us were impressed by this story. There wasn't much to it, but the boy does throw the ball. I'm not sure if the next article really counts as story. It is simply a set of pages showing different Anorak characters and telling a bit about each one. The colours are very bold and bright, and designed in such away that I feel they would really catch an infants attention. If you were to cut them out - this would make a lovely nursery frieze. After the introduction to circus characters we found what I felt was best the article in the magazine. It is a brilliant craft idea to make your own circus characters from wine corks, polystyrene balls, glue, paint and tissue paper. I was quite surprised that they did not make the same characters that we had just read about - but it would be easy to alter the designs to do this. I also liked the recipe for Japanese Soba. The last story shows a few fruits and vegetables with google eyes, and then has some drawings us fruits and vegetables with character descriptions. For instance the spud is a JuJitsu champ, the pineapple wants to be a hairdresser and the watermelon is a downhill racer. My sons did not like the stories at all, but thought the google eyed photos were funny. In addition to the stories, there were a few really unique and beautiful colouring pages, a word search, a maze, a drawing page and a very nice set of spot the difference pages. This magazine does accept commercial advertising, but it was limited. Most of the ads were for clothes. The two page ad for new things was honestly very interesting with some really unique and interesting items for sale - in fact this one of the best parts of the magazine. Altogether, there were on 6 pages of ads a publication with a total of 60 pages - which I feel is quite fair. I recieved this magazine free as a review copy. Even so, it did not interest my children at all, and I'll be leaving it behind in the Dr.s office where I feel it may help pass the time for a child bored with waiting. I appreciate the fact that my children's poor response to this magazine is simply because these are not the types of stories they enjoy. They like action and adventure, humor, superheroes, scary stories or non fiction. Sugary sweet stories just do not get their interest often, and if they do - they have to be really good. Sadly, I found these stories a bit lack lustre myself. They remind me of some of the books that are used in schools - perfectly correct - but not very fun. On the plus side the illustrations were nice though and the crafts project and recipe quite good. My children were interested in trying the crafts project - but we never finished a story. After reading this on my own, I did not want to force them to sit through the whole magazine. I do want reading to stay fun. I gave them the option after reading the first paragraph or so of a story to call out skip - it was used on every story at some point. They have rated this as worst magazine ever. I can't quite agree with them. I worked for awhile in a newsagents and I can assure there are far worse magazines out there which they will never see - and in all honesty I don't find this any more tedious then many women's magazines. But as far as children's magazines, sadly the stories in this are clearly the most boring I have ever found, and it is mostly stories - making this the worst in my book for children's magazines as well. If any of can remember an Adams Family movie in which the children are sent to "The Harmony Hut" as punishment for bad deeds - this magazine would be the perfect reading material for such a place - but then again some people would like ther harmony hut. If you are looking for a magazine with simple, sweet and very tame fiction stories for a very young child - I would say ages 2 -5, have more money then you know what to do with it, and want to ensure your child is only exposed to peaceful calming stories, this might fit the bill. I suppose it might do for bedtime stories, there is certainly nothing in this to excite or wake a child a up. My biggest problem with this though, is at £6 an issue or £24 for a yearly subscription of 4 issues, this really does not strike me as value for money. For the same price as a copy of this magazine, you could choose a really lovely children's book on whatever subject your child likes most. I expect the main reason to buy this magazine would be to provide a child with a variety of reading material. Studies have shown that children with access to several types of printed material usually do read better, and magazines are widely recommended by experts as a way to get reluctant readers reading, to help children develop reading skills, and just to keep reading fun. The International Reading Association had this to say about magazines; " Children's magazines are a critical element of a well-rounded reading program. They provide an avenue by which readers can explore areas beyond their personal experience, build their store of prior knowledge, and leverage that learning to achieve higher levels of reading proficiency and overall literacy". Therefore, many concerned parents, myself include have decided that they really want their children to have magazines as well as books. I'm afraid this publication may very much miss the point though. The idea of magazines is that they cater to a child's own interest, are usually very visually rich and often easier to read than books. They encourage children to sit down and leaf through them, exploring this medium for print, enjoying the pictures and taking in bits of text according to their ability. This magazine however is really just a collection of story books - and sadly not very exciting ones at that. If you are simply looking for stories - I would recommend buying books instead - and letting your child help you choose. If on the other hand you really want a magazine subscription - I would certainly find one to match the child's own interests. Even if the magazine is Thomas the Tank, Moshi Monsters, Spiderman or a gaming magazine - at least you are encouraging the child to read - and to enjoy reading. I keep thinking I should give this 2 stars - The arts ad crafts page was great - the pictures were nice, and I'm sure many children would be happy enough to here the stories once - they just do not suit our taste. If the retail price was £3 or less I would give this 2 stars. But at £6 all I can think is - you could buy any number of lovely books for that price and I simply can not recommend this at such a high price for anyone. Read the complete review |
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