Children's magazines

J. is in the background reading a Ladybug Magazine to R. It is part of a stack of magazines that I picked up today off our co-ops giveaway table. We subscribed to the Cricket Magazine Group magazines for years. From Babybug for babies to Cicada for the 14+ crowd, we had stacks of each magazine that would be read and reread until they fell apart. When it was time to pack to move, I made the hard decision to give away our collection to another family who would appreciate them. I think it was also at about that time... maybe a few years previous... that I let our subscriptions lapse. They are not inexpensive, though well worth the money, but finances were tight and I just couldn't justify the cost. Plus, we had those years of magazine to rely on. From there, I admit I sort of forgot about them. 

I can't quite believe I forgot, because the day the new magazines arrived was always popular, with each child claiming dibs on their favorite and going and curling up with it. It was a fairly big part of our family life. So when I saw the stack of Ladybug Magazines, it all came flooding back and I realized that the six I have at home don't really have any real memories of the magazines. The Ladybuys came home with me because I knew they would be perfect for where R. is right now. I will probably use them as part of our school morning. It also made me want to subscribe to Cicada for the others. They enjoy good writing and a good story, and a magazine coming in the mail seemed as though it would be appreciated. 

I'm a little devastated at the moment. In the six or so years that I have been out of the Cricket Magazine loop, they discontinued Cicada after twenty years of publication. I feel just a little bit responsible for having let our subscription lapse. They do have back issues for sale. I'll have to decide if that would be the same. Maybe I could buy what they have and dole them out monthly. It still doesn't feel quite the same. I also realized that some of my favorite magazines... Muse and Cobblestone... are really aimed at children just a little younger than my current crew. I feel as though I've missed the boat in more ways than one. Poop.

But, you, if you have younger children, can still take advantage of these wonderful magazines. They are very high quality, good writing, healthy content, and beautifully illustrated. Don't make my mistake and wait until it is too late.