National Geographic Kids Magazine - Summer Issue

My kids always are excited and get a big smile on their face when an issue of our NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KiDS MAGAZINE subscription arrives in the mail.  We just received our Summer Edition of this entertaining and educational publication for children 6 to 12 years old which includes a feature article about Jaguars along with being filled with eye-catching kids-oriented photography by National Geographic photographers, interesting trivia, plus fun games and puzzles.

My son has had a fascination with jaguars ever since he was a toddler watching "Dora the Explorer" and took a liking to the "Baby Jaguar" character on the show. So he was thrilled by the magazine's in-depth article which highlight's how these animals' one-of-a-kind features make them stand out from other wild cats.  This four page spread is filled with up-close photographs and informative facts.  Did you know for being a "small" wild cat that jaguars can grow to be 6 feet long and weigh 300 pounds?  One of these cats can grow to be bigger than I am!  This section also has a fun game challenging readers to match a fur pattern to the wild cat it belongs to.

Catering to a child audience, the issue is full of wacky and goofy facts, jokes, trivia and other things kids delight in.  "Weird but true!" trivia, Guinness World Records, out-of-this world facts, and Extreme Weirdness Photographs are just a few segments that have kids learning while they enjoy flipping through the magazine.  With the Summer Olympic Games coming up there is also a great tie-in article about the host country, "30 Cool Things About Brazil."

There are also of fun games and puzzles to keep a child's attention including a "Backyard BBQ" word puzzle and a swimming themed Funny Fill-In.

Also included are pull-out Animal Trivia Cards that provide True & False questions that kids can challenge their friends to answer and trade among themselves.

I've just highlighted a few key items included in the Summer Edition of National Geographic Kids Magazine but there is plenty more to check out included within it.  Each issue is filled with content that will encourage readers to learn more about adventurous activities, geography, science, wildlife and the lifestyles of other children from around the world.  An annual subscription is for 10 issues and costs $15 for a print version or $12 for a digital edition.  CLICK HERE for more information about subscribing to National Geographic Kids Magazine.

A Geek Daddy is a member of the National Geographic Kids Insider blogger program. Insiders get a behind-the-scenes look at National Geographic’s resources, activities, content and projects for kids and families. They also review copies of books, magazines and toys, and are offered interviews with authors, explorers and editors. I do not receive any financial compensation for my participation as a National Geographic Kids Insider.

National Geographic Kids Magazine

We were recently at parent-teacher conferences at my children's school when my son's teacher commented on how remarkable it is that we've taught him all these great animal and geography facts that he shares all the time in class.  She then mentioned asking him how he knew all this trivia and my son told her "from reading National Geographic with my dad."  We have an annual subscription to National Geographic KIDS Magazine and when a new issue arrives in the mail my 6 year old son is always quick to grab it and spend hours flipping through it enjoying the activities, pictures, trivia, and the special extra things they often include like posters or collectible trading cards.  After he's spent some time perusing the magazine, I'll read the more in-depth articles to him and his sister that are still a bit beyond their independent reading level.

The December issue of National Geographic KIDS Magazine included a Funny Fill-In activity page with a "Fast and Flurry-ous" snow theme, 30 Cool Things About Reptiles trivia page, Awesome Animals trading cards, photos of a squirrel snowball fight, and a survey of America's favorite holiday kids' television shows and movies, among other things. The magazine also lets its readers contribute its content with an Art Zone that lets kids send in drawings to be included in the magazine, My Shot section that displays submitted photographs, and Tell Us What You Think which allows children to answer surveys that are used for special segments in future editions of National Geographic KIDS Magazine.

National Geographic KIDS' December issue also included  an overview of 5 smart toys that provide both an entertaining and educational play experience, a story about three orphaned black bear cubs that are being reintroduced to the wild, a profile of Turkey's "Ice" Castle, and the issue's feature article about Snow Leopards. My kids were really awed by the great photos of these big cats from Central Asia that were included in the magazine.

To share our family's enjoyment of National Geographic KIDS magazine, A Geek Daddy has a year long 2016 print subscription of the magazine to giveaway to one lucky reader.  For your chance to win a 10  issue subscription to National Geographic KIDS complete one or both of the following entries by Wednesday, December 23, 2015 before 11:59 pm EST.  Must be a US resident over 18 years old to win.

UPDATE: Congrats to Angela from Springfield Missouri who won our Nat Geo KIDS Magazine giveaway.

E-MAIL (1 ENTRY)

Follow @Geekdad248 on Twitter. E-mail thegeekdaddy [at] yahoo [dot] com your name, mailing address, and twitter handle. Must be following our account on Twitter at the time winner is selected to be eligible to win. Email subject line should be Nat Geo Kids.

FACE BOOK ( 1 ENTRY )

Visit our Facebook page , LIKE the contest post, and leave a COMMENT telling us what your favorite cold weather animal is.

 All valid entries will be assigned a number in the order they are received and one number will be  selected to determine the winner using random.org.  E-mails will only be used to contact the winner and deleted following the selection of a winner.

National Geographic KIDS Magazine is recommended for children 6 years old and up who want to find out more about the world around them.  The magazine contains a super blend of photos, fun facts, jokes, games, activities and articles presented in a cheery style, making it perfect for keeping kids' attention. Subscribers receive 10 issues per year filled with content to inspire readers to learn about their world with amazing information about animals, science, technology, archaeology, geography and pop culture. Frequent appearances of animal posters can be found within the pages, as well as high-quality photographs sprinkled throughout the magazine. The addition of games and jokes, alongside other activities such as puzzles and competitions, keeps the subjects light, while still getting across the important facts.

For children under six years old, there is also National Geographic Little Kids Magazine.  This publication is aimed for preschoolers 3 to 6 years old and an annual subscription is 6 issues.  National Geographic Little Kids Magazine features lively pictures, engaging stories, large text, and fun activities with each issue providing parents with imaginative teaching tools.

FTC Disclosure: I am part of the National Geographic KIDS Insider blogger program. In partnership with the National Geographic Society, I receive free products and promotional information to review. I am not required to blog about them or write any positive reviews.

DISCLAIMER:  A Geek Daddy Blog will be responsible for selecting the winner of this contest, but National Geographic is responsible for fulfillment and delivery of the prize.  By participating in this contest you waive any liability towards A Geek Daddy Blog or its publisher that may arise from your involvement with this promotion.  If you win this prize on another blog, you will not be eligible to win again.  Winner is subject to eligibility verification.  A Geek Daddy Blog did not receive any financial compensation but did receive free products for the blog to review and the prize that is being awarded to one of our readers for this contest.  A Geek Daddy Blog is hosting this contest as a benefit to our readers. Any opinions in this post are my own.  #NGKINSIDER

Some After School Fun with Space Scouts

As part of A Geek Daddy Blog's participating in the U.S. Family Guide Network we tested out the first two month's mailers from the monthly subscription service SPACE SCOUTS the other day when my kids returned home from school.   SPACE SCOUTS lets children explore the galaxy from the comfort of their own home through sending space themed boxes filled with arts and crafts projects, educational lessons and other fun treats each month.  From our experience, each month's mailer should occupy a kid's attention for about a half an hour and provides a nice opportunity for a parent to spend some quality time with children in a manner that is both entertaining and educational at the same time.  The SPACE SCOUTS program is probably best for children 6 to 8 years old.

The first month's mailer included a metallic lunchbox (which can be used to store all your Space Scouts stuff), a solar system poster, activity pages, a sticker scramble, a constellation collector ring, and a set of wikki stix that could be used for creative building.  We decyphered a code for a secret message, completing a space themed cross word puzzle, and answering astronomy themed trivia questions.

My daughter really enjoyed the sticker scramble where you have to match numbers on sticker sheets to the ones on an index card.  If you complete the puzzle correctly you'll see an interesting space image from the unscrambled stickers. 

 

The week two mailer included a grasping hand that amused my son to no end, some astronaut figurines, magnets to place on the Space Scouts lunchbox, a constellation card to include on the storage ring provided in the first mailer.  It also included some more activity sheets, another sticker scramble and some stickers to place on the solar system map that was initially provided.    Each package provides items that supports and builds upon items previously received to boast children's knowledge of math, technology, science and astronomy.

Pricing starts out at $11.95 + $3 shipping per month with additional discounted plans for multi-month purchases.  A GEEK DADDY blog readers receive a 20% discount on their initial purchase of any SPACE SCOUT subscription plan by using promo code USFAMILY20.

For more information, visit  www.atcssc.com/space-scouts 

DISCLAIMER: A Geek Daddy Blog was introduced to this product through its participation in the US FAMILY GUIDE Blogger Program.  A Geek Daddy blog was not provided any financial compensation for this post but was provided a complimentary two month subscription to the Space Scouts to review.  A positive review is not required of our blog to participate in this promotion. The opinions in this review are my own.