My grandson has been receiving Your Big Backyard every month for the past 2 years.
He wants this read to him the minute it arrives.
This magazine is great for young children because it isn't just filled with stories.
There are games to play which are not only fun to do but they teach as well.
For example there is a matching game where the child has to match objects according to sizes.
This helps a child to understand different shapes as well as getting them to think.
The picture of animals are photographed extremely well and they not only show the animal and sea life but also the environment in which the animal lives.
There is a craft that can be made each month and these crafts are very easy to do and my grandson has a made many of them.
They usually have something to do with the main theme of each magazine.
Bonnie Bluebird is one of the main characters of this and she usually guides you through each subject for that month.
Bonnie also has her own page with a story written in rebus and it is a lot of fun for my grandson to read along with me and try to figure out what each symbol represents.
Some of the games that he likes the best are Lets Explore which is a large picture of animals or sea life and these pictures are in the area where they live.
On the bottom are pictures of some of the animals and the idea is to find where they are in the big pictures.
There are trails to follow, mystery pages, what's the difference,stories, and many pictures.
Iv'e tried Lady Bug and Highlights for young children, but their games were too hard and they mostly contained more stories than games and didn't allow him to use his thinking powers as well as Big Backyard.
Activity magazines that are filled with games were also too hard for him.
I would recommend Your Big Backyard to anyone who wants their young child to have their own magazine with games to play and topics to learn about.
It will give a grownup a chance to interact with their child by reading to them and helping them solve the puzzles.
Recommended:
Yes
Your Big Backyard is an absolutely charming first magazine for children who are ages 3 through 6.
The magazine is filled with pictures of all kinds of wildlife, both land and sea. Along the pictures are either short activities that can be done by the children along with the parents or a short reading selection.
I am so impressed by the colorful photographs and the simplicity of this magazine. The magazine also is not very large, so you can go through all of this in just the same amount of time that you would spend reading a Little Golden Book.
In one of the issues, it contains the following types of material: A short paragraph about the hazards of fishing line with wildlife with illustrations, a "Did you know" activity about roosters and hens, pages with twin baby animals, a short story about finding different living things in the sandy beach, an activity about foods that grow underneath the ground, and an entire section for the parents describing what kinds of activities can be shared with the magazine to your child.
I really am very pleased that I found a group of these magazines at the thrift store last week. I bought every one of them and at 10 cents a copy, I couldn't go wrong there.
This magazine is going to be a great learning tool as I continue to teach my autistic son many things in life. He absolutely loves animals and by using this tool, I can help him with his reading, his logical thinking, matching and many more things that he needs to develop in his life.
With its colorful photographs and illustrations, this magazine is bound to be a treasure for years to come in my home and I do intend on subscribing to it after we finish the copies that we have currently in our home.
It's with great honor that I highly recommend this magazine for readers 3 to 6, and special needs children.
Recommended:
Yes
I first ran across this magazine at a friend's house and saw how wonderful it was. I came home, checked out the web site (http://www.nwf.org you can find the link from there)and became a subscriber.
Our son is 4 years old and absolutely loves this magazine. We read it over and over again. There are so many beautiful pictures and wonderful stories. I love to read it to him and see how interested he is in everything.
Your Big Backyard is put out by the National Wildlife Federation -- the same people that have put out Ranger Rick all these many years. My husband was a huge Ranger Rick fan growing up and thinks this magazine is great too. It's geared toward the pre-school age (3-6 years old) and even our two year old loves to read along with us.
Each month features a different animal. There are photos of the animal and a story to read to your child that teaches something about each animal in a fun way.
There are incredible photos throughout the magazine and a center poster pull-out for your child to put on the fridge or in their room if you'd like. I can't say enough about the photos -- they capture the animals so beautifully. They are playing, jumping, hiding, snuggling, scaring off predators, etc... Along with each photo is a little story about what the animal is doing and why. There are also stories done with photos so the child can pretty much figure out what is going on without you reading it to him.
The magazine also has activities for your child that include puzzles, connect-the-dot, picture games, searching for something, etc... There is also a story each month where some of the words are substituted with pictures. My son loves that and even my 2 year old starts chiming in.
A parents page is also included and it has more ideas of fun things to do for each month. It includes activities, good books to read, letters to the editor, fun web pages that your child might be interested in, music to check out, etc...
I really like the magazine because it makes my child think and take notice of the things around him, things we many times take for granted. He notices the birds and hears the different sounds they make. He knows that lions aren't just big ferocious beasts, but that they have families and play with their cubs too. The magazine asks good questions like "why do roosters crow?" It shows some of the funny things animals do and that they're different for a reason - like bats hanging upside down, possums playing dead, and so on. It's educational fun!
This year's trip to the zoo should a lot more interesting for my son since he now knows so much more about the animals. They're not just something to look at anymore! I love how interested my son is in everything and the questions he now asks are more specific. He's not asking just to ask anymore, but is really probing for information. I really enjoy watching him learn and grow.
I highly recommend this magazine for anyone with a pre-school aged child. We have purchased other magazines geared towards this age group that didn't hold his interest nearly as well. Have fun learning along with your child!
Recommended:
Yes
Your Big Backyard is one of the many magazines I used to read at as a kid. The magazine is great for kids just learning to read and write. I would recommend this type of magazine for kids of the ages 4 - 10.
The magazine is about animals and nature. Inside you will find activities such as coloring, crafts, funny stories and things like that to do when, well, theres nothing to do! The articles are about all types of animals with fun little board games and pull out posters, with excellent pictures. It also includes recipes for you and your child to try. The recipes are especially fun because they are not hard and don't take up lots of time and it's a great way to spend time with your child or children.
I feel this magazine will teach kids how to handle animals and teach them that animals have feelings just like you or me. Plus they will teach them not to pull your kitties tail! The photos in the magazine are just unbelievable, they show pictures of everything you can imagine from sea turtles and sharks, to horses and porcupines. I'm not sure how much they cost but I'm positive it isn't much. I like how there isn't one ad in the whole magazine from back to front
Recommended:
Yes
I have ordered several magazines for kids and this is one I'll stick with. There are interesting animal facts, stories, activities (i.e. cut out book, family fun suggestions), and great pictures. Best of all there are no advertisements! It is simple to read with your child and not overwhelming. I will definitely stay with the National Wildlife Federation series! I highly recommend this magazine for kids 3-7.
I couldn't believe this had only one review. My daughter is 5 and this magazine is really good. We read it cover to cover
I had hoped Your Big Backyard would be like its sister mag for younger kids, Wild Animal Baby, which was captivating for both my son and daughter up to about age 3 to 3-1/2.
The two mags, both published by National Wildlife Federation, aim to educate kids about wildlife - but neither push the idea of man as a predator, nor do they position man as protector. The editorial goal seems to be purely to educate kids about wild animals - many of which they probably haven't seen, and may never see.
Unfortunately, Your Big Backyard is written for an older audience - meaning, it can't carry a four- or even a five year old's attention. There are a few puzzles and songs, but in my opinion, for a preschool audience (which this is designed for) those are not especially well done.
One good thing in Your Big Backyard, at least from my youngest's perspective, are that it offers the "find Bonnie" (a bird) game, like the "find the raccoon" game in Wild Animal Baby. That may help him transfer his affection from one mag to the other - but it hasn't happened in four issues! :(
My son also enjoyed one of the recent photo essays, '8 Reasons to Love an Octopus,' but I think he liked only the pictures - he didn't seem all that interested when I read to him how an octopus has a beak (I didn't know that!) to crush shellfish, or that some octopuses have stripes. (Again, I think it's the writing. The picture looked for all the world like a zebra; the writer said "candy cane.")
The photography is good, but not great, which is especially disappointing after my son has enjoyed the pics in Birds and Blooms magazine, for one example.
Complaints now registered, I'm not writing off the mag just yet. For one thing, the only way you can get it is via subscription, so it'll keep showing up in the mailbox for another seven months or so. Second, I have given it as a gift to three other boys, and I've heard from at least two of them that they love it. They are older than my son, though - one is seven - so perhaps it's a title he'll grow into. And third, Your Big Backyard has won the Association of Educational Publishers' Excellence in Children's Publishing award at least twice, in '05 & '07.
Still, I doubt my son will ever be quite as excited about this title as he was Wild Animal Baby, and that's too bad.
I should also mention that the competition (like the new National Graphic for *Little* Kids) isn't good enough to get me to subscribe at all. And I do like the idea of letting my son have a magazine of his own, especially one that opens up the greater world to his eager eyes. So, we'll keep reading.
Recommended:
Yes
The magazine is full of activities for kids 3-6 years old. Anything from find it games, to mazes and projects to do. They include a poster each month of a different animal to hang on your child's wall. And there has always seems to be a wide variety of animals and information about them. For example in January 2000 issue there is an article on what squirrels, Bighorn sheep, robins and deer eat in the winter months with snow on the ground and how they get that food.
The same publishers make Wild Animal Baby for children 12 months to 3 years and Ranger Rick for children 7-12.
Recommended:
Yes