The previous reviews have said it all...but it can't hurt to say it again...this magazine is a waste...it is filled with jokes, ads and animals frequently dressed up in silly outfits. SO SO SO disappointing because I am a huge National Geographic fan. For those who want a good quality magazine for their children, subscribe to ASK Magazine.

If you want a magazine that has a lot of interesting articles this is the magazine for you. It has some things that come in all the issues like (lame) jokes and a bunch of facts. It also has some news stories and most issues try to get you to watch something exciting on the National Geographic Channel. Mostly this is a decent kids magazine with nothing bad or inappropriat but actually manages to still be quite fun to read

I am truly appalled that National Geographic would squander it's reputation by putting out such a low quality publication. Never again will I assume that the National Geographic name confers high quality or intellectual integrity. I found what little educational content there was to be dumbed down and lacking in focus. I also found both the excessive amount and the type of "tween" targeted advertising to be inappropriate for a supposedly educational magazine.

Before subscribing, I had only seen seen "samples" of this magazine, but the samples are not at all like the real thing. The samples had more pages of educational content than the real magazine.

When we received a subscription as a gift, I was appalled at both the excessive amount and the type of advertising - not at all appropriate for younger elementary students, nor in any way related to the supposedly educational focus. I was so disturbed by the content of some of the ads for violent video games and inappropriate movies, that I did not even show the magazine to my son.

As a science educator, I decided to quantify my impression, so I counted the advertising pages vs. the actual educational content and the non-educational pop culture drek (star interviews, movie reviews, product reviews). In the 56 page issue I reviewed, there was only 21 pages of "educational content" (including the cover and some pretty lame trivia), ads took up 17 and 2/3 pages and there were 12 and 2/3 pages of non-educational pop culture drek and thinly disguised marketing (including star interviews, movie and product reviews, non-educational jokes or puzzles). The last 4 and 1/3 pages included crafts (2 pages), one educational puzzle (1 page) and the publishing info & contents (1 and 1/3 pages).

Draw your own conclusions. I'm cancelling our subscription AND I'll look twice at any kid's products marketed by National Geographic in the future. They (National Geographic) have lost the confidence of a former lifelong fan.

I guess this is a good magazine if you want your child up-to-date on tween celebrity happenings and knowledgeable of all of the newest toys, candies, and cereals. I'm really not one to write reviews, but this magazine inspired me. The "Geographic" content of this magazine is completely obscured by the marketing of kid-related products, Disney characters, and kid-recognizable celebrities. Instead of coming away from this magazine with a heightened knowledge of the world, my child came away with a heightened case of Want-itis. I wish I had read some of the other reviews on this page before I wasted my money on a product I thought would be educational.

I have subscribed to this magzine for a while now, for my kids aged 7 and 4. I have to say that my son pays more attention to the advertised fancy and colorful toys and 'hi-tech' gadgets in this magzine than to learning. I am somewhat disappointed at that.


I have read great reviews about the Discover Kids magzine and I am going to try that one.