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the cost of living rises, the need to save money does as well. So finding ways to reuse items from child number one for child number two is priceless! You don't have to feel like you are ruining a kids' magazine by ripping it apart. We like to tear out our favorite articles and put them into sheet protectors. We group the articles together by category, then place them in a binder, and stick them on the book shelf for future reading and exploration. Some of the categories we have are; animals, habitats, solar system, space travel, careers, short stories, activity pages, science experiments, and transportation. We also add backs of cereal boxes to these binders. These home-made books come in handy when we need a quick example, or fun activity, to go along with a lesson.

Don't forget the crafts. Sure, many kids' magazines have craft ideas in them. You can make a binder of those as well. However, there are other craft options as well. All four of my homeschooled kids learned the alphabet by making ABC books. Each page is designated for a letter, and the kid draws pictures, or cuts out pictures, of things that begin with that letter. Kid's magazines are a great place to find such pictures. You could take this further and make a book with each page full of pictures that rhyme, end in the same letter, or have the same color or shape. Another great option is to create scrapbooks; titles can include careers, endangered animals, ways to protect the environment, or healthy food choices. Again, knowing what your child is interested in will help you decide on the best books to make.

Creative writing is another great activity that can be spurred from kids' magazines. Many kids' magazines accept submissions from their readers. What better way to get your child excited about writing than to see her name in a byline? Some kids' magazines also have story starters. These are beginnings of stories to inspire your child to complete. I also like to take a few good pictures from my kids' favorite magazines, and ask them to tell me about it. As they talk about it, I ask questions, and I write their responses. Then, they go back and write a story from our notes. This also leads to them asking questions about topics from the story, and that leads to further explorationall on the kid's terms, and from their own interests.

The value of kids' magazines in the homeschool curriculum is priceless. The opportunities to include portions of the magazines are endless. And most importantly, your child will develop a love for reading and exploration that no one can take from them. So, don't wait, get started now. Your kids will thank you for it.

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