Aquila magazine

[MyChildDoesntNeedSleepAtXmas]

Somebody mentioned this in another thread.

I've just had a look at their website and it looks fab! I've just done a trial of First News for my 9 year old DS, and while we liked it, I'm not sure it's worth continuing now I've seen Aquila.

Does anyone have any views on First News/Aquila (obviously, they're different to each other, but just wondering what people's experiences were).

Aquila is great- order it for neice and nephew and had it in the school library. First news is also good though. They are very different things as Aquilla really isn't about news- each mahazine is on a different topic. Could someone else give a subscription for one as a Christmas present?

We got Aquila for a year: tbh I think it appeals more to parents than children as it is very "worthy".

We started subscribing to First News on the very first edition (May 2006), when the boys were 7 and 9.

I recently suggested cancelling the subscription and received howls of anguish from all quarters as they still enjoy it and like being able to tell us about recent news stories that they've read. (They sometimes read adult newspapers now, but they still love FN.)

Thanks for your responses.

Well, DS wasn't very impressed when I told him I was thinking of cancelling the FN subscription, so I'll leave it for now. The Christmas present idea is a good one.

A friend kept pushing Aquila for my dd, as her dd had really enjoyed it and she knew dd was also bright. Dd was totally uninterested as it was a general magazine for bright children rather than one that specialised in her own interests. But it worked very well for the friend's dd.

I agree - my DS who reads loads, absolute loads, didn't like Aquila because it wasn't about what he wanted to read about.

Each issues is about something totally different. So the odd issue he loved. Most of them he didn't even touch.

NG Kids seems similar but less detailed & more keen on advertisements, is that fair comparison?

May I suggest Flipside, especially for boys age 10-15?

We tried a three month subscription for Aquila, for DD1 who is 9. She quite liked it, but wasn't greatly enthused. As others have said, each issue is based on a topic - and the topics chosen weren't necessarily anything that grabbed her. She liked the puzzles and jokes, but didn't read much of the rest.

We're sticking with books and letting her buy the Beano for jokes .

We take Aquila and although I like it I have to agree with the people who've said their dcs only like the odd issue. Sometime ds finds the articles interesting, sometime he hardly reads any of it because it doesn't appeal to him. So I don't think we'll renew it.

I got Aquilla for a while as people raved, but my bright kids were totally bored by it. I've found Adventure Box which appealed more, and were now moving on to Discovery Box, which is more like Aquilla (but not quite as worthy). First news is great but a very different product. (If possible have both, as one is more like getting the Times and the other like a good magazine).

We get Aquila and First News; with FN they argue over who gets first read, but they will go back to Aquila again and again. God, does that make me sound like a worthyright-ontrendyveggieleftie kind of mum?

I saw Aquila mentioned on another thread, and thought we'd try a 'taster'. That said, a friend told me today that the kids' National Geographic is a hot favourite with her dd - I've never seen one, but am curious.

Arrgghh...NG Kids, Flipside, Discovery Box...who knew all these products were out there?! Will have a look. Without Mumsnet I wouldn't have a clue about things like this.

I think last week's issue of first News didn't have anything about the strikes in it so I was doubting it and wondering if it was just a gimmick. The adverts are annoying too.

DS does like it, though. We were looking through it a couple of weeks ago and it mentioned going onto the FN website to vote on different issues. One of the questions was something like: "Do you think a fine is enough for running somebody over in a car?" I said: " That's not a very good question...they've not given us much information there...was the motorist driving dangerously, or did the victim just run out in front of the car, etc etc?" DS said:"Oh, I read about this in FN...they said the driver hadn't cleared their windscreen properly and that's why the accident happened. I think a fine isn't enough because you shouldn't drive a car if you can't see properly."

I was so happy and proud that he had obviously read the article properly, formulated an opinion about it, then articulated it on another occasion. That's the whole point, isn't it? I think I'll definitely keep the subscription.

I've not seen Aquila, but was irritated by their advert in last Saturdays guardian to the point of posting an AIBU on the subject, so that one won't be on DD's christmas pile

Elibean - Kids Nat Geographic - dd had a subscription given to her last year, but she wasn't overly impressed with it. She's completely animal mad, (also into dinosaurs, volcanos, loves Deadly 60, all the usual), so I would have expected it to be a hit, but it seemed to be mostly adverts interspersed with product placement with minimal real content.

is 6 too young for first news?

No. DD2 was reading it at 5.

I think it's aimed at kids from age seven, so a six year old with high reading ability could probably read it. It's a bit much for my six year old, though. Even the interview with Richard Hammond couldn't hold his attention!

My boys didn't like National Geographic Kids or NG itself.

When they're a bit older, for Science/Tech-mad children, BBC Focus Magazine is brilliant. The boys both read it and we've been getting it since ds2 was about 8 or 9.

Focus Magazine