Family Fun Is #1 Around Here

Now that my younger child is three, my family has almost outgrown magazines like Parents and Child. There is still information in them that is helpful to us, but we really don’t need to know all about infants and at what age they should be hitting milestones like sitting up and talking. We have already been though all of that. My daughter’s Girl Scout troop sold items last year which included magazine subscriptions. My husband decided to get a subscription to Family Fun Magazine, which I had previously only read a few times in doctor’s waiting rooms. So far, we have really enjoyed each issue. It’s a very quick magazine to read. I like that because I have enough other reading material that piles up because they take so long for me to read them.

The magazine is just right for our family. There are interesting things for the kids to do and informative articles for parents, too. I feel it would be most helpful for parents with children who are pre-teens or very young.

What’s To Like?

Each magazine contains these regular features:

Family Almanac-Simple seasonal activities. For instance, holiday crafts, games and treats would be in this section. For the spring issue I’m using an example, you’ll find directions for a flowerpot for mother’s day, a sidewalk spelling game, a card game, an apple note holder for the teacher, spicy Mexican brownies, a doghouse for stuffed animals and a lemon-mint julep. I’ve made several servings of the lemon drink so far. It’s easy and good. From the Valentine’s Day issue, we got ideas to make candy gifts for my daughter’s entire class-airplanes for the boys and flowers for the girls using a few supplies and some candy.

Index-This makes it simple to quickly find articles of interest. It is broken down by things like ‘activities and games’, ‘crafts’, ‘contests’, ‘computer fun’, ’food and recipes’, ‘ideas and solutions’, ‘reviews’, and ‘travel’. Since it includes every item, unlike many magazines that only show the highlights, it’s very easy to find what you are looking for.

Mailbox-Readers comment on previous issues and often add tips of their own.

My Great Idea-Some examples of this section: A family decides to cancel cable television and talk about how they fared, and in another issue, a father invents a holiday for his over scheduled family where they all do nothing for a day—in pajamas. The other part of this section includes original ideas sent in by readers with everything from a points system for chores to holiday traditions and other smart ideas.

Family Traveler-The section tells about the best places to visit with kids and ideas on traveling with them. I’ve read about the best places for beach vacations, tips for Disney vacations, and other interesting tips.

Cooking Class-These recipes are created to be simple for kids to make with their parents and sometimes even alone. It explains which steps must be done by a parent and which ones kids can handle alone. I always find good recipes to cut out and save.

Click Here-Tips on the best websites for kids, vacation planning, and ideas to make the internet safer for kids.

Review Roundup-Books, video, audio and software are reviewed so you can find the best entertainment for your family.

Object of Fun-This is the back page. In one magazine, jello is the object of fun. It includes facts such as: what it really is, why it’s so wiggly, who invented it and the weirdest place it’s been served. Recipes for several jello treats are given. In another issue, they featured potato chips. They described the different types like ruffled, colored chips, baked and flavored and even gave a recipe for potato chip cookies.

Some of the ideas are so fun. My daughter loves to see what they’ve come up with. In the February issue, for example, they showed how to create a winter amusement park in your backyard. It described how to create a track for tube riding, a treasure hunt with a chest of treats buried in snow, rainbow colored ice tinted with food coloring and molded in cups, buckets and other storage containers to create castles, a miniature golf course and how to make snow people using natural materials birds can eat and “spray paint” with colored water in a spray bottle.

There was also a great article recently on the best ideas to get your entire house and family organized. It had clever storage ideas and tips like keeping all your loose papers in a binder and divided so each family member has their own section.

I can usually read this magazine in 1-2 days. They don’t overdo the advertising like some magazines do. A one year subscription runs about $12.95 and the cover price is listed as $2.99. It’s filled with practical tips for the whole family and I look forward to each issue.