TOS Review, Nature Friend Magazine

We received the August and September editions of Nature Friend Magazine to review. There is so much to love about this magazine!

Let's start with their purpose:
Since the doctrine of Divine Creation is the first and foundational one of Scripture, our children must be able to stand on it securely to withstand the undermining influences from our culture. Nature Friend has never chosen to be controversial or militantly confrontational about creation vs. evolution. Its policy has been to simply stand on the truth of God’s Word and to present it as enjoyable fact while learning about the creatures God has created. Nature Friend recognizes that God has planned for man to be wise stewards over His creation, and that He alone is to be worshipped, not His creation.

As a family we enjoy nature studies of all kinds. We love to learn about God's Creation as we go on walks and collect little 'treasures' like interesting rocks or bird feathers. Our nature study verse is Psalm 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

Nature Friend beautifully captures God's handiwork. The photography is crisp and wonderful; the illustrations are very nice; the articles are written in an easy to read, conversational tone; the paper is nice and sturdy. Did I mention that we love this magazine?

Here is a small sampling of what you'll enjoy each month:
~ "The Invisibles" or hidden pictures - each month has a very nicely drawn nature scene with hidden nature pictures. Hank (7 y/o) particularly enjoys this.
~ "Wondernose" - a Pennsylvania Dutch term for someone who is very curious and asks lots of questions. The August Wildlife Wondernose question is, "What animal has both a hard beak and fleshy lips that cover that beak?"
~"Creation Closeups" - nature pictures submitted by readers
~ An art lesson - Approximately 6 times per year, the art lesson is 2 pages long rather than 1 page. This gives opportunity for learning more in-depth techniques. They also feature drawings that children have submitted from previous lessons. This is Ella's (5 y/o) favorite feature.
~ "Learning by Doing" - a science lesson followed by an experiment. In the September edition the title is "Plant Pigments." We read an informative and easy to understand lesson why different plants produce certain pigments, and then we made chromatographs.

Another great feature they offer for an additional fee is an 8-page Study Guide which can be photocopied for classroom use. Each Study Guide has puzzles and questions that reinforce the science lessons learned in that month's magazine. It also includes "The Photo Critique" which gives tips for successful nature photography. Your students can submit photos for publication and feedback. And "A Study in Nature, A Lesson in Writing" is a creative writing lesson.

You can buy a 1-year subscription for $36, and you can purchase the Study Guide for an additional $24.

A 2-year subscription is $68, and the Study Guide for 2 years is $48.

Use the code BLOG93 to save $3.00 off your new subscription, but hurry this offer is good only until November 30, 2009.

A subscription with the Study Guide is the perfect gift for your budding naturalist. I highly recommend Nature Friend Magazine.

Don't forget to see what other TOS Crew members think of it!

**I received the magazines free of charge and did not accept any payment for this review. My review is my opinion of the product received.