Discovery Girls Magazine

Discovery Girls magazine is aimed at girls ages 8-13 and is devoted to tween girls and by tween girls. The content is created and written with not just this age group of girls in mind but by them. The pages are filled with photos and stories of real girls. I love it! Where was this magazine when I was growing up? Discovery girls debuted in 2000 and has since become a wonderful, fun guide for tween girls. It goes beyond cute hairstyles and fashionable clothing layouts and hits the core of what these girls are interested in and thinking about daily.

Just flipping through a few issues I found sections on how to deal with the end of a friendship, cool animal facts, tips for making friends, gaining confidence and dealing with body image issues. Each page has a Discovery Girl reader either writing a piece or being featured. It's amazing and so empowering and exciting for girls of this and any age to see.

Here are a few examples of Discovery Girls articles and features-


5 Ways to be a Be a Better Friend
What's Your Favorite Warm Weather Snack?
How Well Do You Know Your Mom?

Loaded with tips, advice, fun facts, embarrassing moments and more Discovery Girls magazine is a resource that all tween girls can appreciate. As a parent I can too. It opens the door to deeper discussions and a peek into what is weighing on their mind. The idea that actual readers can participate in the creation of the magazine is beyond a boost of confidence and inclusion. It fosters a bond and a safe community for tween girls and sparks ideas for their future.

In addtion to the magazine, Discovery Girls website has an online community and wealth of information for girls. They have also created a 4-book Fab Girls guide that teaches girls how to deal with Sticky Situations, Getting Your Questions Answered, Friendship Hardship, and Getting Through Tough Times.

I'm giving away the following cool prize pack from Disovery Girls too!

1 complimentary year subscription to the magazine (a $20 value!)
1 set of our Fab Girls book set ($40)
A special collector's edition, set to be released June 28, 2011, which will encompass 10 years of the best content from our magazine plus more special features!
Enter to win by commenting. A winner will chosen at random on June 27, 2011. Please include your email address so I can contact you. Retweets and follows with an additional comment will garner an additional entry.

MPR Rating: Five Stars.

Disclaimer: MPR was not paid for this post. Products received are for review purposes only. Opinions are MPR's only.

Brain, Child Magazine

Billed as the magazine for "thinking mothers", Brain, Child magazine could not be summed up better. In fact, after just browsing through a few copies of the magazine I realized I simply could not find a better way to describe it. Compiled inside each issue are informative, sometimes snarky and provocative articles. Each issue contains loads of information for working and non-working mothers alike. As a whole I found Brain, Child to be a well-rounded and smart piece of work.

This is no 'Parents' magazine. If you are looking for holiday crafts or cookie recipes Brain, Child is not going to satisfy you. However, if you want to read well-researched works the likes you could find in Newsweek magazine but dedicated to the subject of children, motherhood and parenting then you will find it here.

Founded in 1999 and launched in 2000 by two mothers, Jennifer Niesslein and Stephanie Wilkinson, two journalists who wanted a magazine that dealt with weightier issues regarding motherhood and its life changing experience they formed Brain, Child magazine.

"Brain, Child's first issue was published in March 2000. It included essays by Barbara Kingsolver and Susan Cheever, a feature on the new academic field of ethnopediatrics, a debate on the merits of family bed, fiction, and essays by mothers addressing the stuff of real-life parenting (swearing off swearing, or selective reduction, for example). That year, the magazine was named by Utne Reader as one of the five best new magazines in the country."

What I love about Brain, Child is how diverse it is. Inside you will not only find articles debating topics like radical homemaking, vaccinations and working from home but also reviews on a variety of products, birth stories, relationships, parodies, essays and so much more. There is something for everyone and I always come away from each issue having learned a different perspective on a subject or just feeling more clued-in to the world around me.

Brain, Child magazine is the only literary magazine for mothers and is sold in the U.S. and Canada at select grocery stores, independent bookstores and Barnes and Noble. I highly recommend checking it out or giving a subscription as a gift. It's perfect for a friend, new mom or even someone who has been at the whole motherhood scene for a while.

Head on over to the Brain, Child website and browse around. One lucky winner (drawn at random on Saturday, December 6) will be given a one-year subscription free. Just leave a comment with your email and you will be entered to win!

Want more Brain, Child? Sign up for their FREE newsletter filled with web-only deals, updates and extra tidbits to read by sending your email to subscriptions@brainchildmag.com or simply head over to brainchildmag to sign up.