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Bravery, Imagination and Generosity for creative kids and artists is the purpose of the new Australian magazine, BIG Kids Magazine, set to publish September 2011. BIG will offer experiences, ideas, connections, conversation starters, projects, and opportunities to dream, create, share, vision, tell stories, build bridges, whisper secrets and make discoveries.
BIG shares why kids need a creative arts magazine at this moment in time saying, “The opportunity for unbridled expression in children’s play is decreasing. As we ‘screen play’ our way toward a crisis of childhood marked by micro-managed play dates, fashion focus and consumer based activities, we are increasingly seeing stressed out six year-old ‘gamers’ and an increasing obesity epidemic.“
I agree. Don’t you?
The creative team behind the BIG idea is Jo Pollitt and Lilly Blue. They recently guest posted on Made By Joel about collaborating with kids and you won’t want to miss their ideas and printables which will give you a flavor of BIG, the magazine.
*P.S. Don’t you wonder what’s going on in Australia with so much creativity? Australia nurtures some of the most creative and playful bloggers and magazines in the world! 
(Please share your secret potion with the rest of the world . . . !)
So, here’s the BIG subscription form, newsletter form, and Facebook page. You don’t have to be Australian to order but if you aren’t, it does cost more. Also, you can submit your child’s artwork to BIG.
Best wishes to the BIG magazine! We’ll be cheering you on and look forward to your first issue!!
Other Creative Magazines to Explore
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Melissa Taylor is a mom and educator from Denver who is passionate about playful learning. Thanks for visiting the site!
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Thanks for such a lovely BIG intro and for your wonderful SOUP!
Love the look of BIG, and the premise behind it! I’m writing an article for The Book Chook right now on what children’s magazine contribute to literacy, and will add your link, Melissa.
Book Chook recently posted..Book Chook Favourites – Word Play
[...] Bravery Imagination Generosity BIG Kids Magazine [...]
BIG Kids Magazine sounds like a great magazine for our kids to develop their potential, creativity and knowledge. And thank you for sharing other kids creative magazines’ links.
Nicole recently posted..kids bedroom furniture
Doesn’t it seem harder and harder to parent “correctly?” On the one hand, this criticism is very valid. I have gone on play dates that are like birthday parties with crafts provided. As we ‘screen play’ our way toward a crisis of childhood marked by micro-managed play dates, fashion focus and consumer based activities, we are increasingly seeing stressed out six year-old ‘gamers’ and an increasing obesity epidemic.“
On the other hand, the Tiger Mom parenting which eliminates play dates is the other end of the spectrum.
Seriously, are the old ways the best? Let kids play with sticks and stones in dirt? I am being facetious here but doesn’t it seem more difficult than ever to parent well? Do we really have to research and read magazines to provide our children with “correct” activities? What happened to boredom-is-good?
I was talking to a bunch of moms after yoga the other day and what came up again and again was that the best childhood memories was unstructured play with neighbor kids kind of roaming the neighborhood going from house to house just playing as group of mixed ages with siblings. Things like impromptu sledding or pick up soccer/basketball. What ever happened to double dutch jump rope, for example? Or hours and hours of hopscotch? Or building slightly dangerous but fun ramps to ride your outgrown trike or skateboard off of? Or endless and mindless hours of ping pong?
Maybe I am a snarky mom, but lately when my kids tell me they are bored, I give them choices: go outside and play or clean your room or do your math workbook. This seems to motivate them to find something fun to do on their own.
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BIG Kids Magazine is for kids who are curious about the world-all!. It shares views of the world by kids and artists side by side. It is responsive not prescriptive. Our BIG kids are ”roaming the neighborhood going from house to house just playing as group of mixed ages with siblings’, drawing with chalk on the pavement, selling found ‘artefacts’ (olives, ‘gold’ leaves…) on the side of the road, starting up impromptu soccer and handball games, riding bikes, building precarious ramps, catching moths, inventing lego universes, creating stories and characters and asking questions. The BIG pages reflect this kind of kid thinking and asks more questions of them in return…we envision the mag open on the playroom floor as a landing pad to infinate possibilities… a place of ideas, imagination, interaction as well as a place provoking and supporting moments of quieter contemplation…
[...] Bravery Imagination Generosity BIG Kids Magazine [...]
[...] like the sound of BIG Kids magazine, described recently by Melissa at Imagination Soup. BIG stands for Bravery, Imagination, Generosity. The magazine is set to be published in [...]