TOS CREW Review-God's World News

Do you read the newspaper or magazines regularly in your house?  The answer here- NO!  We use to be a newspaper reading, magazine subscribing family...and then we had kids.  And quite honestly, I was appalled at what they had access to reading.  Never mind the pictures they might see.  Really!  And yet, I want to raise informed children.  I want them to know about the world we live in.  I just want it all to come from a Godly perspective.  And I thought that that might be too much to ask for.

Until I found God's World News!

And now my kids are no longer in the dark, nor exposed to the junk of the world written from an ugly, worldly point of view.



We were blessed to receive a year's subscription to God's World News.  There are multiple levels to choose from and since we have several different age ranges represented in our house, we chose News Current for 5th and 6th graders, figuring it would hold the interest of the youngers while not talking down to the olders. So far, so good!

There are so many things that make this Biblical Worldview magazine a great resource!  Where do I begin?

-All articles are written with a specific target audience in mind so information is presented in an acceptable way to the different age groups.  If you order the applicable level for your child, he or she should have no problem reading it alone.

-Because it is from a Biblical worldview, God's World News does not have to shy away from controversial issues.  The August issue even tackles the tracking of illegal immigrants.

-Except for the summer issues, each issue has several quizzes on the larger articles so you have a way to check on your child's comprehension or to just help you get a conversation started with them.

-There is also a vocabulary review in each issue.  Various words are highlighted throughout the magazine and then those highlighted words are featured in a vocabulary multiple choice at the end.

-There are some fun features to keep your children interested like crossword puzzles and cartoons.

-Each September issue comes with a world map!!  This is one of my favorite "bonus" features.  I love this map.  It has the world pictured and labeled, as well as side sections for closer views of the 50 States, the regions of the world, the Middle East, Europe, and the Continents.  I have it just taped to the wall in our office at this point, but am looking to frame it for the kids.  It is our favorite word amp, and trust me, we have seen a lot!

-There is also bonus content and teacher/parent helps on line.  Yes, you can look at older issues online, access answers to the quizzes, read biographies and more on their website.  There are additional articles under the tabs My Sci, Creation, Time Machine. People/Places, know Me, and Fun Stuff.

-The articles in News Current range from serious (Australia's Boat People) to historical (Hank Aaron) to fun (Let's Go Glamping!).  There is a little of everything to interest all kinds of kids!

So how are we using it and liking it?
I thought the News Current level would mostly interest our 6th grade son, but to be honest we have all enjoyed it.  I have noticed that at different times each of us have picked up one of the three issues we currently have and read.  Our youngest who is a first grader has enjoyed looking at the pictures and has asked questions about them, opening up the opportunity to have discussions about world events we would have not had otherwise.  We have not used the quizzes other than to just glance at them, but we have had a friendly competition with the vocabulary words to see who knew the most!  We are just beginning to explore the online resources, but I am impressed with how well organized it is and how easy it is to navigate.  I have set the expectation that the whole magazine is to be read by the older kiddos, but have not had to "assign" the reading, as the magazines are a fun go to read all on their own.  I have to say that the only negative I found was that I did not care for the political cartoons.  Call me old fashioned, but for now that is something I do not feel is important to expose my kiddos to.

We also received a copy of World News, the adult version of  this magazine which my husband and I are enjoying as well.  If you are receiving God's World News or World News separately, they have recently formed a program called World Fellow Member that gives you access to all editions online.  There is also a convenient iPad app you can download for free that I love.  No more random news on the Internet for me!

As a conservative Christian parent I am thrilled that there is such a resource out there that can offer our children a peek into the world we live in without exposing them to all of the negatives in the name of free press.  As my mom use to say, there is a time and a place for everything.  For me, now is the time to expose them to a strong Biblical Worldview, and God's World News does just that!

You can get a year's subscription (10 issues) to God's World News for $28.00.