Long Time, No Sea
For many of us, it’s been a minute since we got a chance to vacation. If you’re beach-bound this summer, help your little learners prepare with this short and sweet poem from Ladybug. It will motivate them in many ways to make sand and sea creations that will keep little hands busy and little minds active, while you take a break in the sun… for shore. —from LADYBUG magazine

Rebel without a Claus
Where, oh where, does Santa Claus go for that other 364 days of the year? Well, he’s probably off working in his workshop. After all, he’s got a pretty big responsibility for the one day of the year that he’s on. But even Santa needs time off, and Cricket Magazine is spilling the goods on what a Santa Claus vacation looks like. Tune in to see Santa tune out. —from CRICKET magazine

Secret Agent, Man
Learn a secret and ancient language that will allow you and your young learners—or their friends—to talk in code. Discover the special cipher that the Spartans of Greece used to communicate in times of war. This secret language looks like random letters but if you know the trick, you can decipher clandestine messages that no one else will understand. This SPIDER Magazine article is yours if you choose to accept it. This message will self-destruct in five seconds.  —from SPIDER magazine

Maine-Line
Maine is known for lobsters, but that’s just the jewel of the sea… wait until you see what the land offers. Get to know Acadia National Park in Maine. Home to artists, the elite, and more than 40 species of wildlife including harbor seals and eastern coyotes. This short but insightful article introduces you to this gem of a location where you can find mountains, wildlife, seashores, and history, all wrapped into one amazing location. —from COBBLESTONE magazine

Learn Mandarin with Honghong
Today’s new word: 夏天 (summer), pronounced Xiàtiān. Would your child enjoy learning the language integral to such ancient history and rich culture? Check out Chinese classes with us! —from NeuLingo, our Chinese Learning Division

We’ve Got Your Back(ground)
While some of us are able to return to life pre-COVID, a lot of us still manage day-to-day by working at home and being in contact via online meetings. There are only two things that make online meeting life more interesting: Cool backgrounds and funny hats. We can’t help you with funny hats, but as far as cool backgrounds go, Cricket Media has you covered. Check out our collection of custom Zoom backgrounds based on some of our most beloved covers and illustrations and liven up your next online meeting.

Our Monthly Featured Magazine: LADYBUG
LADYBUG Magazine offers a charming collection of the best stories, poems, songs, action games, and adventures for young children. Written by some of the world's best children's authors and illustrated by award-winning artists, LADYBUG Magazine sparks a love of reading that will last a lifetime.

Perfect for: Preschoolers ages 3 to 6.

Special Features: Ladybug, Muddle, and Thud, a trio of friends found throughout the margins of LADYBUG, I SPY puzzle, Max and Kate, and takeout pages at the end of every issue.

Fun Fact: LADYBUG was the second magazine started by the creators of CRICKET and was first published in January 1994. Today it is the most popular magazine published by Cricket Media.

Awards: Parents’ Choice Gold Awards in 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, and 2014.

What You'll Find Inside: 

• Advertising-free activities, games, and songs in a mix of lengths—some perfect to read aloud during story time, others simple enough for a beginning reader to tackle alone.
  
• Recurring adventures with beloved characters Molly and Emmett and Ladybug, Muddle, and Thud in every issue.
• A removable 4-page activity section that provides fun crafts to cut out and make while also building key memory and motor skills.
• Beautiful full-color illustrations on every page that make LADYBUG feel more like a high-quality picture book than a magazine—but at a fraction of the cost.