I had the privilege of reviewing several editions of the quarterly publication Child Art Magazine. What a treat! Each issue was full of colorful photographs of art created by children. Each magazine is unique both in the topics covered as well as in the art media presented. For example, the January-March 2010 issue focused on collaborative art, or "co-creation." Each article related to the theme and presented pictures of murals, sculptures, and children working together. The January-March 2006 issue focused on fashion and style from around the world. Throughout the magazine, there were images of authentic regional clothing from around the world. This issue also included several articles on the design process, from the initial sketch to the finished product. The July-September 2001 issue focused on imagination and the art of people around the world. There was an article about Eric Carle and how he creates his illustrations. There were also several suggested projects, including a "stained glass" painting project.

The International Child Art Foundation recommends this magazine for children ages 8-12; however, my 6-year-old really enjoyed looking at the pictures. This magazine incorporates a bit of history, art, and social studies into its articles. For this reason, I think that families who use unit studies would enjoy it. It could also be used to facilitate any art study though, especially because children enjoy seeing the artwork of other children. In my home, we did not use the magazine in any formal capacity. Our art study has been more relaxed and simply involved looking at the pictures and discussing them.

Overall this magazine is beautiful. The colors are vibrant and inviting, and there is a lot of variation in theme, which results in a broad appeal. My favorite issues were the ones that included projects to do or pictures of children making beautiful art in unconventional ways. However, not all issues include projects. One other negative I noticed was that in the January-March 2010 issue, there is a full-page picture of a girl painting the face of a plaster form of a woman who is naked from the hips up. There is a flower, which a child painted, strategically placed on the woman's chest. None of the other six issues I reviewed had what I consider suggestive material. For me, personally, at $30 for a yearly subscription of four magazines per year, this publication seems a bit expensive, especially since I am not sure that I would be able to use each issue in my homeschool. A very artistic child or family would probably love this magazine and feel that it was a good value. I recommend this magazine with caution due to the possibility that some material presented won't be appropriate for all children

Product review by Marisa Corless, MH, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, July 2010