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SIOUX CITY | Starting Sunday, Journal readers will find a new publication for—and by—kids tucked into their newspaper each month.
Kid Scoop News will feature stories, poems, art, puzzles and more. Local students will write for the magazine.
Their stories will focus on various aspects of the community, from local businesses to local poets, said Jeanette Hopkins, coordinator for Newspapers In Education Siouxland, a Journal program that uses newspapers as an educational tool.
“It’s not just about kids playing as a news reporter, it’s kids writing for a purpose,” Hopkins said. “Anytime you get a purpose for anything you up the stakes.”
Hopkins said although many Siouxland schools contribute content, Kid Scoop News won’t replace classes or add extra work. Instead, the publication is meant to enhance learning, she said.
For NIE Siouxland director Nicole Schweitzberger, who pitched the idea of a monthly children’s magazine, educating students about all aspects of their hometown is crucial.
“We’re giving children in Siouxland a sense of place where they’re at, getting to know the people in their community, getting to know the businesses and what they’re doing,” Schweitzberger said. “The moment you give them a sense of place, you get more informed citizens.”
The magazine, which will arrive inside the paper the first Sunday of every month, will be delivered for free to Siouxland classrooms courtesy of the Northwest Area Education Agency.
Although many teachers will be in charge of helping their students contribute, any child can submit content by emailing Hopkins or Schweitzberger.
“It’s like Highlights, only instead of being turned down because only one person can get in a year, every child can get in throughout the year,” Schweitzberger said.
