As you may or may not know, I’ve taught secondary science for over a dozen years and have been designing curriculum for the past five years. In that time, I’ve welcomed two beautiful daughters who are now beginning their school journey and it’s important to me that science is a strong part of their curriculum starting from Kindergarten.
One of the simplest ways for younger students to start gaining and using science vocabulary is through books. So, you can imagine how excited my girls and I were to read this new book series for grades K-5 called Zoey and Sassafras by Asia Citro with brilliant illustrations by Marion Lindsay, who offered me an advanced copy for review, and I’m so happy they did!
Kids are scientists by nature. They’re curious, they observe the world around them, they’re always wondering why and they love getting messy! This is exactly why my kids immediately fell in love with Zoey, a young scientist, who helps magical creatures of the forest by using a little problem solving, a lot of science, and a few tricks up her sleeve.
It’s great isn’t it? I told you! Want to read a bit more? Click here.
As a mom, I want the love of science to stay with my kids as they head into school and to continue as they grow and learn more about the world around them. I felt these books were perfect for my girls’ curious minds and even hit on their natural sense of adventure. As a science teacher, I completely adore this young STEM series! Zoey and Sassafras effortlessly teach kids the steps of the scientific method by using it to help baby dragons with tummy aches, merhorses and their polluted home and a young monster who wants to go to a ball, but has an embarrassing problem.
I believe that every elementary classroom would benefit by having Zoey and Sassafras as a part of their library and highly recommend all three books:
Zoey and Sassafras Dragons and Marshmallows – Book #1
Zoey and Sassafras Monsters and Mold – Book #2
Zoey and Sassafras Merhorses and Bubbles – Book #3
When introducing elementary students to science and the many experiments and labs that follow, it’s important to instill the importance of safety. This is why I want to share a FREE set of Science Safety posters that feature Zoey and her friends. Hang these posters to remind students of rules that should always be followed by scientists young and not-so-young. Click image below to grab your set today!
I’m excited for you and your students to read this series and even more excited that I’m going to start designing for elementary science too! Stay tuned as I add more Zoey and Sassafras resources! Sign up to Join Team Nitty Gritty Science to find out when more resources are available!
Enjoy!
Erica
You may have noticed some Amazon Affiliate links throughout this post. Just so you are aware, if you happen to purchase items using any of those links, Amazon sends me a small percentage which I throw back into Nitty Gritty Science to help fund giveaways, purchase supplies for science demos and manage this website.