Package science, literacy, and art into one engaging lesson!

Hello! I’m Audrey Sauble. I’m a children’s author, science illustrator and nature educator.

I’ve written and illustrated several nature and science-themed children’s books, which I use to teach kids about geology, pollinators, nature journaling, picture book illustration, story telling, and much more.

My most recent book, Acorn Party, is a mixed-up counting story set in the Pacific Northwest, where I live.

In Acorn Party, the main character is a Douglas squirrel, a PNW native. This squirrel wants to plan a party for his friends . . . but squirrels sometimes get a little distracted!

When I read this story to kids, they get to count along as we explore what kinds of food squirrels eat (not just nuts!). I also share stories about watching squirrels when they visit my yard and learning to notice what they’re actually doing.

As an illustrator, I also like to go beyond the story and show how I create these illustrations. I also use simple drawing exercises to show kids that anyone can draw.

During class workshops, I can include nature journaling techniques that encourage kids to use a mix of words, numbers, and pictures to record what they see, whether they’re studying a new rock, a pinecone, or a squirrel stealing mapleseeds from a back porch!

I offer school visits which can include a mix of school assemblies and workshops for individual classrooms.

My picture books & suggested STEM themes include:

• Pollinators and plants (with A Bee or Not a Bee?)
• Spiders and their webs (with Can a Spider Be Fluffy?)
• Eggs and animal life cycles (with Who Laid the Egg?)
• Geology and the rock cycle (with Can a Rock Grow?)
• Squirrels, counting, and forest exploration (with Acorn Party)
• Colors, trees, and leaf shapes (with Can a Tree Be Blue?)

For schools interested in literacy themes, I also offer presentations on storytelling, using Acorn Party.

Sample Lesson – Pollinators

Introduce A Bee or Not a Bee? and read it to the class. After finishing the book:

• Ask students if they’ve ever watched a bee on a flower (show of hands).
• Ask students to discuss in pairs different ways they can learn about bees.
• Distribute flowers to the students’ desks/tables.
• Show students an diagram of the flower and ask them to find the matching parts on their flower.
• Show how to draw a flower.
• Ask how the pollen gets on bees as they visit the flower. Encourage students to write their observations and questions on their page.
• Suggest students share their observations in pairs. If there is time, a few students can share a question or observation with the entire class.

Optional take-home activities: a word search or word scramble activity to reinforce key terms, or a journal template that students can use to study an insect at a park or at home. (These are provided by the author.)

Goals: Create a model showing the parts of a flower and explain how bees carry pollen from plant to plant.

Time: 40 minutes

Supplies:

• Alstroemeria lilies for students to dissect
• Paper
• Pencil
• Markers or crayons

Applies to: NGSS 2-LS2-2 Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics

Send me a message to get more information about scheduling a school visit!

Please include any important information about the visit, including location, grade levels, approximate number of students, preferred dates, and any budget or scheduling concerns that you might have.