Coffee and Curriculum: A review of Blossom and Root Level 0: My Great Adventure

Hey friends!

It's been a while and an incredibly busy season here for us between being approved for the CHOOSE act, finishig up summer, and getting ready for the start of a new school year we have been overwhelmed for weeks. As things finally settle down I can't wait to share some more reviews starting with this science review!

Science is another one of those subjects that people tend to either love or hate. Obviously, I love it! What I do not love is the sheer amount of terrible science curricula being pushed from every aspect of the internet. In an effort to counteract all the not-so-great options, I want to highlight one of my favorites and give some of the ways that we have actually used it.

Blossom and Root offers an almost full curriculum. With the exception of math and history, there are six levels (and Level 7 is being developed), plus some preschool and kindergarten content. I’ve used bits and pieces of it all, but the one we are currently using is Blossom and Root Level 0, or their kindergarten equivalent. Specifically, the science. I may review the other pieces at a different time.

Blossom and Root Level 0: My Great Space Adventure

This level is meant for a child just beginning in their school journey, and it is exciting! While it states that math is integrated, I do believe you need a separate math curriculum to accompany any Blossom and Root level.

This is a 36-week adventure into space, delving into the idea of science for a young child without any harshness. It states at the beginning and in the advertisement for it that it is for the whole child, and I believe that is an accurate way of describing this unique curriculum experience.

It’s easy to do a little or a lot with the parent guide, and it could easily only take a few months instead of the full year. One thing to note about Blossom and Root is that the early science focus tends to be one subject for the full year.

There are two main parts to the curriculum when you download it: a full-bodied parent guide in black and white and a set of pages for the student to enhance what you are learning about. It is pretty basic, but it includes spaces for writing or drawing about the space that you are learning about.

Our Space wall at the start of the school year.

Just a side note here: I chose this particular curriculum for this year because it is very easy and honestly much more fun to use it with multiple kids. It’s my second run through it. I also used it with my oldest six or seven years ago, and while we enjoyed aspects of it, he is not a kid who loved dramatic play or had a great imagination, which is a real requirement in order to love this specific level of Blossom and Root.

Blossom and Root: My Great Space Adventure Parent Guide

This parent guide includes a brief introduction to the way she suggests we use this curriculum and how to use the various pieces. It is a science and math integrated curriculum that heavily focuses on play, imagination, and building curiosity.

If you have a 4–7-year-old child who really loves to pretend, play, and learn, then this is a curriculum that could work very well for you.

It also includes pages and pages of suggested supplemental books and about a page of books that she refers to as spines. These are books that you will go back to a lot. The supplemental books are nice but a lot less necessary. I have a great mix of both, but you can easily cut that list down and still get a lot out of this curriculum.

The way that this curriculum is organized will throw you if you are looking for someone to tell you exactly what to do each day. It isn’t scripted, and there is not a firm schedule. That is pretty typical of Blossom and Root. You, as the teacher, do have to decide when and how to organize things.

Each unit includes a letter from “Mission Control” and then is broken down into the following categories:

• Focus On — This is a series of concepts that you are supposed to be covering during this week or unit.

• A Captain’s Log — This corresponds to some of the student pages where children will write or draw what they are learning, answer questions, as well as mark the day, month, and day of the week. It suggests doing this as often as every day of the week, or you can do it once or twice a week whenever you do science. We do this particular page only once a week.

• Optional Additions — This is where you will find the activity suggestions, video suggestions, and reading suggestions.

Overall, this is one of my favorite science curriculums for the early years. It is not rigorous, and you won't find worksheets, but rather opportunities to narrate or illustrate what you are learning together.

It isn’t scripted, so it won’t tell you exactly what to say, but it does provide you with beautiful book suggestions and engaging activities. This is the sort of curriculum that encourages you to remember that you are your child’s first teacher and that you can teach them in a beautiful and holistic way, without a script or a worksheet in sight.

Our earth layers project!

Now for the ratings!

Ease of Use: 10/10

It is very easy to use, but it is not going to tell you exactly what to do. It will instead provide a delightful feast of options that you can choose from each week.

I do find it easy to implement. It could be considered an open-and-go curriculum option. I often don’t prep it; I just open up the teacher guide and decide on the fly what we are going to be using that day.

Do I Have to Print It? 8/10

You do need to print the student pages that you want to use, but you could skip the parent guide if you didn’t want to print it. I do recommend printing it and making notes in it that will help you guide the lesson as you teach.

Cost: 10/10

The cost is unbelievably good for what you are getting. When I checked this morning, it was $19 for the Science and Nature curriculum as a bundle. The whole Level 0 curriculum is just $67. That is a huge bargain.

Buying a couple of unit studies on Etsy can be as much as that, and they are guaranteed to be less quality.

Who Published It? 10/10

It’s published by Blossom and Root. Blossom and Root is a mostly one-woman show. It is owned by a woman named Kristina, who was a teacher and approaches the process of learning in a Charlotte Mason- and Waldorf-inspired way.

It is the best of a lot of worlds.

Secular or Faith-Based? 10/10

It is fully secular.

Who Is It For? 10/10

This science curriculum is advertised for kindergarten, but I would say that it could easily be used for kids aged 4–7, depending on their ability to comprehend and a parent’s capacity to add more stuff at that age.

It is easy to use this family-style. This year, we are using it for three kids ranging from 3–6 years old. The youngest is mostly just along for the ride, but the older two can fully participate.

Blossom and Root takes a gentle approach to science and makes it accessible for all kids.

What Is the Scheduling Like? 10/10

The parent guide gives you no hard-and-fast rules about scheduling, but it could easily be done in a day or stretched to a week. You could also double up lessons and finish in half a year.

Did We Use It/Actually Like It? 10/10

Yes! It’s very accessible and easy to use without being overwhelming.

Did We Finish It? 10/10

Yes, and we are on our second time through.

Our school prep desk

Blossom and Root Science Level 0: My Great Space Adventure gets an A+ from us. If you are looking for an early science curriculum that is great for just one kid or the whole family, then this is the one I’d choose again and again.

Blossom and Root offers a lot of really solid curriculum options, and right now, through mid-September, they are offering 30% off their units and levels with the code maple30.

I do not get anything for recommending them, but I’ll be buying a couple more things to use later.

Have you used any of their products? Do you love them?