Elemental Science began when Paige (our main author) was researching homeschool science programs for their daughter to use in first grade. In her research, she was unable to find an option that incorporated weekly hands-on activities and notebooking that was written by someone with a degree in the field.
With her background in Biochemistry, she figured the best option was just to write her own.
So she set to work putting together plans that included weekly experiments, unique notebooking pages, and coordinated reading assignments. One day in early 2008, as she was busily working on those plans her husband (and our co-founder), Brad, asked her what she was doing.
“I’m writing a science program for our daughter’s first grade year," Paige responded.
Brad replied, “That seems like an awful lot of work for one student. Why don’t you just buy a program?”
She politely informed him, “There’s nothing out there that fits what I want.” And then she began to list her criteria.
“Well, if you could not find what you wanted, don’t you think others can’t find it either? You should try to sell it,” he said.
That day the idea for Elemental Science and our Classical Science series was born.
About five years after they started Elemental Science, Brad and Paige started to feel the tug to write something new.
It began with a dream...
A dream to inspire students early on to love science!
Brad and Paige wanted to wrap scientific fact into a storyline that students couldn't put down. One in which the students would get so caught up in the adventure that learning science became the most exciting part of their day.
And then, one night at dinner with friends...
When Paige, Brad, Johnny, and Shannon met one night for dinner, something unexpected happened. Johnny got to talking about how he had a dream of writing adventure books and Paige shared about her dream to write a living book for science.
The four of them brainstormed and the idea for the Sassafras Science series was born!!
And they got down to business...
Johnny began writing furiously - creating invisible zip lines, super fun characters, and page-turning stories. Paige added in science activities, logbooks, and lapbooks to create a full science curriculum.
They designed covers, laid out books, and sent the Sassafras twins zipping out into the world!
We started small. At first, you could not even purchase the program on our website!
But over time as our product line has grown to include several different series:
Over the years, we have also streamlined the ordering process, making it easier for our customers. We have added another writer, several artists, an editor, and others to our team. We have maintained a blog with tons of free content and started a podcast.
Through all that, we have remained focused on providing a variety of high-quality science materials at reasonable prices, so that you teach homeschool science with confidence!
We prioritize our jobs of encouraging you as you teach science to your kiddos so you won't see us commenting about political or social issues. However, you should know that we are a diverse team that includes people from all different backgrounds and abilities. You are welcome in this space no matter your race, religion, or current life situation. We are honored to provide you with tips, tools, and programs to help you share our favorite subject and stand behind you as you walk your educational journey.
Within our company, we encourage community-involvement, reject discrimination (or racism) in any form, advocate for a family-first work environment, and care about our planet, making sure that we recycle as much as possible in our office. We won't shout this from the rooftops, instead we choose to live this daily.
Above all, we are committed to providing you with the same type of customer service we would expect to receive. If you have any questions about our programs or the ordering process or teaching science in general, please don't hesitate to drop us a line at support@elementalscience.com.
Paige is the author of most of the programs you see here at Elemental Science. She first discovered her love of science during a high school chemistry course, which led to her majoring in Biochemistry at Virginia Tech. After she received her degree, she began writing homeschool science curriculum for her daughter, which eventually grew into what you see here today. Her passion is to see all students enjoy and excel in their pursuit of science education. She currently resides in sunny Florida with her husband and two children.
Brad Hudson is the author of our high school programs, co-author of our theory series, and Paige's partner in life and business. He holds a Masters in Biology from Virginia Tech and has several years of teaching experience. He is the co-founder and driving force behind what you see at Elemental Science today.
Johnny Congo is the co-author of the Sassafras Science Adventures series. He is the oldest of 6 children, was born in 1977 in Tulsa, Oklahoma to a carpenter and his wife. He graduated from Oklahoma Baptist University in 2000 with a degree in Recreation (yes, that is a real degree). Johnny loves working with the poor, needy, and at risk. He worked at John 3:16 Mission in Tulsa from 2002-2006 as the Children’s Director. He now lives in Asia with his amazing wife and two rascally boys where they spend much of their time in rural villages. Congo has been writing stories since childhood. He believes that the language of story speaks clearest to the human soul. His writing plans for the future mainly include children’s and youth fiction.
We love to meet homeschoolers, co-op coordinators, and school teachers alike! If you want to know where we will be exhibiting and speaking this year, check out our convention and speaking schedule page.
If you would like to book us to share at your co-op, school, or convention, please send an email to support@elementalscience.com.
