Welcome to Primary Scouts, I’m Alicia! I’m the face & creator behind the account, a Kindergarten Teacher and a certified Librarian living in Texas. Primary Scout’s focus is highlighting new, inclusive & noteworthy kid lit and creating K-1 learning resources to engage little learners in core concepts.
The idea and name of Primary Scouts stems from my passion of foundational learning and always needing to explore, I mean… Scout , new and creative learning outlets for primary learners. Scout is also the name of my fur-baby.
My teaching experiences over the last 8 years span from teaching 4th Grade Math – to fostering a love of reading the Library – to spending years in KINDER, where I honestly feel like I’ve had the opportunity to do all the things that bring me joy like SCOUTing kid lit and learning with it no matter the content area. I’ve also concluded, kindergarten and primary learners have my WHOLE heart. 🙂
Both Primary Scouts and my personal vision is all about intentional and creative learning to help build the strongest primary foundation possible! I hit a personal milestone when I was awarded the 2019, district Trailblazer Award for innovation and creative thinking. I’ve also had the opportunity to work on in district kindergarten curriculum, serve on a leadership team and lead PD’s all within my school district.
In 2018, I earned my Master Degree in Library Science and am certified to teach as a Librarian. Picture books, reading reviews and selecting the most noteworthy books are an essential for both my book reccs, book lists, resources and little learners. *see my selection criteria below*
My book selection criteria: multiple positive reviews from *reliable* sources (SLJ, Kirkus, Booklist), inclusive stories, traditional publishing from known publishing houses, reflection of current society and pieces that promote meaningful conversations with young readers. K-1 is my sweet spot and pull with a primary grade level patron and learner in mind! In the library, weeding helps keep selection fresh for the shelves. For this reason, I generally pull and create NEW content using books published within the last 5 from the current year. A classic would be an exception to my rule.
When I’m not teaching, reading picture books or creating content for Primary Scouts, I’m splitting my time between my 15 year old dachshund, Scout and probably having lunch out on the patio!
I do hope you’ll stick around for all the book recommendations and fun things happening here at Primary Scouts and even connect to say heyyyy over on Instagram.
