Recent research indicates that young learners are both capable of and eager to engage in discussions about relevant social studies issues with local and global significance. Social studies as a school subject offers a diverse curriculum that may be meaningfully integrated with other content areas. Despite this, research reports that time for social studies in early childhood classrooms is decreasing. Similarly, science instructional time has also declined over the last two decades in large part due to greater emphasis on standardized test preparation in math and language arts. Many teachers are finding that adopting an integrative model of social studies and science teaching can be a meaningful way to increase children's engagement with both subject areas, while addressing content and teaching social studies standards and Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), particularly in the areas of resource allocation and science, human consumption, technology, and society. Connecting with community partners like museums and libraries may help teachers increase their students' awareness of and engagement with societal issues, both locally and globally. This article describes three mini-units involving community partnerships in rural southeastern Ohio that allow K-3 children to become informed citizens, scientists, and activists by fostering a strong sense of civic engagement and agency. The authors suggest ideas for extending these projects and connecting to children's literature to make them applicable for teachers of young learners in many different settings. A list of picture books that inspire empowerment and agency in young citizen scientists is also provided.