Art for Homeschool
Many homeschooling families want to encourage the fine arts. There are many who sing, play musical instruments, act in local plays, and who draw or paint at home. Charlotte Mason encouraged music and art appreciation. She believed that children exposed to great music and art would appreciate the fine arts.
I personally do not have any musical talent. I cannot sing well. I cannot play a musical instrument. I comfort myself with the idea that God needs some people to sit back and appreciate the talents of others. I am one of those people. I love to listen to music, go to ballets, watch a play/musical, and admire the artistic talents of sculptors, painters, and other artists. I truly appreciate the fine arts.
However through the Suzuki method, my children have developed musical talents. My son plays the violin, my daughter plays the harp, and my other son played the fiddle until his interest went elsewhere. My point is that they were able to develop an ability regardless of my inability to teach it.
As for art, I depended on Terry Holliday, my mother. Terry is a professional watercolor artist. Her paintings hang in many prestigious places, including one in the Museum of the Big Bend. Watercolors by Terry is her online gallery if you would like to see some of her work. In addition to being a professional, my mom has taught art for many years at the junior high and high school levels. She single-handedly built the art program from the ground up at a local public school until she moved away.
When she moved, it was hard on my family for numerous reasons. The biggest hardship was not seeing her on an almost daily basis like we had grown accustomed. We missed her. A secondary reason for missing her was that we lost our private lessons in art.
My mom tried very hard to stay connected with her grandchildren. She especially did not want the littlest ones to not know her when she came to visit. So she began several projects in an attempt to stay involved in my children’s lives. She made videos of herself reading books to my little boys. When those projects were a success, she decided to produce an art lesson on video.
When I received the first one in the mail, I was immediately impressed. It was done so professionally. Better yet watching the video with my children and doing the assignments in video with them, I immediately noticed an improvement in my drawing ability. I was learning too!
She has now completed an entire series of art lessons called The Elements of Art. The lessons cover line, value, shape, form, space, texture, and color. Students will participate in activities such as drawing, painting, and weaving. It is a total of eight lessons on DVDs. She is also having them professionally produced and is now offering them to the public. They are available for sale on Art for Homeschool. You can purchase the DVDs and have them shipped to your home or you can download them and watch the videos online. Here is a trailer.
Terry Holliday has big plans for Art for Homeschool. Along with your purchase and/or download of the Elements of Art, members get access to tips, articles, and information. In addition, any homeschool student that subscribes to the site through email can join and upload student art onto the Art for Homeschool Flickr Group. A nationwide student art show will be held through this group complete with prizes in the future.
The series also come with a supply list and modifications for the assignments. The target audience is junior high/high school; however, younger children can also learn from the videos and assignments with or without modification depending on their interest and ability.
If you are a parent who wants to include art education into your homeschool, then check into the Elements of Art. If you go to a public school that has cut funding to the fine arts program, then Elements of Art would be a great resource to use at home. If you are an adult who always wanted to learn the basics of art, then this series is a great place to start.
I am proud of my mom. And, I am proud to help promote this great source for art education.
I really enjoyed your blog Art for Homeschool | Texas Homesteader. I look forward to reading more of your writings.