Need Homeschool Art Your Kids Will Actually Love?
Homeschool art has always been an important part of our week. If it weren’t important to know your math facts, I would fill our entire school week with art projects. But even as a person who’s comfortable making a mess for the sake of art and planning art into every week, I run out of ideas. And I’ll admit, even though art is my favorite, it can feel a little “empty” sometimes…my kids just painted these amazing trees, but what did they learn really?
Enter Art History for Kids.
I have watched Art History for Kids on Instagram and their site for ages and absolutely loved what they were doing, but I recently got the chance to actually dive in and try their art history curriculum and boy, am I excited to share it with you!
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In this post, I am more than happy to share Art History for Kids. I received the curriculum to try out and share with you all. They’re a homeschool-family run company that I think you’ll love too. Keep reading for a run-down of the curriculum and exactly how it works. I’m also sharing what a full month of Art History for Kids looks like, the benefits I found it to have, and how this fun curriculum lead to my girls spending over an hour in a dark closet, drawing on the “walls.”
So fun, right??
And make sure you keep reading all the way to the bottom of the post for an amazing discount AND the chance to try out Art History for Kids for freeeeeeee!
What is Art History For Kids?
Like I said, sometimes doing art (though I love it!!) feels like we’re not getting more enrichment than just the creative side. The back of my mind is telling me we should be doing more math…or history…or a list of other things.
This is where art history comes in, BUT, to us, simply doing picture study is not all that exciting. What we really want is both…the creative side AND the history side…or even beyond history! What other subjects can our art lessons include??
Until recently, I didn’t know of an art curriculum that included the creative side, art history, plus math, science, music, etc!
I’m happy to report that Art History for Kids hits alllll the bases.
Quick Facts about Art History for Kids:
- This curriculum is a monthly art and artist study curriculum. Each month dives deep into studying a new artist or art form. You get a guide each Monday in your inbox covering the new topic for the week.
- Lessons can be printed off or read from a computer or mobile device.
- Membership includes a private FB group where you can get more ideas and support.
- Get access to the previous six-months-worth of lessons.
- There’s a video library showcasing lots of different art techniques.
- You get a planning calendar to help you stay organized (plus it’s gorgeous!!)
- 25% off any other Art History for Kids products.
The Benefits of using this Art Curriculum
So often I hear other homeschool moms sharing about how they never do art with their kids because they’re “just not artsy.” Well, I get that. And it’s ok! That’s why products like this exist–to help people like you! Here’s some benefits I think you’ll appreciate.
- Already planned-out lesson plans. Can I get an “AMEN?!” You save so much time scrolling Pinterest, gathering books, coming up with ideas with a program like this.
- You get oodles of cross-curricular learning.
- With a plan in place, the odds of you actually getting around to doing art is way better!
- You have support! With the FB membership, you can ask questions in the group and get more insight than just doing it on your own.
What a Typical Month Looks Like
- Each month is laid out like so:
- Week ONE: Observation and Conversation (and they have the BEST conversation starters!). This download includes TONS of art by the featured artist, conversation and observation guides, and (my favorite) a great supply list and book list you can gather for the upcoming weeks.
- Week TWO: Learn all about the art, artist, and art movement. Dive deep into the study of these artists and talk about what their inspiration was. We talked about music for Kandinsky, also compared the painting of trees from three different artist on another month.
- Week THREE: Connecting the dots (relating our topic to other subjects). This is where it gets super fun. For one lesson on trees in art,
- We plotted out birthplaces of artists on a map
- listened to songs about trees for a certain lesson on trees
- did a short nature study on trees,
- read a great stack of picture books on trees,
- discussed time periods of the paintings of trees we had been comparing all month,
- and more! SUCH a valuable part of this curriculum…tying all these subjects together! It’s like a big unit study actually.
- Week FOUR: Review and explore more. Things like scavenger hunts, more books to explore, more projects, an artist’s quote to hang on your wall.
And best of all, each week includes amazing projects. Some of them even have time saving variations if you have a busy week and can’t do a big art lesson.
How Our Art Lesson Lead to Spending an Hour in the Closet
The month of January features a month-long deep-dive of learning about cave paintings. We’ve only just received the first week of lessons, but it was a good one!
I loved the many cave paintings that were included in the lesson plan for the week and we had a good lesson just comparing them all. We talked about how people in the prehistoric ages would not have had much light to draw by and how it would’ve been very dark in their caves–only candle/torch light.
Which lead us to our lesson…
The suggested project instructed us to draw simple drawings–contour lines–like the cave people would have drawn. The lesson suggested we do this by candlelight for a “cave-like” effect. But since it was the middle of the day and we actually had some January sun here in Minnesota, I decide to really create a cave–in my closet. 🙂
I cut up some brown paper bags and attached them to the walls of my closet with masking tape. We then set up some votive candles in the corners of the closet and gave the girls some charcoal pencils.
They loved it!! It was so fun for them to create art by candlelight…especially in the closet (cave)!
So fun in fact, that I didn’t see them for an hour! I did an entire yoga practice outside the closet door in my room listening to them giggle and draw. It was lovely.
Why I Love Art History for Kids
I’ve already laid out a bunch of reasons I love Art History for Kids…the well-laid plans, the support, the cross-curricular style. But here’s a few more reasons I haven’t pointed out yet.
- The project supplies are way more interesting than regular school supplies. We’re talking India ink, charcoal pencils, bamboo brushes, stamp-making supplies, or air-dry clay. Although there’s always alternatives if you don’t want to go find these supplies. AND the projects are very open-ended, allowing your imaginations to soar.
- I’ve never loved doing picture study with my kids, I’m just being honest. But I LOVE how Art History for Kids gives TONS of questions and conversation starters when observing the art in the first week! GREAT conversation ideas!
- The book lists each month are amazing! High-quality children’s literature is my favorite!
- My kids can all do this art program together. Because it is very open-ended, my kids can all work at their own pace.
- Not every month is just focused on an artist. They vary a lot! Some months are about an art style. Some are about topics like trees, or portraits. It’s very varied, which kids it interesting.
Saving and Winning Art History for Kids!
If you’ve heard enough and you’re sold on Art History for Kids, you’ll be super excited to know that Learning Well Community readers get a discount for the month of January 2019! You get locked into the special price of $19/month for as long as you’re a member! You also get a deeper discount if you decide to purchase for the whole year: $190.
Use these codes when checking out:
- 2018PRICE – join the membership at $19/mo ($4 off monthly)
- YEARLY2018 – join at $190/year ($40 off yearly)
The codes expire Jan 31, 2019 at midnight PT.
Three people will win a year-long membership. Giveaway is open worldwide.
If you’re itching to become a member, my advice is to purchase now with the discount and you’ll be refunded your full amount. Otherwise, you might miss the special pricing!
Good Luck! And have a blast creating with your kiddos!
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