KIN Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 I'm trying to decide what to do for my 1st and 3rd grade boys next year. I HATE art. Well, I like ART, I just don't like to draw or do projects! I need help, so far we aren't doing art at all. Thanks!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beth in Central TX Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 Dear Kathy, I'm not an art person either. Actually, I wouldn't even schedule art, but my boys love it. Therefore, I use the Artpacs published by Rod & Staff. They are cheap ($7.25, this is a new price increase; they use to be just $5) and easy to use. Each artpac is grade specific and includes 36 lessons. Generally, the instructions are written to the student and require little guidance from me. I did have to help in the early elementary years, and I've found some of the instructions a little confusing, but we just skip that lesson or modify as needed. This series is definitely a no frills art program. However, it's been a great program for me (an accountant) and my boys (art lovers with no inherent art talent). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 Hi Kin, I answered you on your other thread about artist/picture study, but I just wanted to add that I think you would be a good candidate for sending your kids to a rec center for an art class. If you have Monart around, I'd go there in a heartbeat, but it's very expensive and probably not an option for many people. If you want to do it yourself (or even if you don't want to, but have to because of $, personal conviction or other reason!) here are a few ideas: I've really liked Artistic Pursuits, but I liked Evan Moor's Teaching Art to Children even more. I think the prints are a little small in AP, but it is nice that they are included. I appreciate the process of teaching children both about art and about how to produce art that I find in Evan Moor's books. We also use Draw Write Now, but I have a queasy feeling about the way they teach art (I think Barry Stebbins is in the same catagory--How Great Thou Art is his stuff)--I don't like giving kids a model and then a step by step of how to draw it--For me, the process is very important, and true art comes from inside the artist. There isn't one way (or even one thousand ways) to draw a cat, for example. However, dd7 is just at the age where her natural artistic skills are not enough to produce the product she desires, so she finds the step by step, this is what it will look like stuff in DWN very appealing. I think it's Mona Brooks who says kids are usually satisfied with exploring art materials and making their own art until they reach a certain stage of development, where they want it to look realistic. Often kids give up on art when they can't produce what they envision (whereas before, they were not envisioning the final product and were therefore satisfied with whatever they produced). Anyway, it is a good time to offer her drawing lessons, which, my artist bil says, are basically lessons in "how to see." Anyway, I think you can offer lots of opportunities for art exploration--let them get the paints out, the pastels out, the papier mache and (real) clay out, and just play around with it, until the media become familiar, and they know "what it does"--oil pastels blend one way, watercolors, another, and clay can be pinched, rolled, slapped, etc. Then get a book like the EM I mentioned, and go step by step. When you need help, supplement. HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KIN Posted January 31, 2008 Author Share Posted January 31, 2008 I would love to send my kids to art classes!! However, I live in the boonies, and don't know of any classes. :( I do have Artistic Pursuits, but I don't feel like I have enough information about HOW to draw the stuff. I feel like it just says "Have the child draw a picture of fruit. Paint it with the water color crayons." My kids have LOVED it, when I've done it, but I just can't love it! Would Evan Moor's Teaching Art to Children have more "how to"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathy in MD Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 It only covers black and white drawing, but it does it in a cartooning style. That makes it 1) fun and 2) who cares if it's wrong?. The drawing lessons are geared to the student. My ds is 13 and I just tell him to go draw for 30 minutes. You will probably need to be a bit more involved than that with a 1st grader. :p But there are DVD's! :D I only got 7 Magic Words, but you can get all the lessons on DVD. The instructor's lots of fun and kooky, just right to appeal to 1st and 3rd graders. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MIch elle Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 :D http://www.redshift.com/~bonajo/art_drawing.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KIN Posted January 31, 2008 Author Share Posted January 31, 2008 That was helpful, thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HollyDay Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 we used them last year. It was cute and the dvds made it super easy to use. You can view a sample from cbd.com I tried Visual Manna's curriculum but didnt have much success with it. It is nicely put together but the teaching style and I didnt get along. Abeka's art books are not very good. They are mostly cut and paste type thing. Now, having said that, my dd's loved them in K-3. This year I bought several Usborne books that have been very enjoyable: The Big Book of Art Ideas, How to Draw Animals, and a couple others whose titles are escaping me at the moment. A gf has Atelier (is that spelled correctly?) but is having trouble finding supplies in our tiny town. That is about all I can think of at the moment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom2jnb Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 Where might I have a look at the Rod & Staff Art Pacs? Any ideas? Thank you, Alison Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhesa Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 I have tried and tried to use this, and just can't get the hang of it. The philosophy makes sense, but when it comes to a practical lesson, I just can't seem to make heads or tails of it. There are lesson plans on Paula's Archives if you want to take a look at it: http://www.redshift.com/~bonajo/dwclp.htm So, FWIW, Drawing with Children has been too hard to implement to make it worthwhile. But if I found someone who taught this way, I'd be thrilled! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aletheia Academy Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 Do you have any school supply or craft stores in your area that offers free crafts? The local Lakeshore Learning Center has free crafts on Saturdays, and I have found that to be a good way to expose the kids to various media and have fun (and no mess in my house:)). If, instead, or in addition, you think your kids would benefit from art appreciation, I really love the approach suggested at www.amblesideonline.org. It takes a lot of pressure off the mommy/teacher and kids to be busy and provides a great opportunity for quiet observation and reflection. Just a thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori C- Texas Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 I love our art program. Atelier http://www.homeschoolart.com/ It is so easy to do and the kids love it. HTH Lori:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChicoryChick Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 Last year I used "Evan-Moor's "How to Teach art to Children" and it was great, inexpensive and non-consumable. I could have actually gotten two years worth out it. Art is not my strength either. You can click on the above link to look at the book. This year I went through the "National Gallery of Art'' Extension Program. They sent me a DVD, prints, slides, guide etc....for FREE, all I had to do was pay return postage.... HTH Kay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KIN Posted February 1, 2008 Author Share Posted February 1, 2008 Oooh, the extension program looks interesting. What, exactly, did you get from them? It looks overwhelming to figure out what I would need! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tina in WA Posted February 1, 2008 Share Posted February 1, 2008 Another vote for Atelier. :D If you want to see the kids art project... Check out our blog. I will adding Harmony Fine Arts for more in-depth artist appreciation study and music study. But it also provide art projects as well using Artistic Pursuits. ~Tina Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oliveview Posted February 1, 2008 Share Posted February 1, 2008 We have just started with Atelier and we like it. The Harmony and NGA references were great. Thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2abcd Posted February 1, 2008 Share Posted February 1, 2008 A fun resource that kids can use independently is Creativity Express software. This used to be available only online by subscription (GeeArt), but is now available as a program much more economically. http://www.academicsuperstore.com/market/marketdisp.html?PartNo=863435 The original site: http://www.geeguides.com/ Here's a resource that helps you see fast progress: Lee Hammond's Draw Real People http://www.amazon.com/Draw-Real-People-Discover-Drawing/dp/0891346570/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1201840438&sr=1-9 I think this teaches drawing using a similar philosophy as Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain and Drawing with Children, but is much more user-friendly (and the price is right!) For young children, you might like The Big Yellow Book of Drawing. It's oop, though. Draw Squad is similar. And any of the Lee Hammond books are probably good to build a good foundation in drawing and art. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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