Living Art Lessons: A Low-Prep Art Curriculum Kids Will Love
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I know that one of the biggest benefits of homeschooling my kids is giving them opportunities to explore their interests, and taking time in our days to “dig deep” into the things that really matter to them.
But I gotta be honest. This can be a big struggle for me when the need to get our “core” hours in is very real, and time slips by each day faster than I’d like.
One of the subjects I find myself neglecting the most is art. And I have one daughter who especially loves art. It makes her happy. Her face lights up when we get to do anything close to artistic.
I was skeptical about adding something else to our plate this year. But it’s been on my heart to give my daughter a better foundation in art, and to find a better way to encourage her and incorporate more art into our lesson plans.
What I Wanted in a Homeschool Art Curriculum 🎨
I knew, though, that the curriculum I chose would have to be different.
In previous years, we’ve enjoyed art programs that simply walk my kids through creating beautiful pieces of art, allowing them to create different types of art projects. And there’s nothing wrong with that AT ALL.
But at this point in time, I wanted an art curriculum that:
- was actually a structured curriculum (not just random projects)
- we could actually COMPLETE given our busy schedule
- didn’t require a full set of pricey art supplies
- brought my daughter back to basics to really teach her the elements of art
And finally, I desired a curriculum that gave glory to God for all of the wonderful art He has created and given us to learn from.
Living Art Lessons for the Win! 🖌️
I’m happy to say we’ve been blessed to find all of this (and more) in Living Art Lessons from Master Books!
Aimed as a one-year course for grades 4—6, it has been a great fit for my artsy 11-year old daughter.
She has really enjoyed the easy-to-follow projects, and the detailed weekly lesson schedule allows her to work pretty much independently most days (which is a HUGE benefit in my book, as a homeschool mom juggling multiple kids!).
Not only is she building basic drawing skills (which, in my opinion, is CRUCIAL for kids who love art!), but she has been able to create with clay, use watercolors and tempera markers, and make other artistic discoveries as she’s worked through the curriculum.
The variety of projects have truly been her favorite part—she is never bored with this curriculum! 👩🎨
Something I wasn’t expecting was the inclusion of artist study. Throughout the class, kids learn about seven famous artists and have a chance to “re-create” their styles, all while being encouraged to develop their own individual artistic style along the way.
Living Art Lessons: What’s Included 📖
There are two main components to this curriculum: the Living Art Lessons textbook and the Artist Journal.
I absolutely recommend purchasing these together as a set! The textbook is going to be your source of all knowledge for the lessons and activities, and the Artist Journal is a kind of companion guide—a place where your child will draw, write, and use as a creative workspace throughout the course.
The Artist Journal also includes the suggested weekly schedule.
As you can see from the schedule above, art lessons are scheduled only 2 days each week, which is totally do-able for our family.
Of course, you can move through this curriculum faster if you’d like to do more days of art during the week!
Each day, my daughter can easily tell which pages she needs to read in the textbook, and which pages of the Artist Journal are assigned to her. Instructions are very clear and written right to the student, so it’s very easy for her to understand and work through independently.
While I do use this with one student, this curriculum would be very easy to use with multiple kids together if you are looking for an art curriculum you can do as a family!
Most days the lessons are pretty short; projects can take longer, but she will usually complete her lessons in about 30 to 45 minutes.
The Core of Living Art Lessons: Exploring the Seven Elements of Art
The core of this curriculum teaches the seven elements of art through a variety of engaging projects:
The author chose to teach these elements, and the very basics of art so that students could feel confident experimenting on their own and beginning to develop their own unique, artistic styles.
Hands-On Activities and Artistic Exploration
In addition to these seven elements, this curriculum really aims to allow kids to explore a variety of techniques and use many different mediums (such as paints or watercolors or even tin foil!) to create art.
Typically, each day will include a little bit of reading from the text, and then either a short prompt in the Artist Journal or a project.
🌷🌷 But something that truly makes this course stand out is their nature study element. 🌷🌷
The author mentioned how her mother always encouraged her to be a good observer, as good observation skills helped build good critical thinking skills.
So she has worked nature study into her curriculum and teaches students how to observe the elements of art in nature. Not simply to help kids become good observers, but to guide an appreciation for God’s nature, and all of the beautiful artwork He has given us! 🙌
Many other art curriculums focus on studying art that MAN has created…I LOVE the emphasis on studying the art GOD has given us. Through our art lessons, we can teach our kids to worship and praise our amazing Creator for all He has created for us to enjoy.
Study of Famous Artists
Finally, seven famous artists will be briefly studied during this course:
- Pablo Picasso
- Vincent Van Gogh
- Norman Rockwell
- Mary Cassatt
- John James Audubon
- Michelangelo
- Grandma Moses
As students read about the artist’s lives and styles, they will complete a fun project that “mimics” that artist’s unique style…with fun twists (the Picasso Pet was a huge hit in our home!).
A Supply List That Won’t Break the Bank 🖌️
It’s recommended that you keep a “Basic Art Kit” for this course, as these are items that you’ll use for many of the activities.
Most of them are pretty basic supplies, but I did end up grabbing a couple of things that have gotten great use this semester:
- Mixed Media Sketch Pad
- 72 Count Colored Pencils
- 35 Dual Markers Pen (these BY FAR have been a favorite art supply this year!)
I also picked up this 30-Pocket Binder with Plastic Sleeves to use for storing any art projects made with our mixed media paper. It’s a great little art portfolio!
There is also a master supply list included, as well as a list by week. It looks intimidating, but I was relieved to see that I had so many of these things at home already.
No expensive, fancy equipment required!
Easy Art Curriculum for Busy Homeschool Moms 🎨
I love that I’ve found a great homeschool art curriculum this year to help my daughter explore her interests more in this area.
It’s not too simple, but it’s not too complicated. It fits with our schedule, and it’s easy to modify if needed.
It’s not going to get shelved half-way through the year (we’re halfway through right now and still going strong!).
I love how this curriuclum provides structured learning, and encourages personal expression. How it fosters independent work and allows my daughter to take ownership of her projects.
And I really appreciate the author giving glory where credit is due, to God, the ultimate and perfect artist whom we can all learn a lot from!
I’m confident that when I choose curriculum from Master Books, this is going to be the case. In addition to this curriculum, all of the resources we have tried from them (from morning baskets to apologetics resources to catechism work) have been excellent and Biblically solid.
You can take my word for it, but I hope you’ll go check them out for yourself! 😉
And if you’re looking for that easy way to add art into your homeschool schedule, I don’t think you OR your kids will be disappointed with Living Art Lessons.
Master Books Giveaway
I’m excited to share this giveaway with you—one winner will receive the Big Book Bundle from Master Books!
Enter below (contest ends 12/31/2024). Good luck!
Related Posts
- How I’m Teaching Art This Year With Creating a Masterpiece
- Morning Basket Made Easy: Family-Style Homeschool Bible Curriculum
- Why You Might Want to Use a Catechism in Your Homeschool (+ One We Love!)
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