Artistic Pursuits

I am proud to introduce you to Artistic Pursuits.  I will admit that teaching art was not my strong point.  Mostly art classes in my home consisted of activities I looked up online or using my own imagination.  While I came up with some creative and fun ideas, I was not teaching art but allowing my children to use different mediums to express themselves visually.  I needed a curriculum that was solid, informative, taught concepts about art and was fun.  I began to think what I was seeking did not exist until Artistic Pursuits.  In fact, I would have to add that Artistic Pursuits is among my favorite curriculum I have discovered this year.  I had the pleasure of reviewing Book 1 for Grades K-3.

What you will need:

The curriculum is simply one book containing 32 lessons with an associated art project.  You will have to purchase your art supplies separately.  The materials are easy to find and include common items like scissors, tissue paper, construction paper and drawing paper.  You will also need to purchase an ebony pencil, oil pastels and watercolor pencils among a few other items.  I found all my supplies at Micheals.

How much time will you spend:

This book is not a collection of art projects but art lessons with an associated art project to reinforce the lesson and allow for creative interaction.  It is best to take about about fifteen minutes to read through the lesson and art project thoroughly before beginning with your child.  You may also want to take a few extra minutes to prep the lesson to make your time run smoothly.  The lesson can be as short as five minutes with a ten minute art project or you can extend the learning time for a full thirty minute class.  This will depend on how much time you want to spend on the lesson.

How is the book divided?

The book contains 32 lessons with art projects.  Within the book you will have three sections:

• What Artists Do
• What Artists See
• Exploring Ancient Art

Most lessons will provide a picture of a work of art and a picture from the student gallery.  The works of art shown on the lessons can be easily adapted into art study or narration for Charlotte Mason style teachers.

The Ancient Art section is wonderful!  We had a great time exploring ancient art since we had just studied ancient history the year before.  The lessons were through yet not overwhelming for the age range.  I did allow my two older children to partake in the lessons and projects in this section since this was a wonderful reinforcement of ancient history.

Artistic Pursuits will take your child on an journey from color mixing to brush work, to pottery, to murals to bookbinding and more!  Along the way your child will learn how artists imagine, how art is crafted and ancient art history.  I highly recommend Artistic Pursuits for your child’s creative pursuits in education.  You can find books from preschool through high school.