• Home
  • About
  • Meet the Authors
  • Featured Reviews
  • Request a Review
  • Advertising
  • Subscribe

The Curriculum Choice

Making homeschool decisions easy

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • About
    • Meet the Authors
  • Blog
  • How To Homeschool
    • By Review Team
    • Encouragement
    • New to Homeschooling
    • Organization
  • Reviews by Grade
    • Elementary
    • High School
    • Middle School
    • Preschool
  • Reviews by Subject
    • Bible
    • Economics
    • Fine Arts
      • Art
      • Music
    • Foreign Language
    • Highschool
    • History & Geography
      • Geography
      • History
    • Home Economics
    • Language Arts
      • Grammar
      • Handwriting
      • Literature
      • Phonics
      • Reading
      • Spelling
      • Vocabulary
      • Writing
    • Logic
    • Math
    • Science & Technology
      • Science
      • Technology
        • Apps

in Art· Elementary· Fine Arts· Middle School

Homeschool Art Appreciation with Dover Art Card Sets

Are you looking to help your kids learn about famous artists? Do you want them to be able to recognize famous paintings? Homeschool art appreciation with Dover Art Card sets is an easy way to do just that!

Dover Art Card Sets make homeschool art appreciation easy. Sturdy cards including the  painting along with basic information about the art including the artist, title, year of production and art medium used to create the work. A review from The Curriculum Choice

Affiliate links are used on this website. Please see our disclosure policy for more details.

Before Barb posted her wonderful review about Dover art cards, I had the same topic on my list of products I wanted to write about.  I considered changing my planned review, but decided if the cards are good enough for two of us to review, then everyone needs to know that!  And they are!

Unfortunately, I’m fairly new to the cards, so I don’t have all the creative ideas laid out (yet) like Barb suggests, but they have already come in quite handy for artist study!

In our home, we choose to study one artist per month through the school year.  Once per week during that month, we observe the artist’s work, read books about his or her life, and try our hand at creating our own pieces in the style of the artist.  Each week, we choose one painting (or other work) to focus on for in-depth study.

Before I found the Dover art cards, we would look at the chosen works on the internet or in a book that I checked out from the library.  This worked well for us (and still does when I don’t have the particular art card I want), but having the art cards has really improved the learning and the presentation.

How We Use the Dover Art Card Sets

My children can get their hands on the sturdy, postcard-sized reproductions to observe up-close from the Dover Art Card Sets.

They’re able to prop the postcard up in front of them as they attempt to recreate the painting. 

They’re able to sort the cards in order from first productions to last, either within one artist’s collection, or among many artists. 

They have also been known to sort the cards based on characteristics like “impressionist”, “bright”, “dreary”, “moving” – whatever suits their fancy.

As the mom and teacher, I’ve been able to set up little artist centers to display art work, library books and art supplies that I want my children to gravitate toward.  These centers allow me to secretly direct the learning by offering enchanting little spots for my children to dive into the artist themselves.

Dover offers a bunch of art card books, most having around 24 cards and priced between $2 and $10 per book.  The cards come four per page and are perforated to tear apart easily.  Printed on a thick cardstock, the front of each card shows the painting with a glossy coating.  The back of each card gives basic information about the art including the artist, title, year of production and art medium used to create the work.

I ought to mention that you will occasionally come across a nude or two in the books.  I simply tear the pictures from the books and file them away in a baggie until I need them, allowing me to discard any that aren’t suitable.

I’d love to hear how you use your art cards!

WHERE TO PURCHASE DOVER ART CARDS

These Dover Art Card Sets make a wonderful addition to any homeschool program looking for enriching art appreciation resources.

You can find them at:

  • Amazon
  • Rainbow Resource 
  • Dover Publications

MORE ART RESOURCES FROM THE CURRICULUM CHOICE

You ARE An ARTiST Fine Arts Plans for Art & Music Appreciation are grade level (1-12), simple to use, Charlotte Mason style plans for teaching art and music in your homeschool. A review from The Curriculum Choice
  • You ARE An ARTist Fine Arts Plans for Homeschool Art and Music Appreciation
  • Mark Kistler’s Draw Squad
  • Artistic Pursuits – Art for Homeschooling High School
  • Child-Size Masterpieces – Art Appreciation for Homeschoolers
  • Ancient Art and the Orchestra
  • Discovering Great Artists Review

-Originally published October 2009, Written by Cindy, eclectically Charlotte Mason mom of 3.  You can find her blogging at Our Journey Westward

Cindy (93 Posts)

The biggest reason Cindy chose to homeschool was because she loves experiencing life with her children and watching them grow inside and out. She's sure that’s why the Charlotte Mason method first caught her attention. It allows her to be creative in scheduling, rigorous in learning, yet opens the door for plenty of close-knit time, opportunities for her children to explore their interests and offers enough free time for them to be children. She implements many of Charlotte Mason's methods with an eclectic twist of things that work for her family! At Cindy's website, Our Journey Westward, you will find a blog packed with fun learning ideas and a shop full of creative curriculum, including the NaturExplorers studies.

Author Info

Filed Under: Art, Elementary, Fine Arts, Middle School Tagged With: Art, art cards, art reproductions, artist, artist study, updated by Heidi C, Written by Cindy

Previous Post: « NaturExplorers – Delightful Deciduous Trees Unit Study
Next Post: 5 June Homeschool Family Fun Ideas »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Brenda Sain says

    October 5, 2009 at 11:34 am

    I have stacks of art postcard books that I found at a local bookstore, but am now thinking of getting some Dover collections like the 20th Century and Impressionists. I like that those have a variety within the era. I bought mini easels at IKEA (1.99 ea) and we put the postcards on the easels to display on a shelf. It’s fun to get out the past used postcards and have them remember who painted what, and how they could tell.

    They come in handy to grab when talking about line, space, color, depth, texture, composition etc…I recommend keeping a variety to compare against each other, because younger children may have a hard time distinguishing between different impressionists, but if you throw in some abstract work, they’ll be able to spot impressionists more readily.
    .-= Brenda Sain´s last blog ..Reading Assignment Chart =-.

    Reply
  2. Cindy says

    October 5, 2009 at 4:38 pm

    Love these ideas, Brenda! I’m going to keep my eyes open for mini-easels – it would make displaying cards SO much easier!
    .-= Cindy´s last blog ..Threadless Tshirt Giveaway at jaypeeonline.net =-.

    Reply
  3. [email protected] says

    October 5, 2009 at 4:41 pm

    I love having art that my kids can actually handle! These are great ideas. Thanks!
    .-= [email protected]´s last blog ..Menu Plan Monday – October 5, 2009 =-.

    Reply
  4. Cindy says

    October 5, 2009 at 4:42 pm

    Me, too, Marci! I’m always on the lookout for hands-on *anything*!
    .-= Cindy´s last blog ..Threadless Tshirt Giveaway at jaypeeonline.net =-.

    Reply
  5. Barb-Harmony Art Mom says

    October 13, 2009 at 10:20 pm

    These are some of my favorite tools for artist study. It is sort of embarrassing how many sets I have but we really do use them all the time. 🙂

    Many of my sets have been through lots of little hands during the days I taught art to groups of homeschoolers and they still look great.

    Thanks for the additional review and ideas!
    Barb

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

We are a veteran group of home educators with a mission – to spread the word about our favorite curricula and help YOU make informed decisions for your homeschool. Meet the review authors and browse the homeschooling tips they share!

Subscribe For Free Choosing Homeschool Curriculum Guide

Success! Please check your email and confirm your subscription.

There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

Sponsors and Affiliates

Homeschoolinghomeschool

Our Sister Websites

 


Follow Curriculum Choice's board Homeschool Reviews by The Curriculum Choice on Pinterest.

Recent Comments

  • Duncan on How to Start Homeschooling
  • Shirley Ann on A.C.E Curriculum Review Revisited
  • Steve Hakes on A.C.E Curriculum Review Revisited
  • 10 March Nature Activities Perfect for Spring Celebrations - Homeschool Nature Study on Christian Liberty Nature Readers
  • Heidi Ciravola on Farm Food and Nature Anatomy: Books for Exploring our Natural World
  • Advertising
  • Disclosure Policy
  • Philosophies
  • Request a Review

Copyright © 2023 · The Curriculum Choice, a Southern Hodgepodge, L.L.C. site.