Keeping It Simple

I was reading an art teacher's blog the other day (I love those art teachers!!) and something occurred to me. I share this only because "art class" is one area that I often feel insecure about. The teacher shared some of the struggles with the concept that her students were working on- it was then that it hit me. I don't have just one class period to work with. We goof around with art all the time (well, often) and we don't really worry whether it is going well. We can start over the next day- or the next hour. Sometimes our goofs become our favorite projects. Anyway... this is one that we had so much fun on, but, in the end, maybe did not come out "right". Everyone was working on their own color schemes.  We actually did these a while ago and I included a brief mention in a weekly wrap-up. I had meant to give them there own post when they were done. I only remembered that I did not because the above mentioned teacher was writ...

Sometimes I have those moments. Moments when I can look back and say "good for you".  I am by nature a  little  on the high stress side (watch my kids snort water out their noses if you say that to them while they are taking a sip).  So, when my 11 year old starts pulling out the art supplies- unplanned- I sometimes have an unstoppable urge to put a halt to the project. I am tempted to say "not now" or "we can plan a time to do this".  But this time I didn't.  For Mark, it is all about the process. Something about painting, drawing, gluing,... is just soothing to him. Note to self: Leave art supplies out. Don't freak out about the mess! 

Hanging with Horses:  Doodling: ( TeachKidsArt ) (projects in progress) Lounging at the Pool: Learning about drawing: Bumming at the Beach: Summer is here! :)

I am inspired by an art teacher who posted not only what worked, but what did not. Very brave! I was comforted to know that even for an experienced teacher, miscalculations can be made on how well a project is going to work for a class. ONE THAT WORKED AND DID NOT WORK: Beautiful Feet Geography - I have used two of the books, Paddle to the Sea and Tree in the Trail , that are included in this study years ago with my daughter. This time I repeated Paddle to the Sea and also did Minn of the Mississippi . There was so much information packed into each page of Minn of the Mississippi that it made it difficult to use in a co op setting. If I were to read this book with just my own children, I would read one page at a time. I would also try to read every day so that the previous information was still fresh. Meeting once a week (sometimes less), I read as many as six pages in a sitting. Paddle to the Sea was more manageable. It also packed a lot of inform...

 I think I mentioned that I love Klutz books. They are just fun .                                                                                        My kids seem to love them too.  I thought this was pretty clever!                                                         ...

All About Spelling: I have avoided writing too much about this recently as I tend to get over the top when I really love something. After a few weeks off, I'll say it again- I love this program. I love that is spelled out (no pun intended) down to the last detail for me, that the information sticks (you have to do the review cards) with my boys, and that my boys are still progressing. This program is a matter of "just do it"- I just need to sit down, open my book and start. I don't try to plan or anticipate how long a "step" (lesson) will take. We work for about 20-30 minutes (used to be 10-20 min.) or until I can see that my boys are not staying focused- then we close our books and come back to it another day. It is just that easy. Beginning Drawing: I mentioned in a recent post that I would update on how we are liking Barry Stebbing's beginning drawing video. It is still a big "thumbs up" with our family.  I purchased the recommended...

I recently purchased the Beginning Drawing DVD set by Barry Stebbing. In order to get some much needed down time this afternoon, I decided that it was the perfect time to give it a try. This could be too soon to really give this product an unabashed thumbs up, but my boys and I really enjoyed our first session. Paul loves to draw, so this was a no brainer for him. I am always willing to "do art" but, as someone who can barely draw a recognizable stick figure, this is not an area where I exude confidence. Mark said that this "was really fun!". With this video, my 3 boys (ages 12, 10 and 7) and I felt very competent in our ability! We had a great time drawing geometric shapes, lines, contrast man, a cute little worm, a 3D box with a lid, a 3D fruit bowl (with fruit in it), and shading a piece of fruit. This first portion of video #1 also focused on color layering (put the lighter color down first).   Mr. Stebbing demonstrating how to draw ...

I have heard from many people that their child "hates" art. That may be true, but in our house art always seems to attract a crowd. Before presenting an art activity, I always try to give it a trial run. This particular activity (Lined Art Leaves) is going to be shared with my nephews, so I wanted to be sure that all systems were go. Thinking that this was going to be a solitary activity (me as the "tester"), I set up on the back porch where I could see my boys and my grandson playing in the backyard. Before I knew it, I had a crowd. My adult daughter, Shauna, and Paul were the first to join in. Soon Mark and James were in on it. (I was not making much progress!). Mark really went off in his own direction, but had a great time. Shauna starts on her second leaf drawing, and Erin joined us with Nico (my adorable grandson). Paul was the first to complete his project- he was pleased with the results. Shauna, being the school teac...