May
08

World’s Greatest Artists: Michelangelo Unit Study

By | Art, Curriculum, Homeschool

5 Comments

IMG_6290.jpg

Welcome to our World’s Greatest Artist study on Michelangelo! Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni was born in 1475 in in Rome, Italy. He was an Italian Renaissance painter, sculptor, and architect, and poet. His two best known works are Pieta and David were completed before he was 30 years old. He also created two of the most influential works in fresco in the history of Western art. The scenes from Genesis on the ceiling and The Last Judgment on the alter wall of the Sistine Chapel in Rome. His impassioned and highly personal style resulted in Mannerism, the next major movement in Western art after the High Renaissance. Mannerism is noted for its intellectual sophistication as well as its artificial (i.e.: highly stylized poses) qualities.   We took a few lessons to read through the Michelangelo World’s Greatest Artist series by Mike Venezia.   As we learn how to critically assess a piece of artwork, here are some of the things we discussed … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Art, Curriculum, Homeschool Tagged With: ,
Apr
30

World’s Greatest Composers ~ Johannes Brahms

By | Art, Homeschool

15 Comments

Brahmscover.jpg

Hi everyone! I’m so excited to be taking part in the iHomeschool Network “Birthday Lessons in May” blog hop! This month we teamed up and are all sharing a mini-unit study for a famous historical figure. I have the pleasure of posting on the brilliant composer Johannes Brahms!  I created a fun download in honor of Johannes Brahms that I’m please to share with you all today! It is meant to go with my World’s Greatest Composers study, but can stand alone as well. Johannes Brahms was born in Hamburg, Germany on May 7, 1833. He was a composer and pianist and is regarded as one of the leading musicians of the Romantic period. He composted for piano, chamber ensembles, symphony orchestra, voice, and chorus. He is sometimes grouped with Johann Sebastian Bach and Ludwig van Beethoven as one of the “Three Bs”. While Brahms premiered many of his own works, he also worked with some of the leading performers of the time. He was known as an uncompromising perfectionist … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Art, Homeschool Tagged With: , ,
Mar
26

Easter Activities for Kids

By | Art, Homeschool

19 Comments

eastergarden.jpg

With Easter nearing, I wanted to share a few fun ideas with you! Bunnies, chicks, eggs…oh my! All of those things are fun, but I really want my kiddos to get the real meaning of Easter as well!  So here are a few of my favorite ideas to help make this Easter special! Easter Garden Creating an Easter Garden is a wonderful idea to remind your family of Jesus this season! This wonderful image is courtesy Melissa Holt! It was so pretty, I just had to share it! Supplies: Wide shallow planter dish Potting soil Grass Seed Small pebbles 1 large rock 1 small flower pot for the tomb Sticks and string for 3 crosses Directions: Cover shallow planter with potting soil. Bury a small flower pot in the dirt with the opening showing. Add some small pebbles for a path to the “tomb” and don’t forget a larger stone to cover the doorway. Plant grass seed in the potting soil to cover the spots that do not have rocks, and water. Keep … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Art, Homeschool Tagged With:
Mar
20

World’s Greatest Artists: Georgia O’Keeffe

By | Art, Homeschool

8 Comments

IMG_5818.jpg

Welcome to our World’s Greatest Artists study, this month we learned all about Georgia O’Keeffe! We are having a total blast learning about famous artists and creating our own unique art as well!   If you haven’t seen the previous posts, this year for art we are studying 8 different world famous artists. We have chosen to do art twice a week, and we’ll cover one artist each month. We’re using my World’s Greatest Artists Vol. 1 curriculum, which you can download FREE, just click on the image below!   We took a few lessons and discussions to read through the Georgia O'Keeffe World’s Greatest Artist series by Mike Venezia. We talked about all the different styles that he was known for, and took lots of time to familiarize ourselves with and critically assess his works of art.   As we learn how to critically assess a piece of artwork, here are some of the things we discussed for each painting: Describe what we see in this work … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Art, Homeschool Tagged With: ,
Mar
13

World’s Greatest Artists: Matisse

By | Art, Homeschool

5 Comments

IMG_5856.jpg

Welcome to our World’s Greatest Artists study on Henri Matisse! We are having a total blast learning about famous artists and creating our own unique art as well!   Henri Matisse was a French artist known for his use of color. He was born in Le Cateau-Cambrésis , France in 1869. After an attack of appendicitis, his mother brought him some paints to work with while he recovered. It was then that he first began painting. Matisse is credited with leading the movement of Fauvism, a short-lived group of artists whose works emphasized strong color. After a surgery in 1941, Matisse started using a wheel chair. With the aid of assistants, he began creating cut paper collages, often on a large scale, called gouaches découpés. Matisse’s final work was a stained-glass window installed at the Union Church of Pocantico Hills near New York City.   If you haven’t seen the previous posts, this year for art we are studying 8 different world famous artists. We have … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Art, Homeschool Tagged With: ,
Feb
14

World’s Greatest Artists: Monet

By | Art, Homeschool

17 Comments

IMG_5405.jpg

Welcome to our World’s Greatest Artists study on Claude Monet! We are having so much fun with these units this year, the kids have been really getting into it and they’re doing a great job! Claude Monet was born in Paris, France on November 14,1840. He is known as the founder of French Impressionist painting. Claude’s painting titled Impression-Sunrise, is what gave the Impressionist movement its name.  Characteristics of impressionism include small, thin brushstrokes, open composition and an emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities. Monet typically worked on large canvases painting mostly natural landscapes, although he sometimes included human figures in his paintings. He was very particular about his paintings and was known to refuse to paint unless the light of the sun was reflecting exactly as he wanted it to.   If you haven’t seen the previous posts, this year for art we are studying 8 different world famous artists. We have … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Art, Homeschool Tagged With: ,
Jan
29

World’s Greatest Composers Vol. 1

By | Art, Curriculum, Homeschool

511 Comments

promogreatcomposers.jpg

Welcome to the World's Greatest Composers Study Volume 1! Get the World’s Greatest Composers Study for just $5.50!   What’s it all about? In this series of studies, we will be taking a look at 8 of the world’s greatest composers through a study designed for elementary aged students. The goal behind the World’s Greatest Composers curriculum is to immerse students in the work of each composer so that they are well familiar with their style, methods and music. Much of your time studying will be through open discussion with students and listening to compositions. Upon completion of this curriculum, your student should be able to easily recognize the pieces from each composer studied. They will also have learned several different styles of music, vocabulary, as well as have gained an appreciation for music in general. Like the World’s Greatest Artists study, the composers study uses the World’s Greatest Composer Series by Mike … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Art, Curriculum, Homeschool Tagged With: ,
Jan
04

World’s Greatest Artists: Jackson Pollock

By | Art

15 Comments

IMG_4772.jpg

Welcome to our World’s Greatest Artist Study! This month we’re focusing on Jackson Pollock. I think so far, this style of “Action Painting” has by far been a favorite of the kids. Jackson Pollock was born in Cody, Wyoming in 1912. He was an influential American painter and a major contributor to the abstract expressionist movement. He began to study painting in 1929 at the Art Students’ League in New York. While he experimented with several different styles of painting, he is most well known for “action painting” . Instead of painting on an easel, Pollock taped his canvas to the floor then would stand above his canvas and literally drip and splash paint from a can onto the canvas. Though he was subject to much criticism, by the 1960’s he was recognized as the most important figure in the most important movement of this century of American painting. No. 5, 1948 is currently the most expensive painting ever sold for approximately $150.6 million adjusted US … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Art Tagged With: ,
Dec
22

Homemade Snowflakes!

By | Art, Homeschool

8 Comments

IMG_5281.jpg

A wonderful friend of mind did such a fun winter snowflake activity with Turbo, that I just had to share! They’re so easy and while they make really cute Christmas decorations, you could easily do this anytime you’re looking for a fun wintery craft activity!   The ingredients are simple: Borax (2 Tbsp per jar) Pipe Cleaners (3 per snowflake, we used green, but I think white might have been a better choice!) A pen or pencil to secure the snowflake while it’s crystalizing Boiling Water Wide mouth glass jars Scissors Directions: Step 1: Cut your pipe cleaner into 3rds. Lay one section horizontally on your workspace, then lay another one on top of it and twist it into a v shape around the horizontal piece. Lay your 3rd pipe cleaner section on top of that and create a v shape again only going the opposite direction of your first one so you have something similar to the below:   Step 2: Using your 2nd pipe cleaner tie it around the center of … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Art, Homeschool Tagged With: , ,
Dec
13

No Sew Fleece Tie Blanket Tutorial

By | Art, Mom Stuff

23 Comments

christ10.jpg

  I don’t know what it is about the holidays, but they make me feel all “crafty”. I break out my knitting needles (more on that to come), I start making Christmas decorations, cookies, and this year I made these super soft no sew fleece blankets! You really can’t beat these in the cold snowy winter months! I’ve made them before and the kids absolutely love them. Since ours are well worn, I decided to replace a few of them with new ones. The good news about these is that they’re so easy and quick! Minus your trip to the store for fleece, you can literally have one of these blankets done within about 2 hours…give or take. Since this is the 12 Days of Christmas and all, I really wanted to make a more festive red and white blanket, but the crew out voted me and we went for the bright pink.   Supplies: 1 .  You will need 2 pieces of fleece Fabric at least 40 inches or wider (most are 54 inches) Toddler/Crib Size: 1 1/2 yards of each piece … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Art, Mom Stuff Tagged With: , ,