HOMESCHOOLING
Thinking Skills In Art Programs
An article written by Ellen Winner and Lois Hetland for the Boston Globe in 2007 promotes creativity in learning: "There is, however, a very good reason to teach arts in schools, and it's not the one that arts supporters tend to fall back on. In a recent study of several art classes in Boston-area schools, we found that arts programs teach a specific set of thinking skills rarely addressed elsewhere in the curriculum - and that far from being irrelevant in a test-driven education system, arts education is becoming even more important as standardized tests like the MCAS exert a narrowing influence over what schools teach."
My Art Projects Pages
Go to my Art Projects pages listed in the side bar or in the menu. Here are excellent creative classes for children and young people I have created that teach skills and encourage creative thinking. The reward for each student is a creative learning experience where a skill is learned and an artful piece is completed.
Online Art Instruction
There are many homeschooling art instruction websites on the Internet these days. Some are informative and even inspiring. Others do not adequately cover the content or you may find it difficult to follow the instructions. Some have many ads that are obstacles to finding certain subjects or lessons. Others are simplistic, dumbing down the instruction, offering very little information and leaving the student feeling cheated or bored.
Where some art instruction websites offer many areas of study, for example, painting, drawing, sculpture and printmaking, other may offer just one area, drawing, for example. The variety of subjects presented doesn't necessary assure the quality of the website. How can you tell a good art learning website from a bad one, especially when you are not that familiar with the subjects to begin with?
The Speed Of Life
As a single parent, I had to work and couldn't home school my daughter, but I chose to work part time so that I could spend as much time with my her as I could. Consequently we had some great learning times that augmented her education. This ranged from spelling games, drawing together, hiking in Maine and using a dictionary daily to discover new words.
So I realize that time for parents with their children goes rapidly and if the kids are being home schooled children may still experience pressure for learning many things in a short period of time, whether they are being home schooled or not.
Home schooling can enrich those moments and carefully guide children and young people to learning without pressure to cover knowledge rapidly. "Drilling down" into topics of information teaches kids how to take time to question, explore and investigate and this is where real learning is. The Internet is a vast resource for all kinds of information. Students learning how to plumb its depths for learning about a specific subject have the skill for exploring any subject.
H.O.P.E. Home School Consulting: H.O.P.E. educates parents on how to homeschool and assists current homeschoolers trying to get back on track with The Educate the Home Educator Course. A consultant is available to answer your questions and help you to make informed decisions so you can homeschool in the manner best for your family. H.O.P.E. also offers a free mini-course.
Here's a fun homeschooling project I did with kids experimenting with chalkolas and soft pastels.
Creative Enrichment For Families
I found much enrichment from reading stories to my daughter every night until she was twelve years old. To this day we share those rich experiences. Many years ago we sat on the sofa and I did drawings for my daughter. She told me how she wanted the figure to look like and I, as best I could, drew that figure. It was just a fun game at the time, but it was that kind of creative play that honed my daughter's creative talents in the future and knit us closer as two who had interacted creatively.
What I learned is that giving personal time to your kids is better than their prioritizing any video game they could play, better than any late report you might have to hammer out, better than clustering around the TV, better than just about anything.
I Don't Know Much About Art But I Know What I Like
Art education is important. I am saying this, not because I have been an artist for 50 years and think everyone should join my tribe. Teaching for 50 years has made me see how people (any age) are enlightened, strengthened and enriched by creating. It could be simple drawings, it could be painting from a photo, it could be a meditative drawing. Whatever, they are into a part of their brain that, as humans, is a blessing. We are creative by nature, but many times the cultures we have constructed have not given everyone that opportunity. It is so important that we honor the creative part of our brain. The Internet was invented by some very creative minds. Science, math and art should be combined in the learning process so more young people can go into those careers.
Perhaps you've gone to a gallery or art museum, looked at the artwork displayed and said to yourself, "What the heck is that? I can't understand it! Why is this here in a gallery?" Or, maybe you've gone to a gallery or art museum and your reactions was, "Wow! Great stuff! I like this! I don't know why, but I do!"
Or, maybe you've gone to a gallery or art museum, and, after viewing the exhibits, you walk away feeling bored and disinterested. You may have said to yourself, " Why do I bother with looking at art? I never understand it. It's beyond me."
Creative thinking and learning develops our ability to perceive and understand new ideas and images. By creating we expand our understanding of the richness of art and the enhancement of our lives. Teaching these things to children and young people will equip them to use information-rich learning and thinking as a tool to enrich their lives.
As a parent homeschooling your children and young people, consider art learning and skills as an incredible tool that will increase their knowledge and understanding of our world.
Real Feedback
...I currently I'm working with a author for children's books and I'm doing some of the illustration. This has been a real challenge, but enjoying it. When I not at home my sketch pad goes with me and I'm practice on something all the time. I've taken my art more serious and have the time to do what I thought I would never be able to do and you have inspired me to make me realize a dream that I thought I wouldn't get to do in my life time. Will be sending a picture for you to look at and see where I need to do to improve. It may take a week or two, but you will hear from me. Janice
-----
I'm 60 and just getting back into art. My mother was an artist and I always wanted to be one too. I like the (acrylic) painting and I'm just finishing up the Intermediate! Never though I could paint so good! Eleanor Fuller
-----
Please send link to basic drawing lessons--enjoyed your blot painting! Thank you, Phyllis
-----
Hello Lois....In your introductory e-mail you asked about who I am. I'm retired. As I watched my triplet grandchildren drawing and creating fine looking artwork, I got to thinking about how much I had enjoyed drawing when I was about their age. My recollection is that I was pretty good but in truth probably not as good as my aging memory recalls. I do know, though, that I enjoyed it very much. So one day I sat down with paper and pencil to sketch a masterpiece only to find that all the talent I had as a teenager had been lost somewhere on my journey to senior citizenship. The desire, if not the ability, was there so I began searching the net for drawing lessons. I was surprised to find sites that actually provided free lessons. (I fully expected to pay for lessons) I was most impressed with your site so here I am....hoping to reawaken a long suppressed interest in the art of drawing.
Darrell Larson
-----
It's never to late to do art! I've been painting with water color and then did some little cards for my twelve year old niece.
Thank you for your art lessons,
Betty Jacobsen
Notes on Writing The Artist Within Lessons...
Five years ago, for a small business course at a community college I developed a financial plan for "The Artful Life Program," a series of art learning classes for 55+ students.
This offering of art classes could be installed in a community recreation center, a church basement, an instructor's house, or wherever people wanting to learn and do art could congregate.
I had to do the financials, figure out what would be needed to teach in a facility and project an income and expense sheet for its operation.
I came a way from the small business class with a good working plan for bringing art to the 55+ community. One of the classes I called "Finding The Artist Within." Based on my experience with teaching older people, the course was constructed to refresh, inspire and develop creative skills through a series of exercises. I made each project simple, fun and provocative and directed towards an end goal of helping the students choose an artful direction in painting, drawing, printmaking, or collage.
Through six lessons, students could develop their imaginative, visualizing and creative skills will working on projects that were fun for the group and not intimidating.
Over the years, I have taught "Finding The Artist Within," in in private classes as well as life-long learning programs. It remains today, one of the most popular class offerings I have!