Homeschool Art Curriculum

When you think about homeschool art curriculum there are two ways you can go. One way is to teach art appreciation and history. The other way is to do art.

Why Teach Art

You might be wondering why to even homeschool art. You might feel that you are too busy teaching academics or you are not the artsy type. But teaching art is important.

Sometimes art is a requirement of the state. Washington requires that children have classes in art and music appreciation.

Another reason is that your child might be gifted in art. As Christians we need to help our children develop their gifts.

Art is also communication. The old saying "a picture is worth a thousand words" is true. Christians should learn how to use art to spread the gospel. I have seen a person present the gospel with chalk. When he was drawing he would tell a story. The picture looked one way in the light. When he turned off the lights we could see another picture.

History and Appreciation

There are homeschool art curriculum that you can buy for art history and appreciation. I have used Kingfisher History Encyclopedia for art history. Besides European art it also shows some art from other countries.

You can also find books in the children's section of the public library. Sometimes it is hard to find books that do not have objectionable pictures. You could still use the book but cover the objectionable pictures with sticky notes.

A cheap way of having some art prints of your own is to look for old prints, magazines, and calendars in second hand stores.

When you study art history read about the artists. Try to find something more about their life than what is written in the encyclopedia. Try to find biographies about the artist life.

Doing Art

When choosing homeschool art curriculum for doing art consider how easy the instructions are. Do you understand how to do the technique? Does the book give a good explanation about the different art elements?

You will also want to consider what type of art your child wants to do. Fine art consists of drawing, painting, and sculpture. Most of the textbooks deal with drawing.

I have used Drawing Textbook by Bruce McIntyre. I found the curriculum easy to use. My children also enjoyed drawing.

Beside textbooks on teaching techniques you will need some art supplies. You should have some high quality art supplies on hand. You can find high quality art supplies at your local craft store or in some homeschool catalogs. Buy only the supplies that you will need in the coming year.

Here is a list of supplies:

• Drawing pencils
• Sketch pad
• Good colored pencils
• Drawing chalk
• Pastels
• Water colors
• Tempera paint
• Acrylic paint
• Paint brushes
• Clay
• Other art supplies

If you are not artsy your child could take a class from a co-op or local college. Find out first what the teacher will be teaching. Will the material be objectionable to your family?

There is a lot of homeschool art curriculum that you can buy. Take your time finding curriculum that is useful to your family.

Want to read more about art? Visit my page homeschool art projects for some inexpensive ideas.

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