A Change of Pace

Life is fun.  And frenetically busy.  I spent yesterday spastically deleting 800 emails from all the way back through October – which had already been screened as something I needed to follow up on.  I am now trying to soothe my guilt complex.  Not that that has anything to do with anything.  But I DO think it is time for a brief escape from reality.  And routine – what little there is of it.

While homeschooling for a 4yo is pretty much all fun, I’ve been thinking of what we do when we need a break.  Here are some surefire winners at our house:

1. Tea party.  Or indoor picnic.  Esmé has been BEGGING for this lately, so I should probably add it to our list of unplanned spontaneous activities for the week.  We haven’t had one since our Happy Birthday Jesus tea party when Grandpa and Grandma were here for Christmas.
2. Holiday celebration.  Every day is a special day of some sort!  It’s fun to celebrate Raggedy Ann Day, or Yo-Yo Day, or Rocky Road Day – and throw in some educational tidbits as well.  I was just checking out February’s calendar ideas from Homeschool Share – some sweet ideas there.
3. Read.  I’ll ask Esmé to pick out 5 picture books for us to read together, and hopefully one of them will trigger a craft idea, food, etc. that we can work on together.
4. Plug in.  Sometimes it’s cool to just start meandering through YouTube videos on a certain topic.  Or work on a Pinterest board together.  There is such a thing as quality unproductive time together… :)
5. Unplug.  I’ve got a bookshelf full of resources such as Unplugged Play by Bobbi Conner.  Sometimes I’ll grab the book off the shelf, flip through the pages, and we’ll do whatever my eyes land on.
6. Art.  Even if it’s just be pulling out the tempera paints and putting a blank page on the easel.
7. Hunts.  Scavenger hunts, photo hunts, treasure hunts – it’s all good.
8. ABC Exercise Cards.  These ABC Exercise Cards are a great standby of ours when we’re needing to let off a little steam. 

So, what do you all do when you’re in a rut? 

iPhone Apps at Our House

This week’s Blog Cruise is all about educational apps.  Which is a good thing, since Esmé is outgrowing many of the iPhone apps we’ve been using, so I really need some fresh ideas.

For now, here are a few iPhone apps that have occupied the 4yo in our house thus far…

The at-least moderately educational ones:

Bob Books:  If you’re a fan of Bob Books, this is definitely worth the cost with its animation walk through reading levels.  $1.99

Pet The Animals:  Pet the animal and here it purr, pant, etc.  This one is educational if you’re teaching animal sounds to itty bitty ones; otherwise, it can just be a fun one…  Free.

I Hear Ewe:  Another animal sounds game.  Free.

FirstWords: Animals:  A great intro to words and letters and spelling.  There are other FirstWords apps and even a lite version you can try for free.  $1.99

iWriteWords:  A fun handwriting game.  Once again, there is a lite version you can try for free before you buy.  $2.99

Paws & Tales:  This isn’t an app; just a weekly? podcast that is way cool for kiddos to listen to on an iPod.  Free.

Trace:  This one drives me nuts, but Esmé enjoys it.  You draw platforms and navigate through levels, and I always get stuck, but Esmé perseveres.  A good puzzle-type challenge.  Free.

Baby Piano Lite:  A fun intro to music for little ones.  Free.

Speed Bones and Anatomy Lite:  These are more for mom and dad right now – a fun way to refresh our memory on bones and more.  Free.

Just for fun ones:

Talking Tom Cat:  Tom repeats everything you say in a “cat” voice.  So far I haven’t figured out anything educational about this one, but it does occupy Esmé (and drive the rest of us crazy) for hours.  Free.

Blowfish.  Blow up fish as big as you can, keep them from popping, and advance through levels…  Free.

Waterslide Extreme:  Navigate your way down a waterslide in this racing game – a fun way to explore twists and turns with an iPhone.  Esmé’s become a pro at the first couple of levels.  Free.

Line Up 2:  An app with rows of colored squares that need to be strategically clicked off the screen – nice spatial practice for Esmé.

And of course we can’t forget…

Kindle for iPhone:  With all the book freebies out there, this is an absolute necessity.  Check out Pixel of Ink – Young Edition for free Kindle books for kids.  Free.

Too Much? Too Little? Just Right!

It’s my Work From Home day.  I’ve just spent 4 hectic days in the office while 4yo Esmé spent 2 days with Daddy, two days at Cyndi’s.

I wake up late, heading to the living room to catch up on emails with my iPod Touch.  Within seconds, I hear little feet pattering from Esmé’s bedroom.  A hug, a cuddle, and she hijacks my iPod and makes a mess of a Sudoku game.

Relieved of my email distraction, I refocus and decide it’s time to confiscate my iPod and hit the books.

Math with Life of Fred comes first – it’s always an easy way to get started.  We read a chapter and Esmé works through the problems flawlessly.  She demands the next chapter – but I say No, knowing how tough it’s been to manipulate her through two sets of problems in one morning.

Let’s see – Bible time!  We are still working through Truth in the Tinsel.  Yes, I know Christmas is long over, but we didn’t manage to get thru it by Christmas – we like Christmas – it’s good stuff – our Christmas tree is still up – Jesus probably wasn’t born on December 25 anyway – just roll with it, hey?  We finish the clue of the day and everybody’s happy.

Um – what about breakfast?  I decide I can afford three minutes to make Malt-o-meal instead of the regular cold cereal.  Esmé is tided over with banana cream yogurt (no fruity bits, thank you very much) until the Malt-o-meal is ready.  I sneak in a few minutes at the computer during the meal.

I start to set up things for Esmé’s next Kinderbach (online piano) lesson.  Before I finish, Esmé hijacks her computer and starts playing JumpStart.  I think for a moment.  This’ll work.  I’ve got some financial reports I need to finish, and I know JumpStart will keep her occupied for a while.

Hours go by, and I feel guiltily grateful.  Between JumpStart and Starfall (that counts for reading, eh?), I manage to get the inventory journal entries figured out and the financial reports formatted.  Daddy comes in and out, the phone rings several times (once for work), and I get interrupted a few times to watch Miss Esmé demonstrate hopping on one foot, observe how she carefully colored a picture without marking the table, or see how she rearranged the bulletin board.  But seriously, the interruptions are few and the toy mess is well contained.

Esmé scores a Clif bar she had stored in her backpack, and I realize it’s well past lunchtime.  I put out some pre-washed grapes to balance things.  My financial reports are almost ready to be emailed – just hang on a little longer!   Finally get them all sent off, Daddy walks in with perfect timing, and I make sandwiches.  It’s a good thing Esmé had her Clif bar, because as soon as she realizes I put avocado in her sandwich, she abandons it.  What’s with that?  Last time she ate avocado just fine.

We are still in our jammies (Daddy excluded – he’s off to work again), and I realize there is blue sky outside.  I grab a quick shower and then coerce Esmé to get dressed, also.  We trek around our yard, investigating elk poop.  I take photos of a robin while Esmé swings.  Then she begs to play hide & seek.  We play a few rounds – I love the moment, but remember how much I hate kiddy games like this and wonder how I survived childhood – and make our way back inside.

Housework?  School?  We’ve been using plastic spoons since all our spoons are dirty – and I’ve been rifling through two loads of clean laundry to get dressed each morning (or afternoon) – but the housework just isn’t calling my name.  School wins.

I finish getting Kinderbach (online piano) set up, and Esmé flies through a week’s worth of lessons, loving every minute of it.  The Dodi song is permanently stuck in my head.

While the computer is out, we do a ride of Math Rider, too.  Esmé does brilliantly.  We’re nearing the end of the quest, and I’m debating whether we should ramp up the difficulty.

Now, what is in our schoolbox that we haven’t done in a while?  Aha!  Handwriting with The TV Teacher!  I’ve cut WAY back on worksheets in recent months since Esmé’s resistance was making us both miserable.  I’ve been pleasantly surprised at her spontaneous writing – but it’s all uppercase.  We need some lowercase practice.  We start with “q” – watching the DVD clip for “q” first, and Esmé fills out her “q” worksheet without a peep of resistance.  She begs for the next letter.  Here comes “r” – and once again, the worksheet gets completely filled out.  We make it all the way through to “z” and she’s asking for more.  It’s a bit of a miracle!  Not just 1 worksheet, but TEN!

What else can we do that doesn’t require prep time?  I grab the Artistic Pursuits book and read through the next chapter with Esmé.  I get her started on the next art project – a shape collage – and notice it’s dark outside. 

Time to get supper made.  Once again, I go with quick and easy – burritos.  I use up the last of our clean plates – but we don’t need spoons, at least!

I check back on the art project – Esmé has made what looks like a window-box of flowers (paper shreds), with a rising sun in the background.  She’s already tacked it to her bulletin board.  There are tiny scraps of paper littering the table and floor around her.  It’ll just have to wait until later.

After supper, Daddy finds a Moses movie on YouTube.  Esmé tells me how “E-jupt” is in Africa – see, we touched on geography a little – and then settles in to watch the movie.

The movie over, we start the bedtime routine.  Prayer said, lights out, “Moses” Your Story Hour tape playing, the day ends.

I look back on the day and am amazed at what we covered, despite the sporadic, unplanned nature of it all.  Esmé was beautifully cooperative and is learning so very much.

And yet – we never really did any geography or health or science or history or Spanish – the more she learns, the more I want to cover with her!

And I think how media-intensive the day was, between computer and TV time.  Esmé loves learning that way, but are we overdoing it?

The house is a disaster. 

Maybe next time I will do more housework.  Home economics? Or leave the computer off and just spend the whole day reading books together.

Moment by unplanned moment, our little girl is growing up…

For more answers to What is a day in the life of your homeschool like?, check out The Blog Cruise…

Review: Z-Guides to the Movies

    
Hobo signs have been appearing on our chalk board.  This particular one?  Incorporates the “danger” sign into a newly contrived “Esmé” sign.  Very appropriate, I think.

Thanks to Zeezok’s Z-Guides to the Movies, specifically the guide for Kit Kittredge:  An American Girl, our whole family has had some good hours of entertainment and a full immersion into the Great Depression.

We’ve learned hobo signs.  You can find Esmé’s 1930s fashion post at Esmé’s Very Own Blog.  We’ve talked about FDR and his social reform policies, what it means to be a journalist, and the ethical ramifications of being Robin Hood.  And it was fun randomly watching the movie Annie (from the same era) and being able to tie in a lot of the historical details. 

Synopsis:

What is a Z-Guide?

If your student enjoys watching movies, we just made it easy for you to incorporate them into your curriculum. We have dozens of guides— each of them falling within a specific time in history. All of the guides contain ten educational activities that build upon the movie. The guides are movie specific. We tell you exactly which movie we used, and almost all are available thru Netflix. Most you can probably get through your local library. So you don’t even need to buy the movie to use our guides!

We recommend the student completes two activities per day, taking a week to complete. The Z-Guides are meant to supplement your current history curriculum. They are not intended to replace your core curriculum for history.

Zeezok Publishing’s Z-Guide to Kit Kittredge is an original way to incorporate media into your study of the Great Depression.

This guide contains a topic overview, movie synopsis, and ten learning activities based on this family-friendly film. Learn more about the hardships families faced in the Great Depression. Decipher coded messages using hobo signs. Design your own Depression era fashion show. Be a journalist, like Kit, and write a newspaper article. Play “Who Am I?” with your family and friends. Learn Depression-related vocabulary. Distinguish irony from foreshadowing. Determine whether prejudice is ever acceptable. Share personal responses to the “For Family Discussion” questions and experience life in middle America during the worst economic depression in American history.

Recommended Age:  The Kit Kittredge Z-Guide is for Elementary/Middle School.  Z-Guides for other movies are available at the high school level, also. 
Price:  $12.99 for e-Book or CD format 
For More Info/Samples/To Purchase: https://www.zeezok.com/node/94
For More Reviews: TOS Crew

What Mom Liked:

• Movies! Esmé has a high preference for and retention rate with video learning.  I love the concept of learning history through movies!  We hadn’t watched Kit Kittredge before, and it was a great one to delve into more deeply, with some parallels to the US’s current situation.
• Ease of use.  Not much prep time needed – just buy or check out the movie, print out the guide, and you’re set to go.  You do need access to internet or print material for research activities.  With 10 activities, you can simply divide them up to fit in a 5-day week, or expand them over a 2-week period.
• Variety.  I loved the variety: vocabulary, history, filmmaking, writing, fashion/art. 
• The answers.  I appreciate having all the answers available (as applicable) at the end of the book – a great teaching help!
• Family involvement.  I love how easy it was to incorporated the whole family through watching, discussion, presentations, and more.
• Thought-provoking, unbiased questions.  The world-view and discussion questions were open-ended and easily allowed one to incorporate a biblical perspective.

This guide was advanced for Esmé – most of the activities had to be tailored to her level, though I was amazed at how well she did on the review section.  I would highly recommend the guide for students in middle grades who can do the research and writing with less assistance, though it is adaptable for younger ages and could easily work in a multi-grade setting.
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Thanks to Zeezok Publishing for providing a download for review, and to TOS Crew for coordinating the review.  We are not being paid for this review, and all opinions are our own.

Review: REAL Homeschool Spanish

"Uno, dos, tres, cuatro, cinco..."

That would be the sound of Miss Esmé counting in the bathtub.  And given her affinity towards math, is it any wonder that her favorite Spanish words happen to be numbers?

Synopsis:

New and unique to homeschoolers, REAL Homeschool Spanish takes the entire family on the journey of language learning.

Our easy to use curriculum is made specifically for the Home Educator and the home learning environment.

REAL Homeschool Spanish trains you and your child to be able to learn Spanish together and interact together in fun and interesting ways.

You can interact with your children in an immersion environment using REAL Homeschool Spanish’s easy to follow “Home Educator Tips” and our unique “Idea” sections which give you literally pages of suggestions on how you and your child can use Spanish during your day and throughout the week in a home learning environment / lifestyle.

Learn how to continue your language-learning journey outside of the initial learning stage.  Play games with your child… bingo, hangman, create albums, have your child design his/her own board game… These are just a few ways for you to be able to create a personalized language-learning environment in your home.

Each Unit is made up of vocabulary clusters with phrases to use to present the material.  There are 33 Vocabulary clusters and 15 Idea sections each with 3-4 pages or more of suggested activities.

Recommended Age:  5-13yo (K-8th) 
Price:  $49.95 download; $89.95 hardcopy 
For More Info/Samples/To Purchase: http://www.realhomeschoolspanish.com/
For More Reviews: TOS Crew

What Mom Liked:

• The immersion concept. I love the idea of incorporating your Spanish studies throughout your daily activities, not just for a specific time slot.  I also like the conversational approach.  You can hold a simple conversation in the first week – without learning all the grammar etc. etc.
• All the ideas.  There are so many ideas given to incorporate Spanish into the day.  You can pick and choose what will work best for your particular students.  On that note – if you are someone who wants to check off everything on the list, you will find yourself overwhelmed.  There is also an activity book that includes fun stuff like crossword, cryptogram, and word search puzzles - these are a bit advanced for Esmé and would probably be good for 2nd grade and up.  Our favorite ideas from the first week:  using puppets to hold a basic conversation, and singing the Greeting Song to the tune of "Where is thumbkin?"



Fuzzy Muzzy Dolphin learns Spanish...

• The age range.  With all the ideas given, you can easily adapt the program for a range of ages.  It’s perfect for a multi-grade family to work on together.
• Audio examples.  Audio files are provided to help with pronunciation.
• The planning guide.  A weekly guide is provided that makes it easy to plan and schedule your activities. 
• The cultural aspect.  I love that the curriculum includes more than just language – it addresses the people whom you can communicate with in the language.  A REAL newsletter gave ideas for studying Mexico and its holidays, for example.  There are free culture links on the REAL website - you can enjoy these even without buying the package!
• The price.  Compared to other language packages, I find the price quite reasonable.

What Mom Didn’t Like:

• The Mom factor. Success with this program is very dependent on ME – the parent.  And I am linguistically challenged.  I have lived in other countries – talk about immersion – and have NOT been successful at learning other languages.  I can’t even figure out sign language!  My hearing loss contributes:  I can say “Buenos Dias” 10 times, and it comes out different every time – I struggle with pronunciation and a whole lot more.  I am woefully inadequate as a student teacher.

There is much to love about this program!  Due to the mom factor (including hearing loss) and Esmé’s visual learning preference, I’ve found it helpful to mix it with a video-based program that visually demonstrates pronunciation.

An FYI – the audio is done by native speakers of Spanish from Mexico.  I don’t have a preference as to which type of Spanish we learn – I’m  used to adapting my English throughout the world – but some readers may find this important.

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Thanks to REAL Homeschool Spanish for providing a download for review, and to TOS Crew for coordinating the review.  We are not being paid for this review, and all opinions are our own.

Happy New Year!

The little miss and I just had a great welcoming in of the new year up in Portland with LOTS of family… 

...and one of my wonderful sisters resurrected this wonderful list of “Things to do with free time” that I had written and sent to her when I was 17.  Here’s a sampling…  

1.  Learn Afrikaans
5.  Write a book
7.  Memorize a dictionary
9.  Cut the split ends off hair
11.  Collect quotes
12.  Memorize chapters in the Bible
14.  Create a record in Rook
15.  Make cookies
16.  Mend underwear
18.  Memorize medical symptoms
19.  Buy some monkeys
24.  Write an essay on the 1st sentence of every book
26.  Make counterfeit money
27.  Try to speak like an intellectual
28.  Practice different accents

…and I regret to inform you that, decades later, I still haven’t done a whole lot on my list.  I don’t think that free time ever materialized? 

In fact, I’ve rethunk the whole resolution business, and I like the whole “pick a word for the year” thing.  Just a focus, an emphasis, something to strive towards, rather than specifics I will never accomplish.

So, I hereby declare 2012 to be the “Year of Strength.”  As in:

And He said unto me, “My grace is sufficient for thee: for My strength is made perfect in weakness…” Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.  ~2 Corinthians 12:9-10

I am rather good at the weakness thing.  I make cookies far too little, I’ve never mended my underwear, and my hair has lots of split ends.  I am accomplished at failing in my resolutions, my ambitions, my goals, my day-to-day plans.  Infirmities plague me each step of the way.

“THEN am I strong!”

Happy New Year!

Happy Birthday, Jesus!

2011

2010

2009


2008

Review: The World’s Greatest Stories

I’m a bit perturbed with Miss Esmeralda* at the moment.  I have been looking forward ALL YEAR to listening to my awesome collection of Christmas music.  Yet whenever I try to stick in a Christmas CD in the car, the little miss says, “NO!  Put in the BIBLE CD!”  And when she follows up with “The Bible is always the BEST thing to listen to,” I can’t really argue, and she wins every time.

Seriously, this product probably is Esmé’s absolute favorite review item of 2011 (followed closely by her rock star costume).  We have Volume 1 – The Prophets, which has some of her favorite stories (three about Daniel and his friends, as well as one about Elijah and one about Jonah).  The other volumes are most definitely on her wish list.

* NOT HER REAL NAME.  Since using kids’ middle names is so passé, I simply lengthen the missy’s name whenever she is being a pill.  The length signifies the degree of pillyness – “Esmeraldina-belle-oney” means she is is REAL BIG trouble.

Synopsis:

The World’s Greatest Stories are an award winning series of Bible stories that make the actual words of Scripture leap off the page into the hearts of children of all ages.  Children love the stories and listen to them over and over again, often memorizing the entire CD.

Actor George W. Sarris brings to life in the mind's eye the characters and events of some of the most treasured stories in all of history. The texts of all of the stories are taken directly, word for word, from the Bible. They are told, however, using the art of a dramatic storyteller, incorporating carefully chosen music and sound effects. The result is a very exciting story that comes straight from the words of Scripture.

The current audio series contains a total of 23 individual stories on six CDs or cassettes. The stories are recorded in both the King James Version and the New International Version. Each volume is approximately 1 hour long.

Recommended Age:  Geared towards ages 4-12, but can be enjoyed by all ages. 
Price:  $7.95 per volume; Six volumes currently available 
For More Info/To Purchase: http://www.worldsgreateststories.com/
For More Reviews: TOS Crew

What Mom Liked:

• The text. It’s all straight from the Bible.  We have the NIV version, which is easy for Esmé to understand.
• The dramatization.  Can I confess a prideful moment?  When we first put the CD in, Esmé stopped me partway and said, “Why does this man sound like you when you read?”  Now, I love livening up read-alouds with various voices and such, but rest assured George W. Sarris sounds NOTHING like me.   He has memorized the entire text and thought through all the nuances ahead of time (unlike me who keeps mixing up characters and swapping voices halfway through a sentence).  In addition to music/sound effects, he does an awesome job jumping between various characters’ dialogue, as well as adjusting narration to fit content (fast/slow, loud/soft).  The stories come alive!
• The selection of stories/text.  The stories are exciting.  They flow naturally.
•  It keeps my 4yo’s attention.  She’ll listen to it over and over and over and over and over and over and over...  I love that she is soaking up scripture in this way.
• The CD format.  We spend a lot of time in the car, so this works for us perfectly.
• The price.  Very affordable for HOURS of entertainment; the price has been kept down as a ministry for listeners.

VERY highly recommended by the four-year-old in this house.

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Thanks to The World’s Greatest Stories for providing a CD for review, and to TOS Crew for coordinating the review.  We are not being paid for this review, and all opinions are our own.

Review: Vintage Remedies for Kids

Did you notice we were missing?  The little Miss and I have been out for the count – with all manner of cold and flu and bronchitis and such.  Perhaps we needed to discover this product a little sooner?  :)  Or at least skipped ahead to the “When I Get Sick” chapter…

Seriously, food has been a topic of struggle in our house ever since four-month-old Esmé was BEGGING for solids while I stoically ascribed to conventional wisdom of starting them at six months.  She won the battle when her teeth came in early.  Today, I’ve got a carb-loving kiddo who is way too picky for my taste – I mean, what kind of kid doesn’t even like fruit?  This book is just perfect for our household!

Synopsis:

Based on the popular Vintage Remedies for Girls and Guys curriculum, this edition is perfect for younger siblings! Vintage Remedies for Kids helps parents teach  healthy and natural living to boys and girls ages 2-6. This new workbook is packed with projects covering every aspect of natural living including wellness, nutrition, immunity, natural body care, and the conservative use of valuable natural resources - in terms they will understand and remember!

This curriculum helps you teach little ones how to choose healthy foods, how to prepare some fun and delicious snacks, how to establish prevention based habits, and how they can participate in your family's natural lifestyle. The workbook is flexible and can be used for playgroups or as a fun family project. Children at this age learn best with active lessons, so this isn't a sit and read style picture book! It's a guide for parents that is packed with hands on activities that are perfect for little hands, but fun for all ages. Each of the 18 chapters includes a brief age appropriate lesson on the topic that parents can use to discuss with little ones while they are preparing for the projects, a featured project to teaches the lesson, additional instructions for parents to include these lessons in the family's lifestyle, and a selection of additional projects on the topic for additional fun. The book also contains sample schedules for preschoolers and convenient shopping lists for each project, complete with a resource guide and tips for parents and leaders.

Recommended Age:  Ages 2-6; books also available for ages 7-13 
Price:  $25.00
For More Info/To Purchase: http://www.vintageremedies.com/
For More Reviews: TOS Crew 

What Mom Liked:

• The subject. It lends some authority and easy logic to the “eat your vegetables” commands when you can talk about the nutrients involved and why they are good for you.  Or to the “wash your hands” commands after you’ve discussed different types of microbes.
• The read-to-me section.  This isn’t a picture book.  I was a little concerned about how a kid Esmé’s age would take to the simple reading in each chapter, but an interactive approach – reading with dialogue – suits her fine.  If you do have a wiggle worm, you could easily fit the reading in during meals or bathtimes.  
• The age range.  I haven’t seen many health curriculum options targeting preschoolers.  This is easily adaptable for the whole age range; in our case, I expanded on some of the readings in terms of vocabulary, etc.  It is easy for kids to relate to the examples given; e.g. ladybugs and fireflies as an intro to the chapter on “bugs.”
• The hands-on approach.  Each chapter has some practical projects.  Esmé isn’t one who is more likely to eat something if she makes it, but the rest of us have benefitted from her cooking endeavors!  I figure the more exposure she has to REAL food, even if it’s just the making, the more likely she’ll come to her senses some day?
• Suitable for vegetarians.  The emphasis is very much on a plant-based diet; non-dairy alternatives were given in many cases.
• Holistic approach.  This is much more than a nutrition book – it encompasses a whole lifestyle and deals with cleanliness, herbs, natural remedies, stewardship of our world, and more.

Another highly recommended product being used in our household – it’s educating both Mom and daughter! 

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Thanks to Vintage Remedies for providing a book for review, and to TOS Crew for coordinating the review.  We are not being paid for this review, and all opinions are our own.

Review: Artistic Pursuits

 
I am not an artist.  I’ve always said I LOVE kiddie art with Esmé because it is so forgiving.  Tempera paint and stick figures all the way for me!

Enter Artistic Pursuits.  Esmé is learning what quality art looks like.  Esmé is learning the importance of using quality art materials.  And I’m learning that art isn’t so very complicated.

Artistic Pursuits has a variety of books to choose from.  The book we reviewed is Grades K-3 Book One:  An Introduction to the Visual Arts.

Synopsis:

The ARTistic Pursuits approach to teaching art is a welcome departure from typical art instruction books. This award winning homeschool art program meets the specific needs of homeschoolers at home. A variety of fun art lessons teach both the expressive and technical aspects of art while allowing children to make choices about what and how they will draw, paint, and sculpt.
 

Books at the K-3 level introduce children to the visual arts and view art through history. Colorful illustrations, art appreciation, and projects designed for young hands and minds delight students and appeal to their interests. Non-consumable. One set serves your entire family!

• Written to the student - NO teacher preparation is needed
• Complete art history - Examining works of the Great Masters
• 32 projects in each book include drawing, painting, printmaking, sculpture, and more!
• Easy organized system for handling materials
• Sharp color images printed on bright heavy-weight paper, soft bound

Recommended Age:  Books available for Preschool to High School
Price:  $42.95 for Grades K-3 Book One
For More Info/To Purchase:  http://www.artisticpursuits.com/
For More Reviews: TOS Crew

What Mom Liked:

• The reading. Each lesson starts with a reading section that introduces the child to another aspect of art.  Our book was broken out into three sections:  What Artists Do, What Artists See, and Where We Find Art. 
• The examples.  The lessons include photos of a “professional” work of art and a student example.  This combo exposes the child to real art and motivates excellence, while also providing a work the young student can relate to.
• The projects.  The assigned projects are conceptual rather than specific instructions.  They get the student thinking like an artist, identifying subject matter, seeing shapes and colors and edges.  They give exposure to different art materials.  I love the freedom the child has to create, and so does Esmé!
• Ease of use.  Once you’ve acquired the list of materials, the curriculum is super easy to use.  No prep time; just read and go.
• Material recommendations.  If you’re a tempera paint kinda gal, the price on some of these might be a little shocking, but I quickly learned they are so worth it.  I tried to do the oil pastel work with some kiddie pastels I had on hand, and it was pathetic.  Having the right brush, pencils, paper, etc. makes all the difference.  Watercolor crayons were a big hit for us.
• Student enjoyment.  While Esmé is fixated on the first chapter about different types of arts (she is a “ballerina artist,” thank you very much), she does enjoy visual art as well.  This curriculum has given her great practice in perseverance - FINISHING her artwork…

Overall, we LOVE this product and highly recommend it if you are looking for an art curriculum.

This review wouldn’t be complete without a few examples of Esmé’s first projects, would it?

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Thanks to Artistic Pursuits for providing a book for review, and to TOS Crew for coordinating the review.  We are not being paid for this review, and all opinions are our own.