Disclaimer: I was compensated for my time in exchange for my honest review.
What do you do when your kid tells you they want to be an artist?
As a mother with a background in the Fine Arts this could be the news I’ve always dreamed of OR the words I’ve always feared. I wasn’t surprised to hear this from my nine year old – he comes from a long line of Artists on both sides of the family and has been dragged through galleries and museums since he was a baby – you reap what you sow. However, despite all of my experience, I still didn’t know where to begin to help him pursue his interest. Do I sign him up for classes, buy books or videos, or just teach him myself? For our first formal foray into the Arts I turned to Master Books.
Master Books Curriculum offers an eclectic faith based system of learning designed to nurture the whole child. You’ll discover a wide selection of core subjects and electives for all ages of grade school children and they excel at keeping the learning developmentally and spiritually appropriate. After more than twenty-five years of teaching children, I had no qualms about choosing any number of subjects from their collection but the Master Books Living Art Lessons really stood out to me.
Created by Savannah Barclay, an artist, writer, and homeschool graduate, Living Art Lessons begins its course with the 7 Elements of Art – Line, Shape, Color, Value, Texture, Form, and Space. I learned these foundational elements myself as a student and felt as if this introduction was just what my son needed especially if he was going to pursue the Arts. The curriculum is not designed to alter and restrict your child’s artistic interest – only build on their current knowledge and abilities. To try new things.
How to Use Living Art Lessons
Perfect for students in grades 4-6, Living Art Lessons by Master Books, is broken into 36 weeks of art lessons done twice a week. This is an easy to implement curriculum and each lesson on,y takes 30-45 minutes. Other than gathering supplies, it’s low prep with everything you need for instruction included in Text and the Artist’s Journal. You’ll find an outline of the weekly schedule at the front of the Artist’s Journal as well as space to check off completed assignments, fill in dates, and add in grades.
What makes Living Art Lessons so Wonderful
Everything about Living Art Lessons by Master Books is carefully thought through and curated. In fact, I wish I had curriculum like this when I was in school. In addition to teaching The 7 Elements of Art, there is real life art application using Creation, the world around us, and Learning from the Artist. While studying art we want our children to explore the Masters and Master Books adds it right in the text. My son learned more about Picasso, Van Gogh, and Norman Rockwell …. and it wasn’t convoluted, complicated, or boring.
Despite everything I’ve listed, I can not neglect to mention the Activity Pages in the Artist’s Journal. It gives your student a chance to practice foundational art skills to accompany their lessons. Have multiple students, or want more pages to practice? The pages are reproducible and the both books come binder ready. THIS is the way an art curriculum is supposed to work and we’re really enjoying it.
How we used Living Art Lessons
This is my new art curriculum. Master Books checked all the boxes with this one. As a mom who refuses to tackle art with my kid, I can add these art lessons directly to his student planner and wait for completed assignments. Living Art Lessons is perfect for my independent, gifted learner who reads and follows directions well. As a kid that loves the Arts, I know that he’s going to draw daily – this way, his creativity is directed, and he gets to learn and practice new skills at least twice a week. He gathers his own materials from our art supplies, reads the outlined text and creates a piece or practices the day’s lesson. By the end of a standard school year he’ll have a comprehensive art portfolio worthy of a showing. I get to pat myself on the back and feel good that as a mom with an art degree, my kid is getting a great education in art that I didn’t have to personally provide.
I’m winning.
Living Art Lessons by Master Books deserves a closer look, by homeschoolers and parents looking to add an art study to their children’s schedule this summer. For a summer exploration, I’d have my learner do 5-6 lessons per week and make this a 12 week course instead of 36. Remember, each lesson only takes 30 to 45 minutes each. To look at this study and others by Master Books head to their website and find courses in Math, Science, Language Arts, History, Religion, and a number of fun electives.
Enter for a chance to win a FREE Morning Basket from Master Books HERE!
@Mamasweetbaby 
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