Here is an art program we have thoroughly enjoyed!  It actually teaches ART!  Not cut and paste or busy work, real art.

ARTistic Pursuits was created by Brenda Ellis, a homeschool mother who is also an artist as well as a very creative person!  Just read their about page and you will see what I mean.

For review, we received Artistic Pursuits Grades K-3 Book One - An Introduction to the Visual Arts.  This is the first of 3 books in the K-3 series.  Book One consists of 32 lessons including hands-on projects for each.  The first 10 lessons teach children about what artists do.  The next 7 discuss what artists see (such as shape, form, and color).  The last 15 lessons explore ancient art, allowing children to delve into many different art mediums and techniques such as pottery, mosaics, bookbinding, mural, and much more.

Lessons are set up in a very easy to use manner.  Each lesson consists of 3 pages and follows the same order each time.  For instance, with the first 10 lessons discussing what artists do you will find that each lesson begins with the first page introducing something an artist does (like imagining or composing), the second page will then include a lovely color print of a master work of art that illustrates the topic being discussed.  Last, instructions are given for the child to produce their own work of art, which is connected to what they have just learned and observed.

My very artistic 7 year old loved this program.  She could not wait for the lessons and wanted to more than one at a time.  I quite enjoyed it myself and joined in some of the activities too.

Many aspects of  ARTistic Pursuits please me, so I think it would be easiest if I list them:

• It is extremely user friendly. 
  Lessons are set up and ready to go.  The only preparation needed would be purchasing the art supplies.

• Real art supplies are used: ebony pencil, watercolor crayons, clay.
  I understand that this can become expensive and sometimes corners need to be cut.  But truly, it is so nice to use quality supplies.  It is also fun to complete art projects that require more than construction paper and glue.  I feel this curriculum is developing an artist in my child!
  

• Masterworks are used for examples.
  It is wonderful for children to look at beautiful art work and to see the brushstrokes made by artists hundreds of years ago.  The convenience of having these included in the book is very helpful, since locating prints can often become tedious and expensive.
  

• Many projects leave the child with options for creating their own work of art.
  Instructions are stated clearly, yet room is given for individuality and creativity.  After all, isn’t that what artists are made of?
  

• Questions are listed beside the master art works.
  I found this very helpful in guiding myself and my child as we explored the composition.  I often do not enjoy questioning and find it a little too rigid.  However, I noticed that these really helped me to see aspects of the painting that I may have missed.  I do like to have my daughter look at the artwork and talk to me about it before asking the questions though.
  

As you can see, we like ARTistic Pursuits and would highly recommend it to anyone desiring a quality art program.

Book One is $42.95 and can be purchased from Artisticpursuits.com or the Oldschoolhouse Store.

To learn more about ARTistic pursuits for Grades K-3, and to see sample pages, click here.

Programs are also available for preschoolers, and highschool students.  To learn more, visit their website: ArtisticPursuits.com

To see what other homeschool moms thought, visit the Homeschool Crew