Jun. 23, 2007 - Art for your Homeschool

Easy Art for Your Homeschool

First, a few organizational ideas.  Get a vinyl tablecloth with elastic edges to fit around the table.  I just saw one cheaply offered in a current catalog or something like that.  Also, limit supplies to one medium and type of paper.  Keep the different mediums with supplies in separate plastic shoe boxes ($1 at Walmart…) Have cleaning up the supplies be part of the privilege of creating the art.  Occasionally suggest that the children start by illustrating something they learned this week.  Other times, have them tell a story to go with the picture/object they create.  Very, very rarely do I allow a free for all with every medium and “craft supply”  we own available at one time.  Yet my children are really capable with all of the “real” mediums below. 
 
Watercolors with brush and sketch paper, with pencil.  Draw and paint what you read about this week.  Very small amount of water in a little cup (we use leftover plastic fruit cups) and a damp sponge.  Wet and blot brush after every color to keep colors from muddying. 
 
Oil Pastels and Dark paper.  These are like crayons but softer and give really vibrant colors kids love. Works on white paper too; but is really cool on royal blue paper.
 
Colored Pencils and Sketch Paper (or plain old printer paper…)  Illustrate a story or draw from one of the drawing books like the Usborne series mentioned below or any from the library.  We got one on drawing dinosaurs last week. 
 
Crayons and Computer Paper:  The series I Can Draw…. (people, animals, etc.) by Usborne.  No real mess other then picking up your crayons when you are done.
 
Art Print Books and any medium above can be an assignment.  Create your “impression” of this famous painting…
 
Construction Paper, scissors and glue.  (This is probably really obvious; and usually gets to messy with all the scraps of paper so I hesitate to mention it…)
 
I can put my older children at the kitchen table once a week with any of these mediums and get two hours to clean; play with the toddler, or whatever.  I rotate through the different mediums so they never get bored.  
 
The idea here is just exposure and experience with the different types of art mediums.  That is what will be important if they become interested in art later in life.  Freedom of expression is much more important then “pre-planned” art or crafts.  It is one thing to be able to draw anything with a pencil or glue on a pompom; and another thing entirely to be able to control the water in water color painting!  Oh! And as they get older I do plan to introduce textile arts like weaving and messier paints like Oil based paints etc.  Just not yet.    If I get a chance later I am going to post some of my oldest’s artwork.