Homeschool Art Appreciation and the Brave Writer Lifestyle

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Art appreciation. Where does a homeschool mom even begin?

Are you wondering how to incorporate art appreciation into your homeschool? It can be intimidating for sure. Especially if you feel that you know nothing about art or even where to start. Allow me to share with you my favorite ways to appreciate art with my kids.

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Homeschool Art Appreciation and the Brave Writer Lifestyle

If you’ve followed our homeschool adventures for any amount of time, then you know how important art is in our home. Not just painting and drawing. But also art museums as well as being a part of the local art community. Our family has been activily in ballet and stage performances for years. All of these help to ensue an appreciation for a wide array of art in our lives.

Even if you are NOT a part of dance, or theater there are other ways to incorporate art appreciation into your homeschool. I get asked often what art programs we use and how we intergrate art into our daily rhythms.

Well, art appreciation is a HUGE part of our Brave Writer Lifestyle! So much so that Brave Writer even has a FREE Art Appreciation Workshop.

Art appreciation is also one of the guiding principles of Charlotte Mason’s teachings. You see, by observing art, children expand on their sense of symbolism. They will also develop their critical thinking skills. All of these lead to good writing abilities.

How Can You Incorporate Homeschool Art Appreciation?

There are some encouraging ways you can add art appreciation to your homeschool. But what are they?

Here are a few EASY ways to add more art to your days…

Visit a local ART MUSEUM. This gets your kids seeing art and then talking about art, setting the stage for narration about art. Did you know most museums have virtual sites?
Strew fantastic CHILDREN’S BOOKS ON ART throughout your home! You can rotate books about different artists, or artistic styles each week or month. When studying Monet, not only did we replicate his water lilies, but we also read all of the children’s books we could find about him!
Keep oodles of ART SUPPLIES on hand. These are great to pull out when your reading aloud or listening to a favorite audiobook!
Play ART THEMED GAMES with the kids.
Take an ART CLASS – Keep reading to discover our two favorites.
Showcase your kiddo’s ARTWORK. My kids prefer to fill their bedroom walls with their works of art, but you could also keep their artwork in an art journal.
Attend a local theater production. This is a great way to appreciate all the creativity and thought processes that go into set design, costume design, scripts, choreography, music selction, narration, and more!

Favorite homeschool Art Curriculums for Art Appreciation

#1 The Masterpiece Society

The Masterpiece Society Membership site is helping my little artists learn EVERYTHING about art and quench their thirst for watercolors, drawing, painting, mixed media, and everything in between!

Not only are my kiddos learning about the master artists and their techniques, but they are learning about history and the different eras of art too! This membership is filled with so many juicy and amazing art lessons. They take longer (sometimes several hours) but are much more in-depth and totally worth it.

Art Appreciation

#2 Chalk Pastels You Are An Artist Club House

Nana’s You Are An Artist Club House is perfect for the whole family! All you’ll need is a set of chalk pastels and paper…that’s it!

Nana takes you step by step as she shows you how to create a chalk pastel masterpiece.

These are perfect for a quick art lesson when we are cranky or short on time.

Plus, Nana always reminds us that, “You Are An Artist,” thus you can create your artwork in any way that suits YOU. My kids really love that about her.