World's Greatest Artists curriculum

Week two?  Check!  And oh how much better than last year.  We even finished early this week and no homework for the 2nd grader, which is amazing because she almost never completes her math on time.

I think the two main reasons this year is better (so far) is that Bridget is almost seven years old and I have a clear plan of what we are doing.  This year I wanted to include a curriculum on art and was delighted when I found Erica's unit study on the World's Greatest Artists.  You can find it on her site:  http://www.confessionsofahomeschooler.com/arts-crafts.

I did have to find the World's Greatest Artist Series by Mike Venezia though.  Our library has some and others I managed to purchase from B&N or Amazon.  My daughter loves them.  Erica's suggestion of two lessons per week for 32 weeks worked well into our schedule.

We are currently on Lesson 4 of Pablo Picasso.  The books along with Erica's discussion ideas really get us talking about the artist, his paintings, his use of color, and the styles he incorporated over the years. 

Today was a painting day.  Bridget was over the moon!  Did I mention she loves to paint?  She decided she wanted to paint a "blue period" picture, but not what Picasso painted.  So using only blue paint and a bit of white, she created her Blue Apple Tree In a Window.

Blue Apple Tree In A Window

What I loved most about the lesson was the freedom to create.  That art doesn't have to "look" like something, but that it is a form of expression.  We can appreciate an artist's work even if it doesn't look real and find beauty in things that are different.

Erica's unit study includes lesson plans, printables for a lap book, flash cards, and art puzzles.  I'll review it again later in the year once we've had a chance to study a few artists.