TBT: She's Artsy

At one point in the blogging scene, I remember seeing something called "Throwback Thursday".  This was years ago.  I don't know exactly what it was about or if it is still a thing...but it is going to be for me!   I only seem to manage blogging when Matt is out of town and I am staying up way too late with insomnia which means I don't blog my photos which means I am backlogged with photos which means I don't really want to take MORE photos just to get more behind.  You see my problem, right?

I think I figured out a solution to the dilemma.

 I am going to institute my own sort of "Throwback Thursday" here on the blog until I get caught up.  Not sure how long it will take...maybe not long.  But here's your notice.

 If you don't want to see outdated fall leaves in the spring or Christmas lights in March, I'd suggest avoiding a visit on a Thursday.  ;-)

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So this girl of mine has "artsy" running through her veins.  It is a part of who she is.  Creating some sort of art is part of her daily routine...from the doodles of her algebra page to the canvases on her wall.

Around Christmas, her project-making goes into overdrive.

Lots of presents to make!  Lots of presents to give!

Not only for giving, this year was year two of setting up a craft table with her gal pals on Black Friday.  AND she even had a few special orders.

Busy gal.

She took pictures of her stuff so that she could remember the things she made even after they were gone.  So, here they are.  For my girl.

First special order:  she drew Moses' name for our kiddo Christmas exchange.   I *MAY* have steered her towards a little art canvas for him.

Here are some of her other crafty endeavors in December, some to sell, some to give.

These were sticker bookplates

And here are the talented crew at the Black Friday craft show.  GIRL POWER!



There is a lot of talent squished back behind that table...

                                                       PS.  Amazing venue, no?

Snow Day

 

More snow days!  Every day a new layer of snow is added to the ever-present layers of snow already fallen.   Some days, things are changed up by the snow turning into freezing rain...but always, there is some form of precipitation falling from the sky and always, the ground is being added to, not subtracted from.  Public school children have hardly had a full week of school since Christmas and I am jealous of their snow days!  Home-educated children don't need to traverse icy, dangerous roads to get to their school books and so, they are deprived of the utter delight the 'School's closed' announcement can bring.  (I remember that delight.)

Except.

Except this:

"I have been suffering from low motivation, and an inability to accomplish much of anything that feels really satisfying lately.  I think that winter is to blame.  Obviously I do a lot, but sometimes I really need to tackle a fun project to completion in order to feel like I am not just spinning my wheels.  That’s why we craft, right?  Because so much of of mama’s life involves doing work that will be quickly undone in a seemingly endless cycle.  That work is good and important, but sometimes I need something more.  When I make or re-make something, it usually stays that way for a little bit longer than the floors stay clean after a good mopping."  ~ from Ginny's blog.

That is exactly, to the letter, the very own thoughts that have been running through my very own head.  I read that paragraph last night and felt that bit of camaraderie one finds with a total stranger, who oddly doesn't feel anything like a total stranger but, in fact, a sister.  Who understands. 

Why?  Because that very morning, I had told the children they wouldn't have to crack open a single school book, write a single spelling word, practice a single math fact IF they spent the day creating something- anything.  As long as they were creating (whatever and however that creating took form) they could have the day to themselves.  It was for them...but it was also for me.  Because I was wishing for a moment or two to devote to something that wouldn't get undone in that seemingly endless cycle.  Something tangible, that hold on and stays for a bit. 

Not surprisingly, my own bit of creativity was hampered a bit as the littler children needed some direction and help in the making/implementing of ideas.  But I was able to begin a skirt that I have been hoping to begin for Corynn- but instead of me whipping it out on my own, I decided that we ought to work on it side by side.  Which is, as it turns out, so much better.

By the end of the day, the house was a complete and total wreck. The children had flitted from one project to another, whenever the mood would strike and I let them.   There were yarn bits, cooled blobs of hot glue, popsicle sticks and paintbrushes, bits of cut paper and markers in every square in of the downstairs, right up until dinner time... but the atmosphere was thick with creativity and productivity.  It feels a bit liberating to allow yourself and your children to become mess-makers, not caring a whit about tidiness for an entire day.  

It all eventually got cleaned up and put right (that was the other part of the deal) and we, all of us, were the better for our 'snow day'.  

Review: ARTistic Pursuits

I have always convinced myself that the ONE subject that I could do without any formal book was art.  I can handle a few craft projects every now and again, right? Perhaps this is because when it comes to buying curriculum, by the time the 4 R's are covered, along with a few other essentials like history and science, the school book money envelope has long since gone empty.  Well, though I managed to sneak a few art projects in every now and again, they were certainly fly by the seat of my pants and certainly not with any regularity.  And in truth, I really didn't know what I was doing when I WAS doing them.  Then, I had the chance to review an art curriculum designed for homeschoolers called ARTistic Pursuits.  I can see now that 'fly by the seat of your pants' isn't the most conducive homeschool strategy for any subject...ART included.

Pinch Pots!  Oh boy, did they love working with clay!

Our barns~ by Andrew!! :-)  ~age 8

The book I received was ARTistic Pursuits Book 1: Introduction to the Visual Arts; designed for Early Elementary Grades K-3.  In it were 36 lessons, each written in thoughtful, clear and simple terms which, when read aloud lasted about 5-10 minutes.  Because I have four children who ALL love to do art, I read the lesson aloud to the table of eager listeners.  The lessons were so clear and easy to follow, though, that a student capable of reading could very easily work independently. 

A smug gal by Adele'~ age 5

Judah with his pocketknife (of course) by Judah~ age 3

Each lesson spoke of the different ways 'Artists See and Do' and encouraged the student to act like an artist by replicating them.  Also included in each lesson were historical examples of famous works to study and enjoy.    I loved that they included these, especially, given my fondness for Great Works.  And of course, each lesson included a project.  While the presented lesson encouraged students to replicate the methods and techniques of artists, it never asked the student to duplicate the concept exactly, but to use the concepts to make their own unique and individual art.  Each of the four eager listeners (and maybe their Mama, too....shhhh!) produced four (okay, five) completely separate works of art as a result.

OKay, so this is disturbing, I know.  But the boy has a one track mind, I tell you and with Penny going to deliver in just a few short months, there is nothing to be done about it.  By Andrew~ age 8

By Corynn (with a heart, like Mama)~ age 10

In order to get an overall idea of the book (and because that's how I roll!) we skipped around the different lessons (which do not need to be given in any particular order) to do lessons using a variety of different mediums.  We used pencils for pencil sketches, markers, watercolor pencils, paint, soft pastels and clay.  I just got the oil pastels to do next weeks' lesson and recently caught the children salivating over the spankin' new box. 

Sunshine Bunny by Andrew 

Spotted Bunny by Corynn

Bunny with a flower by Adele'

Blue Bunny by Judah

Other Artistic Pursuit books available for Early Elementary K-3 are Book 2: Stories of Artists and Their Art (K-3) (This one looks so cool!) and Book 3: Modern Painting and Sculpture.  For Elementary age grades 4-5 there is Book 1: The Elements of Art and Composition and Book 2: Color and Composition.  They also have a Preschool Book and (hot off the presses!) some incredible looking books on Sculpture, geared for ages 11- 18. Check them out!

Each book is $47.95 and can be used for all your students (throughout your whole homeschooling career!) since all the projects are done outside of the book.

Art: (Self-portraits inspired by the pumpkin farm)

 

I don't really need an excuse to go to the pumpkin farm, it is just that fun. And besides, it's tradition.

 

When we came home from our little field trip, I used a few pictures I had taken of the children to do an art project with them.  I took a picture of each of them, printed a copy and then the children cut it right in half.  We talked about symmetry and then the children tried to draw the missing half of their face.

I was SO impressed with the results!  I did sketch the head outline but that was the only line I helped with.  Each one of the children captured a piece of their personality in their drawings.  Even Adele'.who is only four, made a drawing that actually looked like HER. 

sweetness.