Art Lesson -- Back to School Series

Disclosure: I was sent these products free of charge. All opinions in my review are my own and I did not receive any other compensation. As always I am providing links to the book for your convenience.

My favorite class in school was art. I think it was because it was the place I got to create and my elementary school art teacher was amazing!! He taught the sixth grade to wood carve every year. He bought wood for the students with his own money because it was his passion. In fifth grade there was a quiz and project that had to get done to go to the Metropolitan Museum of Fine Arts. It was an amazing trip and it really made sure I knew a bit about the famous artists and art history!! I have discovered others did not have such a great art experience. One time my sister and I were walking down Newbury Street in Boston and overheard some women talking about the artist who cut off his ear and they didn't know his name (Vincent van Gogh). My sister commented to me about how strange that seemed. Of course we both had that great art teacher, so to us it was common knowledge. Well today I am providing you with some resources to teach your little ones about art. The first is An Artist's Alphabet by Norman Messinger. 

This beautiful book goes through the alphabet with Messinger's artful rendition of the letters, both capital and lower case! Now Hazel has a thing for alphabet books. She LOVES them!! She constantly wants to get them out of the library and plays a game trying to find things that look like the letters when we are in the car. So needless to say this book is a favorite. The art is beautiful and creative. 

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I love how the book shows both the capital and lower case letters in a related way. Some of the items are every day like the boot and laces and other times can start discussions like the family shields. Plus there are different details to notice each time. It is a fun book and a great way to introduce art as well as the alphabet to younger kids!

Our second book is for older children to learn more about art and appreciating art. It is Are You an Art Sleuth? By Brooke DiGiovanni Evans. This book shares twenty-one paintings from twenty museums. It gives a list of items to find in each painting and then goes into detail about the painting, the time period of the painting and the artist and technique. 

The details show parts of the painting close-up and the search itself (Hazel's favorite part) gets the reader to look more closely at each painting. I also love that it goes into detail about the artist and painting giving a bit of history and appreciation. This is a must have for any homeschooler or family that wants to teach their kids about art especially in a time when art is being cut from so many schools. 

That is our lesson for today!! What was your favorite subject in school?


So far we have had lessons on building imaginations, books for young learners, science, Chinese history and Biblical history. Look for our exploration of Mexico, more science, geography, and books for the older readers coming soon!