The Arts Resource Reviews
Visual Arts

Homeschool Directory
Art

Eclectic Educational Weblinks:

• A Little Jazz
  by Beverly S. Krueger
  Jazz, it’s been called the only truly American music and the classical music of America. However you want to define it, no music education is complete without an excursion into jazz. Fortunately for homeschoolers, there is an abundance of great jazz resources designed for kids.
• Alphabet Art: Letter A
  by Sharon Jeffus
  Sharon Jeffus applies art to the letter a with a short lesson on ants and aphids, the letter A, and some drawing suggestions.
• America Sings
  by Beverly S. Krueger
  Throughout America’s history, various songs have had such a strong impact on our national identity that they have become part of our national songbook. We’ve selected seven of these songs, which come from various periods of American history from the Revolutionary War to World War II. In learning more about these songs, the people that wrote them, and the times in which they were first sung, children will get a greater appreciation for what it means to be an American and those virtues we value most highly liberty and freedom.
• Ancient History Art History Resources
  by EHO Staff
  Incorporating art history into our history studies is the easiest way to give our children an appreciation of the role art has played in the development of our culture and the cultures of other peoples. Art history resources can be expensive. This list was created to help you find quality online resources that cost you little or nothing.
• Art and Me...And Maybe You?
  by Tammy M. Cardwell
  It seems that every child has a natural desire to draw, but somewhere along the way most seem to lose that desire. I'm not so sure we forget how to draw as much as we're trained out of it. Perhaps it results from seeing the art teacher use your house-sized snowman as an example of poor proportion. Or maybe it's once again hearing a gushing, "You have so much talent!" spoken to the artist standing next to you.
• Art Appreciation for Preschool and Elementary Children
  by Sharon Jeffus
  You may not be able to draw, paint, or sculpt, but you can appreciate the work of those who can, and so can your children. Sharon Jeffus tells homeschoolers how they can develop their child's appreciation for art whether an art museum is nearby or not.
• Art Schools
  by EHO Staff
  A listing of professional art schools.
• Art, Creativity, & Invention
  by Sharon Jeffus
  The more I research, experience and study in the field of education, the more I believe art education, when taught correctly is the most important catalyst for creative thinking and problem solving. Many of our greatest thinkers of all time were artists.
• Carnegie Hall Listening Adventures
  by EHO Staff
  How much would you be willing to pay for a software program that offered a full, multimedia, classical music experience? How does free sound? Carnegie Hall debuts their new online Carnegie Hall Listening Adventures with Antonin Dvorak's New World Symphony, Symphony No. 9.
• Clothing in the Renaissance - Visual Manna
  by Sharon Jeffus
  Can you use your imagination to design a beautiful garment for a Renaissance king and queen? History Through Art
• Complementary Colors - Visual Manna Art Lessons
  by Sharon Jeffus
  Take a good look at the color wheel. Colors that are opposite each other are called complementary colors. We don't find many rooms in houses decorated using one set of complementary colors, because we don't normally see them as going together well. However, at Christmas time, red and green are used together as Christmas colors, and the colors purple and yellow are considered Easter colors.
• Composers - Music Appreciation Resources
  by EHO Staff
  Resources for learning more about the great composers from Bach to Gershwin, Handel to Aaron Copland, we have website listings, lesson plans, and resources to download or purchase that will allow you to learn about their lives and listen to the best recordings of their music.
• Deer in Winter
  by Sharon Jeffus
  Sharon Jeffus shows us how to work with the colors of winter and snow while painting or drawing deer. Using her own paintings and those of the great masters, she helps students see the techniques she discusses before putting them into practice.
• Dinosaur Art Projects
  by Sharon Jeffus
  Thematic art lesson from Visual Manna's Sharon Jeffus
• Drama Activities for Children
  by Beverly S. Krueger
  Children can begin developing their acting skills at home by using any of the following activities to sharpen their imaginations.
• Homeschool Art History: Gilbert Stuart
  by Beverly S. Krueger
  You may not have heard of Gilbert Stuart, but you've certainly seen his artwork. His portrait of George Washington, known as the Athenaeum Portrait was used in creating the image of Washington on the one dollar bill. Stuart painted the portraits of many other notable early Americans including John Adams, Abigail Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Paul Revere, James Monroe, and James Madison.
• Homeschool Art History: Gothic Cathedrals
  by Beverly S. Krueger
  During the Renaissance, the term gothic was coined as a term of derision for what the cultural elite of the time thought of as barbaric. The term was applied to the architecture of northern Europe, which was considered barbaric compared to the architecture of Greece and Rome. Gothic cathedral architecture is known for its great height with the eye drawn heavenward by the pointed spires and arches. Gothic cathedrals built from the tenth century can be found in greatest number in northern Europe, France and England especially. But there are examples in other countries.
• Homeschool Art History: Leonardo da Vinci
  by Beverly S. Krueger
  Leonardo da Vinci was an artist, an inventor, and the original Renaissance man. Christians remember him for his painting "The Last Supper" and, of course, there's the enigmatic smile of the "Mona Lisa." Come explore the drawings Leonardo made of his many ideas for machines. Learn about the new techniques of perspective drawing begun by Leonardo and other Renaissance artists.
• Homeschool Art History: Michelangelo
  by Beverly S. Krueger
  A selection of resources to help you learn more about Michelangelo Buonarotti including links to online images of his work, lesson plans, information, online videos, and books.
• Homeschool Art History: Monet
  by EHO Staff
  Find information and resources for studying this French Impressionist painter. Extensive links for finding downloadable images of his work.
• Homeschool Art History: Rembrandt
  by EHO Staff
  Information, lesson plans, books, online videos about the life and work of Rembrandt van Rijn. Extensive links to download images of Rembrandt's works.
• Homeschool Art History: Tapestry Making and Weaving
  by Beverly S. Krueger
  Does the term tapestry make you think of huge tapestries of medieval scenes hanging in an ancient castle? There were marvelous tapestries made in the Middle Ages, but tapestry making and weaving in general is an art form that knows no cultural boundaries or place in time. Weaving is an art form widely practiced today.
• Homeschool Art History: Vincent van Gogh
  by Beverly S. Krueger
  Vincent van Gogh was an unexpected man. Why did he choose the colors he used in his paintings? What is a impressionism and why is van Gogh considered a post impressionist? Why did he cut off his ear? Learn the answers to these questions and many more as you explore homeschool art history.
• Homeschool Art History: Wassily Kandinsky
  by Beverly S. Krueger
  “A painter, who finds no satisfaction in mere representation, however artistic, in his longing to express his inner life, cannot but envy the ease with which music, the most non-material of the arts today, achieves this end. He naturally seeks to apply the methods of music to his own art. And from this results that modern desire for rhythm in painting, for mathematical, abstract construction, for repeated notes of colour, for setting colour in motion.” Wassily Kandinsky, often called the father of abstract art.
• How Do You Teach Art?
  by Sharon Jeffus
  Teaching art is not an abstract. There are abstract elements to it, but there are also concrete elements to a good art program.
• Ice Sun Catchers
  by Sharon Jeffus
  A good project to teach children about water and its freezing point is to allow children to do an ice sun catcher. The fun thing about this is that if you live in an area that is below freezing, you can hang this outside and enjoy it until the temperature climbs to above freezing.
• Introducing Music Education with Picture Books
  by Beverly S. Krueger
  For those who couldn't carry a tune in a bucket or never learned to play a musical instrument or read music, the music education of their children seem to be a major challenge. Music lessons are one good solution, but learning to appreciate and understand music can begin even before you feel your child is ready to take on piano lessons.
• Louis Sullivan: The Art of Architecture
  by Sharon Jeffus
  Louis Sullivan left his imprint on American architecture in the skyscrapers he designed and in the influence he had on other great architects like Frank Lloyd Wright. Learn more about this innovative architect and about two-point perspective drawing.
• Low Cost Art Curriculum: Dover Art Products
  by EHO Staff
  Most homeschoolers know all about Dover coloring books. They're the perfect accompaniment to nearly any science or social studies unit because there's a coloring book for nearly any topic you can imagine. Dover has many other products that are both high quality and low cost. If you haven't explored Dover's art products, it's time you learned a little more.
• Merging of Science and Art in America’s History
  by Sharon Jeffus
  We all know of the fascinating combination of science and art in the inventions and anatomical and biological drawings of the Renaissance master Leonardo da Vinci, but there are few people who know of the great American inventors who were also artists.
• Music Theory
  by EHO Staff
  A listing of websites which offer free music theory resources.
• Musical Theatre and Art Lesson Top Hat
  by Sharon Jeffus
  Some of the most delightful experiences for children happen in the area of music and musical theatre. This lesson will teach art with a unit study approach about the very famous musical, Top Hat.
• Patriotic Music on the Web
  by EHO Staff
  Links to downloadable patriotic music and free audio players.
• Summertime, and the Livin' is Easy
  by Beverly S. Krueger
  Spend a little time with George Gershwin this summer and you’ll take the sounds and smells of summer with you in to the cold overcast days of winter.
• Super Heroes and Talking Mice: Cartoonists and Animators Make it Happen
  by Beverly S. Krueger
  Resources and information for those interested in careers in cartooning or animation.
• Visual Manna Art Lessons - Drawing Techniques
  by Sharon Jeffus
  Two art projects teach stippling techiniques and all about neutral colors.
• Who's Playing All That Good Music?
  by EHO Staff
  We've been looking at individual composers and their music. It's time for a break to look at who is busy playing and singing this great music. Whether you play an instrument or use your own voice, there's a group just right for you.

Unit Study Articles - The Arts

• Unit Studies Using Art as the Thread
  by Sharon Jeffus
  When we give students brief encounters with art and teach it as a separate subject, we miss the opportunity of teaching by doing art to enforce the core. If we include science principles with art projects; history principles with art projects; geography principles with art projects; English principles with art projects; we end up teaching important art basics and having our core curriculum become sheer delight for kinesthetic and visual learners.

Unit Studies - The Arts

• Architecture Unit Study
  by Beverly S. Krueger
  The study of architecture can be and often is sprinkled into any good history or humanities course. For those who find a love for it, architecture makes a perfect topic for a unit study that can be focused in the direction most pleasing to the student. Whether you want to pursue the technical aspects of architecture such as drafting or construction, to study architecture from an art perspective, or to study how architecture played a role in history we have online resources, projects, lesson plans, books, videos, and hands-on resources to tailor your unit study to your interests.
• Ballet Unit Study
  by Beverly S. Krueger
  Dance is an exhilarating experience whether you are a participant or an observer. The romantic music of Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake coupled with graceful dancers and beautiful costumes and sets is a recipe for a magic afternoon or evening.
• Design Unit Study
  by Beverly S. Krueger
  We're usually not aware of good design. When we purchase a couch or chair because it is comfortable, we rarely think about the design process that went into making it comfortable. We're most likely to notice design when something is poorly designed. What are the elements of good design? What is the process used by a good designer?