This was a really fun Sketch Tuesday assignment. I love, love, love all the sketches this week. The colors and the way you each focused on something different make them so interesting. Wonderful job by all!
This week's assignment, due Monday, July 6th: Sketch some sort of fence.
You can make the fence a part of a bigger drawing it you would like to show what kind of fence you have in your sketch. Please send in your sketches by Monday, July 6th and I will include them in Tuesday's slideshow. All sketches should be sent to: sketchtuesday@yahoo.com
If you are interested in learning more about Claude Monet this summer, you should check out my free Summer Art and Music Appreciation Plans! The plans include a study of Claude Monet's paintings and Felix Mendelssohn's classical music. Included are six of Monet's paintings for you to view online, notebook pages for both Monet and Mendelssohn, and ideas for simple activities for all ages. Enjoy!
If you are interested in reading a review that I wrote about using Artistic Pursuits High School Level books, I posted one today over at Curriculum Choice.
Curriculum Choice is a great place to research ideas for your family as well as check out their new Homeschool Gadget.
Some of your favorite bloggers may be reviewers at Curriculum Choice so you might want to give it a look this week when you have some time to explore.
Your slideshow this week is full of your souvenirs. I really enjoyed this assignment and viewing all the sketches as they came in to my inbox. Thanks for sharing your souvenirs. Here is your slideshow: Souvenirs
This week's assignment is another picture study. This time we will enjoy Claude Monet's, The Artist's Garden at Vetheiul. If you would like to view the painting in a larger size, here is the LINK. The Artist's Garden at Vétheuil, 1880, oil on canvas, National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.
Have your children view the painting quietly for a few minutes and then have them tell you what they see in the artwork. You can right click and save the image to your desktop if you would like to view the painting that way. You can also print out a small print for each child to view and then keep in their notebooks.
Picture study is a skill that you can develop with your children over time. Try not to tell them too much about what you see in the painting but gently encourage them to describe something they like about the painting. Maybe they like the colors or the way the sunflowers look really tall. I like the sky in this painting and the blues are so blue. Did you notice that some of the plants are in pots? How many children do you see in the painting?
After your picture study, get out your art materials and have your children sketch the painting. As in previous weeks, you do not have to draw the whole thing. You can focus on one particular aspect of the painting that interests you.
Make your sketches and send them in by Monday, June 29th. Please send your sketches to: sketchtuesday@yahoo.com
I hope you enjoy your picture study and then your sketch time this week. I look forward to seeing what you come up with.
Tapestry of Grace Questions and My Answers (in response to an email)
Do you use Classic or Redesign? I actually have Classic for years three and four which are the paper versions. I purchased Redesign for years one and two on paper as well. Digital was not available at that time. :)
What about the printed TOG plans? Are they bound or loose leaf? The printed TOG is paper that comes with hole punches to put into a binder. I usually put the assignment grid pages (two pages per week) into page protectors so I can write on them. I know many people put the whole shebang into page protectors but I have never found that necessary. What is the Loom? The Loom comes with the plans as far as I remember. It is a CD and includes all the reproducible pages for the year plan. This makes it easier to print out student pages as you need them. The Loom also includes the book lists and updates and all sorts of supplemental helps. At the Rhetoric level it includes loads of supplements for literature study. I'm sure there is more on there but that is what I have used over the last few years.
Do I need MapAids? I have found the MapAids CD to be worth its weight in gold. I hate digging for maps and with the CD you can just fire it up and print out what you need on the fly. I also sometimes use the completed maps (teacher's maps) from the CD to print out for the boys if I want to have the info available but don't want to take the time to have them do the assignment.
I printed the sample. Will that give me a feel for TOG? You will get a pretty good idea but everyone has trouble with "the fog" for the first month or so with Tapestry of Grace. Just a word of caution. There definitely is a learning curve with TOG, but I have found TOG to be something that helps me be a better teacher and leader for my boys.
What about the cost? I purchased the plans with the intent to use them through two cycles. This means they are all lined up on my shelf and they are paid for. We are going to start our second cycle of history/literature/geography using TOG and it isn't costing me anything at all except for the few additional books that I haven't collected over the years in preparation for using TOG at the Rhetoric level. It was a good investment. Two boys, going through two cycles of TOG....think of all the money I saved over the long run. Excellent.
How do you like the book selections? For the most part, we enjoy the books planned in TOG. Remember that Tapestry of Grace is written topically so you do not necessarily need to have the exact book recommended in the plans to be able to complete the week's work. I have found the selection of books to include a variety of living books including biographies, source documents, and great historical fiction.
If you have specific questions about TOG, please email me anytime.
"But education needs balance. No single subject should assume greatest importance at the expense of other subjects that a child needs to know about. Math is easy to test, and as long as education is ruled by test scores, we'll have teaching focused on training exactness and solving problems efficiently, instead of teaching to awaken a sense of awe in contemplating a field of knowledge where perfection lives with or without us." Charlotte Mason, volume six, page 231
We have long known that our public school system survives on teaching to the test.. Math, vocabulary, history facts, spelling, reading comprehension, and other easy to test topics have long dominated the public school schedules because they are easy to measure on a test.
As homeschoolers we are in the unique position to change our own thinking and look at our children as people with varying needs and interests. Balancing the more academic with an introduction to things beautiful to the mind and spirit brings a sense of joy to our homeschool.
"Art is a thing of the spirit, and we need to teach it in ways that affect the spirit. We realize that the ability to appreciate art and interpret it is as universal to all people as intelligence, or imagination, or the ability to form words to communicate. But that ability needs to be educated. Teaching the technical skill of producing pictures isn't the same as appreciating art. To appreciate, children need to have a reverent recognition of what's been created. Children need to learn about pictures: they need to learn about them a line at a time, and as groups, by studying pictures for themselves rather than by reading about them." Charlotte Mason, volume six, page 214
Creating balance in our day with art appreciation takes a few minutes and little preparation.
Pick an artist.
Pick five or six of his paintings.
Take one painting at a time and make it your computer's desktop background by right clicking the image and choosing "Set as Desktop Background".
Now for the fun part!
"The six reproductions are studied one at a time so that the students learn to not just see a picture, but to look carefully at it, absorbing every detail. After looking at the picture, it's turned over and the children narrate, telling what they saw, perhaps, 'a dog driving a flock of sheep along a road all by himself. No, wait, there's a boy, too. He's lying at the river, getting a drink. You can tell by the light that it's morning, so the sheep must be going out to graze in the pasture,' and so on. The children don't miss any details--the discarded plow, the crooked birch tree, the beautifully formed clouds that look like it might rain. There's enough to talk about to keep the children busy for half an hour, and afterwards, the picture will have formed such a memory that the children will recognize it wherever they see it, whether it's a signed proof, an oil reproduction, or the original itself in a museum." Charlotte Mason, volume six page 214
If you are viewing the painting on your computer screen, you can have your child move away from the monitor and finish the narration of the painting from memory. This simple exercise helps your child to begin to see over time the unique style and techniques of each artist you study. A Monet will look like a Monet. A Raphael will look like a Raphael. All ages of children are capable of this sort of activity and all will learn to narrate paintings quite naturally if you offer the opportunity each week for art appreciation.
If you want some help getting started with picture study, please check out my free plans for six week's worth of art appreciation.Summer 2009 Art and Music Appreciation PlansEverything you need to get started with a study of Claude Monet is included in the plans, even the paintings and links to viewing them online.
"Art appreciation is regarded with a lot of respect, but teachers tend to be intimidated about how to teach it." Charlotte Mason, volume six, page 213
Don't be intimidated. Choose to balance your homeschool day with a little art appreciation. Barb-Harmony Art Mom
Your assignment last week was to sketch a fire hydrant or a fire extinguisher. I think everyone did a great job tackling this assignment. I hope you enjoy your slideshow.
This week your assignment is due Monday, June 22nd: Sketch something you have brought home as a souvenir from a trip somewhere.
You can sketch something you purchased while on a trip or vacation. You can also choose to sketch something that you collected like a postcard or a shell. Be creative. Complete your sketches and mail them in by Monday, June 22nd. Please email your sketches to: sketchtuesday@yahoo.com.
My plans for music appreciation are based on listening to great music. Especially during the grammar stage years, listening to lots of great music should be the focus. In addition to listening, the HFA plans include the following additional activities in grades 1-4:
You can only imagine my Amazon.com music wishlist. :)
I try to pick things that I want to listen to over and over. This one is a keeper.
His piano music is like singing to me. After watching the video on YouTube, I can see why I feel that way. He sings his music into the keyboard right up from his his heart.
The sketch assignment last week was to sketch something that reminds you of summer. These sketches are so much fun to look at and I hope you enjoy the slideshow.
This week's sketch assignment, due Monday, June 15th: Sketch a fire hydrant or a fire extinguisher or a smoke alarm.
These are a little bit harder to sketch but I know that you will give it a try. Complete your sketch and email it to me by Monday, June 15th. Please email your sketches to: sketchtuesday@yahoo.com
How would you like to have some relaxed plans for art and music appreciation this summer? I have pulled together six weeks' worth of ideas for you to use with your family. I have chosen an artist and a composer for you and put down some specific plans for listening, viewing, and follow-up for each.
I have packaged them all up into a neat little PDF for you to download for free.
The plans introduce the music of Felix Mendelssohn and the paintings of Claude Monet in this mini-unit. The plans also include every print I suggest and you can view them in the PDF, online, or you can print them out if you wish. I have created simple artist biography and composer biography notebook pages for you to print out as well.
You can chose to use as much or as little of the plans as you wish. You can use them right now or file them away for later.
My hope is that once you get a taste of art and music appreciation this summer with your children that you will not want to give it up once you start back to school in the fall. My Harmony Fine Arts planswill be ready and waiting for any families that want to continue with your studies after you finish the six weeks' worth of art and music appreciation.
All you need to get started is to download the file, read the simple to understand instructions, gather a few supplies, and then enjoy the time with your family!
Please feel free to share the button on your blog along with a link to the free plans....I would love many, many families to spend some of their summer with art and music appreciation. Let me know if you download the plans and then use them. I would love to hear feedback!
If you have any questions, please email me anytime, Barb-Harmony Art Mom
I suggest these two CDs in the plans, but you can use any Mendelssohn music you have on hand.
"Our role is to make sure he has plenty of food for his mind. He needs intellectual nourishment of good quality, and he needs lots of it. Each of us naturally has a limited amount of ideas in our minds, but we know where to get more. The best thoughts that the world has are stored in books. We must introduce our children to books--the very best books. Our concern as educators is to have abundance and orderly serving of them."
There are two things I gleaned from this section in volume six. The first is the idea that we need to serve up plenty of good "mind food" for our children. The second thought is that we need to keep a good number of books available for them to read and have some sort of order to the way we serve them.
I have noticed as the boys are getting older that it is imperative that they have a library card and a weekly trip to the public library. We have reached the point in their life that they are curious about so many things that I can not possibly cover during our school hours.
Free afternoons have given the opportunity for each of them to dig deeper into ideas, people, and places of their own choosing. This self-education is what we have been working for all these years. I am having a hard time coming up with the right words to explain what I mean.
Good books breed good thoughts. Good books stimulate the desire to know more. Good books are a stepping stone to the next thing to learn by showing relationships between what our children know and what they are now learning. Good books give the child something to think about.
Homes where real learning is taking place are filled with books.
I have received a lot of email about our robots and what we particularly use with the boys for their robotics course.
This set is quite expensive but it has proved to be a winner as far as teaching skills that we set out to offer to the boys. We used our economic stimulus money last year to purchase the set and the boys have worked with it every week to build a variety of robots.
You do not need anything else to get started with building cool robots. It does use six AA batteries but they seem to last a long time in the robot. I guess it would depend on how you are running your motors, but I think we just put in our second set of replacements.
We worked our way through the Unofficial Lego Mindstorms NXT Inventor's Guide during the first term. My boys had used Lego Mindstorms (original version) in the past both at a Lego class they took through our homeschool group and then later on with a borrowed set of the orginal Lego Mindstorms. They were not complete beginners when we started this school year and I think that helped. I asked them about how hard it would be to get started with just the NXT robot and the book and they think that most people who are interested in this sort of thing can self-teach the programs.
The boys completed all the robot builds in this book during the first term. I have watched these boys be frustrated and ready to give up on certain building projects from the book. I have also watched them pull it together, sticking with the process. I love watching the way they brainstorm a solution to a project and then sketch out the steps on paper. They then take the ideas and put them into a model that they can test out to see if it completes the required task. Most of the time their first tries do not work and they have to them go back and brainstorm the solutions. Was it the robot design that made it fail? Was it a flaw in the program? Did they miss a step along the way?
I see their logic skills, their reasoning abilities, their perseverance, and so much more all at work as they build their robots. These robots are a lot of fun as well and as their skills and knowledge increase they are starting to put their own special touches into their robots. Both boys have the same tasks to complete but they build totally different robots that eventually do the same thing. Their imaginations are building along with the ability to complete a set of complex jobs with the robot. I love it. Technology and art all wrapped up into one course.
We only had time during the second term to build the first three robots in this book: Explorbot Stringbot SnapShotbot
I gave them the opportunity to be finished with this course at the end of the school year but they have requested a few additional parts so they can make different kinds of robots. This has spurred on new building designs and ideas. Tracks and sprockets Their older brother, who is a computer/robot guy, purchased a mini GPS and camera that they have mounted on a robot. I have no idea exactly what they plan on doing with the GPS on the robot but it is fun to watch them experiment with it around the house.
They are going to work over the summer just free designing robots but next year we will go back to the Mayan Adventure book for additional projects to build.
Future plans?
The reviews for this book look like it will be something the boys can use to step it up to the next level.
This blog, NXT Step, has been a great source of creative ideas for my boys. You can find all kinds of stuff here to get your creative juices flowing.
This video has captured their interest and has given them some great ideas for fun projects to build in the future.
Pirate NXT Theater If you watch until the end of the video, it shows you "behind the scenes" and you can see how they made all the parts work together. Awesome.
My husband and I decided that this is the sort of course that might look sort of insignificant on a transcript, but Lego Mindstorms NXT has been a fantastic investment in our boys this year. The enthusiasm for this has made it worth every penny we have spent.
If you want to see all the entries I have written that include something about robotics, just click the "robotics" tag at the bottom of this entry.
Last week's assignment was to draw a mailbox. I think you will enjoy seeing all the creativity this week with an assignment that seemed fairly simple and ordinary. Great job!
This week's assignment, due Monday, June 8th: Sketch something that reminds you of summer.
I am looking forward to the hot days of summer. How about you? What are you thinking about? Swimming, gardening, traveling, drinking lemonade? Make a sketch showing your summer thoughts and share it with everyone.
Make your sketch and send it in by Monday, June 8th and I will include it in the slideshow on Tuesday morning. All sketchers are welcome to join in. Please send your sketches to: sketchtuesday@yahoo.com.
You do not need to sign up ahead of time in order to participate.
This was a really fun Sketch Tuesday assignment. I love, love, love all the sketches this week. The colors and the way you each focused on something different make them so interesting. Wonderful job by all!
