Last Call for November Sketches!

Please send in any remaining November sketches by Monday evening, November 30th, in order to be included in Tuesday's slideshow.
Send your sketches to: sketchtuesday@yahoo.com


Here are the assignments.

Sketch a famous landmark.
Sketch a sunset.
Sketch something with ears.
Sketch a pie or something you make into a pie.

Homeschool Family Fitness-Review

I recently wrote about our physical education activities with our high school age boys. I mentioned the Homeschool Family Fitness book and received some inquiries about it that I thought I would answer here on the blog.

First of all, if you read the reviews on Amazon.com you no doubt read the really long negative review that blasted Homeschool Family Fitness. I did not agree with a lot of what the reviewer wrote and felt compelled to write a response here on my blog.

Just some quick thoughts.

• We don't use this book every week. I pull it out to use the forms and charts shared in the book as a way to keep track of my sons' fitness progress.
• We only have the book and have found it adequate...no DVD required.
• When they were younger, I would use the book to remind me of games that I had forgotten about since childhood.
• As homeschoolers there are many games that are hard to play with just a few children and I think the book does a great job of adapting things to small groups or just a single child.
• I never expected this book to be the only book or source of information for our physical education plans. I supplement with first aid, nutrition, and general boys' health resources.
• I view this book as a great resource of activity reminders, games to expose my boys to over the course of their education, and as a source of great forms and record-keeping materials.

I am very happy with my purchase of this homeschool resource and the fact that it has stayed on our shelf for a number of years is testimony to the fact that I find it valuable and worth keeping.

Barb-Harmony Art Mom

This is the Good Stuff: High School

It has been awhile since I wrote up a Weekly Wrap-Up post. November has been a very busy month with school, traveling, bathroom remodeling, and family life. Gratefully, my boys kept on track with their schoolwork even though I was distracted.

I will give you the highlights of our month along with a few photos.

Literature: Les Miserable has been a delightful book to share with the boys at this age (14 and 16). They knew the basic storyline from a previous reading of a junior book so this time through with the complete version, we are able to discuss and write about the themes and characters we discovered in this classic. We are taking this reading a little more slowly than our other reading so far this year.....thanks Charlotte Mason for the permission to do so.

World Geography: We researched and learned so much about Central American countries. Our public library had very little current information about this part of the world so we turned to online sources for this portion of our geography study. Our favorite online source for our geography study is the CIA World Factbook.


Art and Music: Both my boys chose Paul Cezanne for their artist during the month of November. Each week Mr. B puts up his picture study subject on my computer desktop and we enjoy it all week long. This is such an easy way to enjoy paintings with little fuss.

Writing: IEW is coming through again as a source of great teaching tips for our high school writing. I am preparing the boys to write a full-blown research paper next semester by working through Unit 6 of IEW. This unit explains and steps us through using multiple resources and fusing together an outline before writing the body of the report. We have done Unit 6 before but this is the first time I have completely left them on their own to pull resources and pick topics. My "big picture" plans are to complete another research report or two during the first nine weeks of the next term and then write what IEW calls the "Super Essay" during the last nine weeks. We'll see how it pans out in real life.

Physics and Algebra 2: Not much to talk about here except that the boys are plugging along. Mr. A keeps asking me if physics is more like science or math. Good question. If you look at the practice and review questions on his paper, you would swear it was math but the thinking is most decidedly scientific.

Electives-Robotics and Auto Shop: We are continuing to work on our robotics assignment from the Mayan Adventure book. Auto Shop is truckin' right along and I seem to be reaping the benefits with a clean car, the fluids checked frequently, the battery checked, and other maintenance type things that never seem to get done.

Those are the academic highlights of the last few weeks. We have three weeks left in this term so that will make two terms down and two to go.

If you didn't already know, NotebookingPages.com is having a huge sale right now and everything is 35% off until Monday, November 30th.

I wrote a post recently outlining just how we use notebook pages in our family.
Notebook Pages in a Charlotte Mason Homeschool

Note: Just so you know...I am an affiliate for NotebookingPages.com and if you do purchase any pages using the above link, I receive a small commission. I only recommend products that I have personally reviewed and used for at least six months with my own family.

Hope you have a great week....
Barb-Harmony Art Mom

Latest Edition: Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival

Just a quick reminder about the Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival over at Under the Golden Apple Tree.

Don't miss my favorite entries:
Charlotte Mason and Exams

Our Shakespeare Unit

Happy Reading.

Sketch Tuesday: Assignment Reminders for November

I have to admit that I am beginning to miss our slideshows. :)

We are still sketching each week and I hope you are too. Remind your children that they can send in their favorite sketches for the end of the month slideshow and we will look forward to a fabulous slideshow at that time.

Assignments:
November 10th Sketch a famous landmark.

November 17th Sketch a sunset with the added challenge to use oil pastels if you would like to try a different medium. (You can sketch from a photo if you would like.)

November 23rd Sketch something with ears.


November 30th Sketch something you make into a pie or the pie itself.

What I would like to do is to have you send in your very best sketches from the month during the last week in November and I will make a big slideshow to share on Tuesday, December 1st.

Sketches for the Month of November will be due Monday, November 30th. (Of course, if it makes it easier on you, you can always send them in at any time during the month and I will hold onto them.)

Send sketches to: sketchtuesday@yahoo.com

"An Appreciative Look or Comment"

How to Use the Right Books (according to Charlotte Mason)

"So much for how to tell which are the right books. The right way to use them is another matter. The children need to enjoy the book. Each of the ideas in the book needs to make a sudden delightful impact on the child's mind, causing an intellectual awakening that signifies that an idea has been born. The teacher's role in this is to see and feel for himself, and then to prompt his students with an appreciative look or comment. But he needs to be careful that he doesn't deaden the impression of the idea with too much talking. Intellectual sympathy is stimulating, but we've all been like the little girl who said, 'Mom, I think I'd be able to understand it if you'd stop explaining so much.' One teacher said this about a student--'I find it so hard to tell whether she's really grasped the concept, or whether she just knows the mechanics of getting the right answer.' Children are like little monkeys. All they usually get from a flood of explanations is the trick of coming up with the right answer."
Charlotte Mason, Volume 3, pg 179

Sometimes when you are reading from Charlotte Mason's books you have moments where it becomes clear that you are in need of some changes in your own attitude. We can agonize over what books to offer our children and then mess it up by explaining them too much or by trying to quiz them to see if they know all the "right answers". We can train them to be like little monkeys....or so Charlotte Mason says.

We are currently reading Les Miserables by Victor Hugo. I actually am reading this book for the very first time and trying to experience what my boys go through as they read a well written novel with wonderful characters and a plot that keeps you wondering what will happen next. I am making notes in the margins and marking sections to share at our meetings, not answering a list of predetermined questions with each week's reading but rather just savoring the tale and talking it over on Fridays.

Here are some of the things we discussed last week.
1. Why is the book called Les Miserables?
2. Why does Jean Valjean reveal his identity to save another man only to be arrested? What would we have done?
3. What is Javert's problem?
4. We talked about why Fantine gave up her hair and teeth to send money to Cosette and how a mother's love is so strong that it compels them to do things that seem so heroic.
5. Jean Valjean makes some huge changes in this section of the book and we discussed how and what makes people change for the better.

These were topics that came from our hearts as we read through this section of the book. Without the need for questions and answers from TOG, we managed to have a really good discussion with things that had been on our minds as we read. As usual, I gained some insight into the character that is developing in my children. Homeschooling allows us more of an opportunity to see into their hearts and great books help us to see life's struggles through another person's experiences. We can intertwine our spiritual beliefs into our discussions this way too and to relate our life's problems to perhaps a situation in the book.

This is a far better way to read and share a book with our children.

I am trying hard to develop the "appreciative look" and to make "appropriate comments". Getting out of the way and letting the real learning happen is something that I will continue to work on as long as I have children that are at home.

Barb-Harmony Art Mom

We are really enjoying this edition of the book with its notes for words that are either in French or are more difficult vocabulary.

Writing with IEW:Random Thoughts and Suggestions

I am still working on a complete review of the Institute for Excellence in Writing program but felt the need to record a few random thoughts about IEW's Teaching Writing: Style and Structure course. This program is too good to let it sit on your shelf so hopefully something here will help those of you who already own it to utilize it more fully.

Random Thoughts and Suggestions
This is not a program that you can put on the DVD and walk away with your children watching and you doing something else. You really need to be there and interact with them as they work through the lessons.

The trick is to take the lessons and jump off from there into your own personal homeschool plans. Take the concepts from each unit and apply them to pertinent data from your science, history, literature, or fine arts plans. Customize the lessons to meet your family's particular studies.

Move through the units and don't get stuck in one unit for too long especially if you are starting the program with older children.


****The IEWFamilies Yahoo Group is an invaluable source of inspiration and encouragement. The Files Section alone is worth joining the group. If you join, look in the Files Section under IEW Explained and Reviews and then look for the file named Any Assignment PDF. This chart helped me the most to understand how to take a subject and fit it into an IEW unit. This idea allows you to take your child's interests and studies and incorporate them into the IEW plans.

Require all the dress-ups and decorations as soon as you cover them in every writing piece. At first it seems awkward, but I found with my boys that they soon incorporated the concepts as they went along writing their assignments.

Watch the DVDs at the beginning of every year, skimming the topics to refresh your memory. I recently purchased the Tips and Tricks DVD and decided this would be enough review for me for the remaining years of high school.

IEW gives me confidence to guide my children in their writing. I did not always feel that confidence because believe it or not, writing was *never* my favorite subject in high school or college, dreading and avoiding it at all costs. I decided the reason for this distaste in writing was because I either did not have a passion for the topic or I had nothing to say. IEW takes both those barricades to writing down for our children. We can allow them wiggle room when it comes to picking topics and we can help them find resources so that they have plenty to talk about in their assignments.

Another barrier that IEW breaks down is the process of grading a writing assignment at the high school level. The clear-cut grading charts make grading a breeze. It takes the emotion out of the grading system, either they have the required elements or they do not. We can skim down the rubric and visually see what still needs to be incorporated into the writing piece before they can file it away. I am more of a coach than a teacher at this point.

I hope to sometime soon write a more complete review of this awesome writing program. With its hefty price tag, it took a lot of convincing to get me to take the plunge but I have not regretted the money or time invested in implementing this program with my boys. Perhaps it would help another family make the decision to use this program if I outline our journey. Stay tuned....

Barb-Harmony Art Mom

Sketch Tuesday: Another November Assignment Reminder

Here is another reminder about the November Sketch Tuesday assignments....no slideshow this week but you can still make your sketches and save them for the end of the month slideshow. I look forward to seeing your work.

Assignments:

November 10th Sketch a famous landmark.

November 17th Sketch a sunset with the added challenge to use oil pastels if you would like to try a different medium. (You can sketch from a photo if you would like.)

November 23rd Sketch something with ears.

November 30th Sketch something you make into a pie or the pie itself.

What I would like to do is to have you send in your very best sketches from the month during the last week in November and I will make a big slideshow to share on Tuesday, December 1st.

Sketches for the Month of November will be due Monday, November 30th. (Of course, if it makes it easier on you, you can always send them in at any time during the month and I will hold onto them.)

Send sketches to: sketchtuesday@yahoo.com

High School Art and Music Appreciation in Two Years

Question from a reader:
I have an 11th and 8th grader and need to condense an music/art appreciation study into (hopefully) one or two years. Do you have any recommendations for curriculum? Is there any good way to use your plans, but condense them without it getting too heavy and overloaded?

My Answer:
I would think that you could condense my art and music appreciation plans from four years to two if you kept on track, doubled the pace, and did not complete the optional Artistic Pursuits plans. You could also choose to use only the Annotated Mona Lisa and cut out the Story of Painting since they many times cover the same information. I like the SOP since it has large color reproductions to view, but you could just as easily use the links provided to view things online after reading in the Annotated Mona Lisa. (Samples of all the Harmony Fine Arts art appreciation plans are available: HERE.)

Harmony Fine Arts High School Art and Music Appreciation-Condensed Version

Year One Suggestion:
Grade Nine and Grade Ten would cover pages 1-65 in the Annotated Mona Lisa, most of the first three hundred or so pages in The Story of Painting, and the first one hundred and fifty pages in Classical Music Experience.

Year Two Suggestion:
Grade Eleven and Grade Twelve would cover the last hundred or so pages in the Annotated Mona Lisa, approximately three hundred and fifty pages in The Story of Painting, and the second half of Classical Music Experience.

The pace would be brisk and you may need to trim just a bit off the online viewing. Trimming the plans and keeping on schedule, I think art and music appreciation could could be done in approximately three hours a week if you put your mind to it.

High School Plans from Harmony Fine Arts:

Music
You can download all the music appreciation plans free from my harmonyfinearts.com website.

Art
Ninth grade art appreciation is available either as a printed plan or as an ebook.
Tenth grade art appreciation plans are available either as a printed plan or as an ebook.
Eleventh grade is available only in paper version at this time.
Twelfth grade art appreciation is free as a download on my website.

Barb-Harmony Art Mom

Biology Notebooking Review-High School Level

My review of Live and Learn Press' Biology Learn N' Folder Notebook is up over at Curriculum Choice.

For my boys, these notebook/lapbook pages have been a great tool in getting the most out of Apologia Exploring Creation with Biology. Live and Learn Press also offers Learn N' Folder kits for just about every other Apologia science book as well so you may want to click over and check those out as well.


I encourage you read the review in full at Curriculum Choice.

Barb-Harmony Art Mom

I am not an affiliate with Live and Learn Press and I did not receive any products for free in exchange for this review.

Autumn Picture Study and Music Appreciation

I just realized that I need to mention here on this blog my Autumn Series Squidoo lens that I am building for the Outdoor Hour Challenges.

On that page, you will find several selections for autumn picture study along with a link so you can print out the painting.

Also, I have included some YouTube videos for autumn music to listen to with your children.

You will need to scroll down on the page to find the art and music selections.

Enjoy!
Barb-Harmony Art Mom

Sketch Tuesday: November Assignment Reminders

Although there is no official slideshow this week, I hope you spend a little time sketching anyway.
Assignments:


November 10th Sketch a famous landmark.

November 17th Sketch a sunset with the added challenge to use oil pastels if you would like to try a different medium. (You can sketch from a photo if you would like.)

November 23rd Sketch something with ears.


November 30th Sketch something you make into a pie or the pie itself.

What I would like to do is to have you send in your very best sketches from the month during the last week in November and I will make a big slideshow to share on Tuesday, December 1st.

Sketches for the Month of November will be due Monday, November 30th. (Of course, if it makes it easier on you, you can always send them in at any time during the month and I will hold onto them.)

Send sketches to: sketchtuesday@yahoo.com

Jean-Francois Millet Project-Oil Pastels

This project was originally inspired by Theresa at La Paz Home Learning. Her daughter did a copying project for Van Gogh with oil pastels and seeing her results encouraged me to encourage my son to work on his own oil pastel.

As part of their high school art requirement and the plans I put together at the beginning of the year, the boys are required during each six week period to study one artist's work. As a follow up to that study, they are asked to complete a piece of artwork either in the style of the artist or to copy a piece of their artwork using any medium they wish.

For this six week term, Mr. A has been studying Jean-Francois Millet.

He picked a painting (The Sower) and we printed it out for him to have as a guide.


He quickly sketched with pencil on pastel paper the main focus of the painting, the sower of seed.


Working with oil pastels, he began building the colors into the artwork.



Since I try not to "correct" artwork, I gently offer suggestions that the boys can incorporate or not as they wish.


Up on the wall, I really like the blues in this artwork. I think the colors are much more brilliant than in the original but that is just my son's personal touch shining through.


He is also required to complete a notebook page for each artist. These notebook pages are a simple but effective way to tie up the study of each artist. Much of what they learn I get to hear about as oral narrations. Our discussions face to face are my favorite part of their artist study.

Mr. B studied Gustav Klimt during this time and his artwork is not completed yet. It turned out to be a lot more work than he anticipated but he is still diligently working. His results will be shared soon.

Just so you don't think it is all fine arts around here, Mr. B has written a blog post on his blog describing his latest Lego creation. Be sure to check it out if you have Lego Maniacs in your family.
Giant Lego Spaceship

Barb-Harmony Art Mom

The Well-Trained Mind vs Tapestry of Grace: Literature

Part of my task for the month of November is to start thinking about next year's high school courses. Literature was on my mind yesterday and that is how I got myself into the predicament with Tapestry of Grace and their website.

Looking back and then looking forward, I sat down to decide where we stand with our 11th grader and his progress in literature studies.

I needed a little confidence builder.

Because we have followed more or less the Tapestry of Grace plans for literature, I was curious to see how we fared if I compared its plans with the literature guidelines in The Well-Trained Mind (TWTM). In our case, I have supplemented TOG plans with a few extra books from the Ambleside lists as well as some that I chose from our own home library. (More on my plans HERE.)

On page 487 (2004 edition), SWB suggests a minimum of 8 books for each high school year, chosen from her lists in TWTM. I thought I would record for anyone who was interested, just how the comparison went for our book selections for the first three years of high school. The starred items are on TWTM list.

Ninth Grade (We focused mostly on the Bible.)
Bible: Genesis - Job *
Epic of Gilgamesh *
Homer, Iliad and Odyssey *
Antigone
Bible: Book of Daniel *
Last Days of Socrates
Life of Alexander the Great
Beyond the Desert Gate
God King
Tales of Egypt
Hittite Warrior
Twice Freed
Virgil, Aeneid *
Bible: Corinthians 1 and 2 *
Bible: Galatians
Bible: Ephesians
Ben-Hur
Bible: 1 and 2 Thessalonians
Huckleberry Finn -free reading *(TWTM 12th grade list)
Great Expectations -free reading *(TWTM 12th grade list)
Origin of the Species -biology/science reading *(TWTM 12th grade list)
Julius Caesar -Shakespeare selection to go along with study of Rome *(TWTM 1oth grade)

Tenth Grade (This year was jam-packed with literature!)
Dream of the Rood
Arabian Nights
Koran (portions as part of TOG) *
Beowulf *
Dante's Inferno *
Canterbury Tales (selections) *
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight *
Shakespeare's Sonnets
Everyman *
The York Play of the Crucifixion
Faustus (tried but didn't finish) *
Much Ado About Nothing *
Henry V *
King Lear *
The Tempest *
Don Quixote *(TWTM 11th grade list)
Pilgrim's Progress *(TWTM 11th grade list)
Enlightenment poets: Dryden, Bradstreet, Wheatley
Gulliver's Travels *(TWTM 11th grade list)
The Rape of the Lock
Poets: Cowper, Gray and Smart *(TWTM 11th grade list)
Benjamin Franklin Autobiography (part of history reading) *(TWTM 11th grade list)
Declaration of Independence (part of history) *(TWTM 11th grade list)
US Constitution (part of history) *(TWTM 11th grade list)
Common Sense (part of history reading) *(TWTM 11th grade list)
Oliver Twist - free reading *(TWTM 11th grade list)
Animal Farm - free reading *(TWTM 12th grade list)

Eleventh Grade (Lightened up on literature to allow more time for world geography.)
Romantic Poets: Blake, Wordsworth, Coleridge, Byron, Shelley, Keats *
Pride and Prejudice *
Twelfth Night
Self Reliance-Emerson *
Walden-Thoreau *(TWTM 12th grade list)
Les Miserable
Poetry: Whitman *(TWTM 12th grade list)
Uncle Tom's Cabin *(TWTM 12th grade list)
Hamlet
Poetry: Dickinson *(TWTM 12th grade list)
Frankenstein -free reading *
Macbeth

Wow, that was an interesting exercise if nothing else. :)

The lists above, unless noted otherwise, are from our formal literature plans. I did not include on our lists all of the free reading books we read but rather just the ones that were included on the TWTM lists. I also found that we had read some of TWTM selections as part of our history and science plans and noted those above.

For those of you who read my blog and lean more towards a classical style of education, this information may help you to see that using TOG follows fairly closely to the plan that is suggested in SWB's book. It also should give you confidence that the lists of books in TWTM are not all that daunting if you break them down into formal literature reading, free reading, and include them in your science and history study as well.

Since I have no great background in literature, I often worry about my ability to offer a quality high school literature program for my children. Observing their progress and their enjoyment of great literature, I realize now that my boys are more than able to read and do a decent job of touching on major pieces of literature with a little help from me, the TOG plans, and Spark Notes, . We don't have to like every selection or go too deeply if we are not interested in learning more. More often than not, my boys enjoy a book far more than I ever imagined they would.

This was a great way for me to build my confidence in our literature plans and has helped me to look toward to next year, my middle son's twelfth grade, with optimism. My best advice is just to take your literature plans one book at a time and just keep moving forward.

After yesterday's foray into the TOG website and trying to decide on next year's direction for history and literature, I decided we will have to stick to TOG Year 4 Classic. It will be fine for what we need to cover. Thanks to everyone who helped me with email and comments to answer my TOG questions. I truly appreciate your help and indulgence of my little vent. :)

As much as I was frustrated with their website yesterday, I am still convinced that Tapestry of Grace is worth the effort, especially in the area of literature. Our high school years have been greatly supported by the plans and notes offered in TOG.

Barb-Harmony Art Mom

Just a Little Vent about TOG

I don't know how anyone new to TOG navigates their website. I would consider myself a "veteran" Tapestry of Grace user and this morning I dedicated myself to looking into their Year Four plans in preparation for next year but found that I was lost after just a few clicks.

I must say that I have chased myself around and around their website for over an hour trying to find information on the following topics:
11/6/09 Updated with answers!

• Can I trade in my Classic Year 4 for the new DE or do I just have to start all over and pay the $40 per unit? http://www.tapestryofgrace.com/2010prices/
  
• What books do the Year 4 plans use for literature and history? Go to "Store" on the TOG website, then log in and click on "Resource List" (it's under the Lampstand Press logo on the left)
  
• Can I print out any pages I want from the DE version? Yes.
  
• Can I resell the DE version when I am done and what are the restrictions? No.
  

I did not find *any* of the answers but was directed to watch their webinar on the DE version which I could not get to play on my computer....really slow connection today.

Does anyone know of a place that I can find the answers to any or all of these questions on their crazy website?

I am not about to plunk down $$$ for the Year 4 DE until I hear the answers to the above questions.

I know, I should just call them but I am not in a very good mood after the frustrating experience on their website. I probably would not be very nice. :)

I would have never started with TOG if originally their website had been this hard to navigate.

Barb-Harmony Art Mom

Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival and The Art Gallery Carnival

This week the latest edition of the Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival was posted over at Our Journey Westward. Cindy has done a great job of organizing the blog entries and decorating the post with beautiful autumn photos.

Please stop by and read the entries when you have a few minutes.

Also, The Gallery of Art Projects is up at Miss Julie's Place. Although this is a small edition, it is still worth taking a look at this time. You might even consider contributing to the next edition which will post on December.

I wanted to mention to those of you who read my entries by email subscription that you might periodically visit my actual blog and check out what I am enjoying from my blog reader. As I read other blogs, I share entries that I think you all might enjoy reading too and they are listed on the left sidebar of my blog. I really enjoy using Google Reader!

Although I am not officially taking a blog break this month, I am going to be spending time working on other projects in November. I have a line-up of blog posts to automatically post over the next few weeks so you won't totally miss me. :)

I hope you enjoy this colorful month, spending time with art and nature. That is what I am going to be focusing on to recharge my batteries and be fresh for the coming year.

Don't forget to keep sketching and to save your very best for our big slideshow coming up on December 1st!

Barb-Harmony Art Mom

Sketch Tuesday: November Assignments

Last week's assignment was to sketch something that goes into a wallet...or the wallet itself. I really appreciate the creativity and the fact that many of you came up with some ideas other than money. :)

Here is your slideshow:
Wallet or Something That Goes Into a Wallet

The month of November is going to be super busy for me and in order to not be overwhelmed, I decided to take a break from putting together weekly Sketch Tuesday slideshows. Below is a list of weekly assignments and you can still keep sketching.

Assignments:
November 10th Sketch a famous landmark.

November 17th Sketch a sunset with the added challenge to use oil pastels if you would like to try a different medium. (You can sketch from a photo if you would like.)

November 23rd Sketch something with ears.

November 30th Sketch something you make into a pie or the pie itself.

What I would like to do is to have you send in your very best sketches from the month during the last week in November and I will make a big slideshow to share on Tuesday, December 1st. I will remind you during the last week of November about the slideshow and you can send in your sketches at that time.

Best Sketches for the Month of November will be due Monday, November 30th. (Of course, if it makes it easier on you, you can always send them in at any time during the month and I will hold onto them.)

We will be back to our regularly scheduled weekly sketch assignments and slideshows as of December 1st. Thank you for your understanding and your participation.

I love hosting Sketch Tuesday and I want everyone to know that this experience has encouraged my family as much as it has encouraged your family. I went through our family's personal Sketch Tuesday file and there are 186 completed sketches...that is a lot of sketching.

Keep sketching and save your very best sketches for the slideshow on December 1st! Send sketches to: sketchtuesday@yahoo.com

Barb-Harmony Art Mom

Andrea Bocelli Again...This Time With Chris Botti

I am a long time fan of Chris Botti's trumpet playing and we listen to him quite frequently in our home in honor of my trumpet playing son. :)

Regular readers of this blog know how much I enjoy listening to Andrea Bocelli.

Sharing this video and song is like sharing a glimpse into my music library. I love this song and, in fact, this whole entire album from Chris Botti.

Here is a video that I found on YouTube.com for this music.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ak6XFeX0Ik4

Enjoy the sweetness of the trumpet and the voice together.

Here is another video that talks about some of the other music on the album.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odwp0Bkij_c



Add this one to your wishlist or you can purchase the MP3 download from Amazon.com. I included a link below to the specific CD.

Barb-Harmony Art Mom
The trumpet player in the photo above is my middle son....the trumpet guy.....a few years ago now.