Artistic Pursuits Review

One area that I am very intimidated by is teaching my children art. I do not have an artistic or creative bone in my body. In fact, I have drawn pictures with my children and others assume the children drew them because the skill level is that of a four year old. I am laughing while I write this, but I am very serious.

I was excited to learn that as part of the TOS Homeschool Review Crew, I would be sent an art curriculum to review. The company is called Artistic Pursuits and can be found at: www.artisticpursuits.com

The Curriculum comes in three levels:
Preschool: "The way they see it", A book for every parent about the art children make

Grades K- 3:
Book 1: An Introduction to the Visual Arts (Ancient - 1300's)
Book 2: Stories of Artists and their Art (1200- 1800's)
Book 3: Modern Painting and Sculpture (1850's- today)

Grades 4-12:
Book 1 at each grade level covers drawing basics
Book 2 at each grade level covers color theory

I chose to review Grade K-3 Book 1 since I have two children who fit into that age range, and my four year old can follow along. I enjoyed this book very much, my children were interested in learning about the nuances of art and how and artist views their subject and then creates art from it. The book does not require any preparation from me to teach the children. The book is in full color, which is beautiful to look at. It is a great first exposure to art as well as the artists who created them. The book contains 32 projects ranging from drawing, painting, paper craft, clay, printmaking, sculpture etc...

I think we will incorporate this art curriculum into our homeschool next year, and do one lesson per week. The book I reviewed cost $42.95, which I think is a reasonable cost for the caliber of the curriculum. We enjoyed it and I learned alongside the girls. My art work still looks terrible, but I know so much more about how art is created.