Whatcha Teachin'?: Kindergarten & 1st Grade Art

As you may have seen in our daily schedule, we have group time.  With the boys being so close in age, we are fortunate to have enough overlap in our curriculum that we can teach some subjects together.  Art is one of those subjects.

Artistic Pursuits Book 1
This curriculum has books from pre-school to high school so we don't have to fall in love with it and then find a new curriculum in a few years.   I love this company's philosophy to teaching art; they want children to be visually aware of the world we live in.  It is very simple to teach and prepare.  The supply list for the entire book is listed in the first pages so you know you'll have everything you need before you even start teaching.  It's given us the opportunity to play with materials like watercolor pencils, watercolor paper and modeling clay which may not have naturally entered our house otherwise.

What I love most about this curriculum is that it combines art history, art appreciation, and art technique with the kids' own creativity in producing art.  The lessons are short, interesting, applicable to children, and full color. The children draw, paint, and sculpt.  The book references real works of art for the children to learn about and then mimic in form and style.

Seasonal Art
Although we have an actual curriculum, it's still fun to make special crafts for the holidays like Valentine's Day, Easter, Halloween, and Christmas.  This also helps the boys with connecting their calendar to real life and gives them (and me) some nice memories.  I mean, who doesn't want a handprint reindeer from their kid?

Art Camp
We have plans to do a one week art camp next month.  I think it'll be a great experience to get time with a professional to refine some of the skills we're introducing at home.  Plus, let's be honest, it's just fun for the boys...and for me to get a little time to myself ;).