When I started writing reviews for the TOS Homeschool Crew, I didn’t know which vendors we would have. And then the list was posted on the Crew’s blog… That’s when I found some interesting products. One of these products is the Spears Art Studio Christian Art Curriculum. What can I say about this little gem? I am so excited about this curriculum that I don’t even know where to start…
This curriculum is used by home schools, private schools, Sunday schools, VBS, and missionaries. It is so simple to use that even a person with minimal art knowledge can teach the lessons. It consists of a main theme for each instructional week of a school year. You will find a range of activities related to the theme and information concerning art elements, art principles, design elements and so on. I have personally reviewed the grade K-8 Christian Art Curriculum which is packed with projects for multiples children with different ages. We did a couple of projects together and we had fun. This curriculum can be used year long or you can decide to do some projects once in a while. What is great is that you can use this curriculum yearly from Kindergarten until grade 8 without spending more money on a new curriculum.
This whole art curriculum is Christian based and you will find that the author integrate scriptures according of the different themes covered in a year. There are more than 269 art activities as well as 498 pages of instructional pages. I must admit that at first I was a little overwhelmed about this curriculum but as soon as I started digging into it I got very excited! I love art and wanted to develop this gift in me. Consequently, I have decided to do some activities with the kids when we are using it. I am slowly discovering that I like using various ways of expressing my love for the Lord. Our church also permits the use of art to express our worship. On the tables, you will find pastels and crayons as well as tons of paper. We often encourage the people to be guided by the Spirit while coming to our services. It’s amazing to see what kind of art if coming out of one service!!!
Now – let’s get back to the curriculum! Once you get the CD you will have access of a pretty detailed scope and sequence that the author had put up together for you. It covers the months of September to May and is packed with activities. You will touch Noah’s Ark, Dwelling places of God and Man, Who you are in Christ?, Awareness of the seasons, Harvest/Seeds, Color Studies, Trees of Righteousness, Names of Jesus, Christmas, Winter, Abstract design, Loyalty, Heart & Soul, 3-D/Space, Light, Wind, Music & Moods, Easter, Water, Days of Creation, Imagination and Layout. Each grade has its specific activities which makes it easy for mom to organize the art lesson when you have multiple kids. Mind you – I’ve found that even though I gave instructions on what to do, the little ones usually do their own things. Personally, I let their artistic creativity go wild. Sometimes, they take their time doing the project while other times… well a little push is necessary to encourage them.
In each lessons, you will have an objective to achieve as well as some scriptures attached to it. There is a list of vocabulary words that the student will learn during the activity. A list of material is also included with the activity. Each month has its own main project that is suggested to do followed by different projects for different grades for each week of the month.
This curriculum is worth it if you are interested in Art. It is quite affordable if you consider the fact that it covers multiple years and can be used by multiple children at the same time. The CD of this curriculum is 39.95$ US but you can also have the possibility to get the hard copy with the CD for 134.95$ US which when you think about it is about 14.99$ US per grade level for an entire year! If you go to their website, you will see that there is also a High school curriculum, a Beginning Calligraphy Workbook and some Literature guides (Mountain Born, Noah Webster-A Man Who Loved Words, Mr. Popper’s Penguins and Stuart Little) available. I’ve discovered a marvelous art curriculum and I will definitely get the rest of her products in the future!
Interested in seeing what this curriculum is all about? Simple click on http://www.spearsartstudio.com/k-8.curric.intro.html and check out the free sample art lessons.
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