Complimentary products provided for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions are my own, as always.
Can I share with you one of the things that has made me the most uncomfortable as a parent? It’s art.
I know….many of you are going to think that’s completely ridiculous. With all the things out there to be petrified of as a parent, I’m going to get all nervous about art?!
But I have a feeling that somewhere out there, there are people reading this who are giving me a, “Me, too!” Somewhere along the way, and early on in my life, I decided that I wasn’t any good at art, and so I quit challenging myself and I pretty much avoided art if at all humanly possible. This is why people see art I have created with my girls and instantly assume that it was the 5-year-old who made it. Not kidding.
See?!
Here’s the deal, though: I REALLY don’t want my kids to develop the same fear I have of art, and I know that part of how I will keep that from happening is by making art a part of our daily lives. I have created an art space in our home which has been WONDERFUL because it keeps our materials easy to access. We have been doing art much more frequently since making that shift, so I highly recommend keeping your art suplies visible. Even with these changes, though, I still get very overwhelmed as I look through Pinterest for fun new art ideas. I’m never quite sure what is age appropriate or if the instructions are detailed enough for me to follow (8 times out of 10 they aren’t!).
And this is where the Home Art Studio comes in. I absolutely LOVE this program, you guys! Each DVD is designed to provide art curriculum for the school year (perhaps roughly 1 new lesson every 2 weeks). Ms. Volin serves as your art teacher and walks you through the steps to make your art. Since you are watching a DVD, it is easy to pause or even rewind if you need to see a step again.
Darah and I have been working through the Kindergarten DVD this summer as a way to help increase her confidence and her art skills. And yeah, as a way to increase mine, too. That’s right, friends: I’m working my way through kindergarten art. And no, it’s not too easy for me. The lessons are challenging to Darah, as well, but they are certainly doable, especially with an adult on hand to help explain things. This wouldn’t be the kind of thing you’d sit your 6-year-old in front of and then leave the room while it played.
You, as the parent, also get lesson plans for each activity (they come on the DVD) so that you can know which supplies you need ahead of time and you can prepare the space for the lesson. Speaking of supplies, you can also buy everything you need for each year’s curriculum through the website, or you can simply pick and choose which items you might need based on your current art supply inventory. It is really nice having exactly what the art teacher in the video is using for her projects on hand, and I didn’t have to head to the dreaded craft supply store to try to figure it out myself. So I highly recommend that if you get one these DVDs you at least look over the supply list and see what you might want to buy. The prices are reasonable. 🙂
My time spent with Darah working on these art lessons has been absolutely precious to me. We’ve really bonded over our lessons! I’m there to encourage her when she gets frustrated and she truly beams with pride when she steps back and realizes that she finished a project. We have art hanging up all over the house now! Darah has even taken to hanging up the art I made in my room, which totally makes me smile. She wants me to be proud of my work, too! 🙂 I am planning on buying the first grade Home Art Studio DVD once we are finished with the Kindergarten set. This is some truly fantastic material, whether you are homeschooling or simply seeking some enrichment opportunities. It is doing wonders for my daughter, and it’s doing wonders for me, too. First grade art, here I come! 😉
Win it! One VERY lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win the entire Home Art Studion curriculum collection (DVDs for K-5, which is a $180 value!). You can work your way through them with your kids or grandkids, and then pass them on to someone else to enjoy. It’s like a gift that keeps on giving!
Be sure to enter my other current giveaways, found on the sidebar of the blog.
