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Homeschool Ideas & Tips >
Homeschool Ideas & Tips Newsletter February, 2004
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ *** Hello from Charmaine *** ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dearest Reader, We're in the middle of a deep freeze here in northern Wisconsin. ( and I mean deep: the temps have not gone above zero for several days!) But, these are great days to snuggle together on the coach and read good books aloud or delve into something that we otherwise don't have time for.... which brings up this months Ideas & Tips topic: art appreciation in the homeschool. In talking to many homeschooling moms over the years, I've noticed that art and art appreciation seem to be left out because of a lack of time or a lack of understanding. I hope by reading this month's topic that you will be inspired and encouraged to add art appreciation to your homeschool curriculum. Blessings on your day, Charmaine ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In this issue: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 1. Ideas: Easy Art History & Appreciation 2. Tips: What to do for Ancient Art History 3. Fr*ee Telegroup! 4. What's New? 5. About Charmaine 6. Testimonial 7. Quote of the Month 8. Funny of the Month 9. The Small Print 10. In Our Next Issue ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ *** Ideas *** ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Art appreciation (or the study of art history) need not be difficult. You don't need a fancy curriculum or a complicated plan. You simply need the desire to enjoy, along with your children, the beauty of God's creation as depicted over the centuries by outstanding artists. So, where do you start? I like to accomplish several goals at one time (the proverbial killing two or three birds with one stone) so I tie in art appreciation, art history and hands-on art projects with the historical period we are currently studying. An excellent resource for helping you do this is the book Discovering Great Artists by MaryAnn F. Kohl & Kim Solga. (ISBN 0935607099) Best price that I could find on the web is from www.overstock.com for $9.99, including shipping.) This book features over 90 different artists in chronological order from the early 1300's to the present. (If you're studying history before the 1300's...see the tips section below) What I love about this book is that, for each artist, there is a brief biography, an explanation of the artist's style and a nice little hands-on art project that typifies that artist's style or technique. These projects are especially suitable for children ages 4 - 12, but I've found that teens can also enjoy many of them. For example, here's what you could do: Look through Discovering Great Artists and find one or two artists that catch your fancy (from the historical period that you're studying). Go to the library and find a couple of good art books that contain paintings by that artist. Spend some time looking at the pictures and just enjoying the artist's work. Better yet, borrow or purchase a couple of prints to hang on the wall. This will give the children a chance to become even better acquainted with the artist's work as they daily see the pictures hanging there. ( A good place to purchase inexpensive art prints is: www.allposters.com Use the advanced search engine to type in the name of the artist or period of art and the price range that you're looking for). Once the children have a 'feel' for the artist's work, find a time slot during the week where you can do the art project. Display their artwork and enjoy the process. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ *** Tips *** ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Are you studying a period of history that precedes 1300? You can still use the same method as described above but the difference will be that you will not be able to study a particular artists but rather the period itself. The reason for this is that prior to the 1300's artists did not sign their work. There's lots of art from ancient Egypt but we have no idea who created it. The same is true for pre-historic art or the art from ancient Greece and Rome. Here are some ideas for art projects from pre-1300's periods. Pre-historic art: find some smooth fist-sized rocks and paint on them with earth-tone tempura paints. Ancient Egypt: take out a book on hieroglyphics from the library. Create some stationary using hieroglyphic symbols to decorate the boarders of copier paper. Make copies of the original as needed. Ancient Greece: take out a book from the library on the art of ancient Greece. Find pictures of Greek amphorae (vases). Draw the shape of one of the vases on a large piece of poster board. Cut out the shape and have the children decorate it with the type of designs they see on amphorae in the art book. Ancient Rome: make a paper mosaic using a simple design from a coloring book. Cut various colors of construction paper into tiny squares and paste them onto the design in mosaic fashion. Middle Ages: find a book on medieval coats of arms and have your student design one for himself. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ***Fr*ee Telegroup!*** ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ There will be no telegroup for the month of February. See the "What's New" section below for further information. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ What's New? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I am giving some very serious thought to putting together a telephone discussion group based on Sally Clarkson's wonderful book, The Mission of Motherhood. This book covers many topics that are near and dear to the homeschooling mother's heart such as: * Making your home life-giving and peaceful. * Passing on a legacy of righteousness to your children. * Balancing the duties of motherhood with a loving relationship with your children. * Creative ideas and direction for keeping your child's heart open to you and the Lord. The telephone discussion group would meet for a 45 minute session twice a month. I believe that everyone participating would greatly benefit from the discussion as well as the encouragement and challenges each one would bring to the call. If this sounds like a group you would like to participate in, please email me and let me know. charmaine@victorycoaching.citymax.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ *** About Charmaine *** ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Charmaine Wistad has homeschooled her own two children from birth. As they work through their 12th year of homeschooling, Charmaine is currently turning her attention to helping other homeschool moms. Through personal coaching, Charmaine helps homeschooling moms get organized and experience the peace and pleasure of a smoothly run home. You are invited to try a complimentary no-obligation telephone coaching session. You'll be pleasantly surprised at how much can be accomplished in just one session! Simply send an email to: Charmaine@victorycoaching.citymax.com and ask for a Fr*ee Sample Coaching Session. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ *** Testimonial *** ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "I had previously self-published two photography books and was wanting to do another. I seemed to be lacking the drive to do this and Charmaine suggested coaching to help accomplish this project. Through the coaching process, Charmaine helped me identified two things that were hindering me: accountability and commitment. I needed to be accountable to a person to jump start this project. I needed to set some goals and do a few assignments to inspire me (such as photographing, and listing some reasons why I wanted to and needed to do this book). Also, the commitment had to be made to follow through. This was a difficult decision to make because I knew once I made the commitment I must complete the project. Well, I did commit to the project and on Jan 22, 2004 I mailed my book off to the printer. Charmaine really helped me get started on this project and gave me the encouragement and insight to see it through." Jay Steinke – Northern Minnesota & European Photographer Duluth, Minnesota http://www.jaysteinke.com/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ *** Quote of the Month *** ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “Art is, in the final analysis, a window on heaven.” Don Hudson ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ *** Funny of the Month *** ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Did you hear of the little boy who came home from kindergarten with a blue ribbon? When his mommy asked him "What is the blue ribbon for?" he proudly announced, "I won!" When pressed for details he simply said, "The teacher asked all of us to guess how many legs a cow has. When my turn came, I guessed FIVE." "Five???" mother gasped, "but a cow only has FOUR legs." "I won because my guess was the closest." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ***The Small Print *** ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ If you enjoyed this newsletter, please forward it to everyone you know!!! Thanks! ------------------------------------------------------------ Not signed up to receive this newsletter? Just go to www.victorycoaching.citymax.com and look for: "Free Ideas & Tips Ezine ". ----------------------------------------------------------- Honoring Your Privacy: Your privacy is completely and utterly protected. I will not sell or give away your name or email. You have my word on it! ----------------------------------------------------------- If you no longer wish to receive this Newsletter: please send an email with the word 'unsubscribe' in the subject line to: Charmaine@victorycoaching.citymax.com ----------------------------------------------------------- I would love to hear from you! But please do not reply to this newsletter. It is sent out automatically and I will not receive your reply. Instead, send your comments and ideas for future issues to: Charmaine@victorycoaching.citymax.com ------------------------------------------------------------ Homeschooling Ideas and Tips Copyright 2004, Victory Coaching www.victorycoaching.citymax.com All rights in all media reserved. The content of Homeschooling Ideas and Tips may be forwarded in full without special permission provided it is used for nonprofit purposes and full attribution and copyright notice are given. For other purposes, please contact: Charmaine Wistad P.O. Box 343 Spooner, WI 54801 Charmaine@victorycoaching.citymax.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ *** In Our Next Issue *** ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 15 short but sweet teaching tips.
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