It looks like I’m going to need to teach a k-4th art class in our co-op.
Our co-op is pretty small and just getting started (or re-defined) … just a few CM minded families getting together.
Anyhow my 3rd grade DD has a love and talent for art, and I’d really like to provide her a challenge/deepen her skills… but we will also have 2 Kindergarten kids (preliminary spread is K,K,1st, 3rd,3rd,3rd and 4th)
I was looking at creating a masterpiece to use ourselves before this class came about, now I’m not sure. I used Artistic Pursuits this past year and while we did like it I know my 3rd grader could use a bit more of a challenge (we used the k-3 book 1)
So does anyone have a good art cirriculum to reccomend?
We used Atelier art one year. I didn’t teach it but the end results were good. Other years moms have done a hodge podge pulling from various places like http://www.artprojectsfoekids.org and those results were good as well.
With an age spread like that you might consider Ms Woods wild Art Adventures. The art lessons are presented in the context of a fun story and each child can work at their own level while you present the overall lesson. My family took lessons from Ms. Wood for 6 years and she is a wonderful teacher.
Hey Heather! The co-op we were involved in for two years used Creating a Masterpiece for the 3-5th graders. The ladies that taught the class were hired by the co-op and were actual art teachers, so I don’t have any experience in regard to how easy it would be for a lay person to teach, but I really liked the curriculum a lot. I remember it being more about developing an awareness of a variety of artists and their styles than specific art instruction, though the projects that my kids brought home were pretty impressive.
I will say, two years later my kids can still recognize a handful of particular artists in various settings as we come across them simply because they studied their style in those classes. I really like that a lot.
Having used AP myself, I think it could also be a good choice for a co-op setting and the projects could easily be tweaked for a variety of ages. In my opinion, it’s more of a technique based art curriculum than CAM, so I think it kind of depends on what you’re goal is.
That is a good comparison… gives me some to think about. I’m thinking I’d like to develop some techniques for my art-minded daughter.. I used AP this past year, but the K-3 level… which she liked, but she could for sure do something a bit more advanced… hence where I’m stuck.
For K-4th grades, I am using a combination of nature journal entries, chalk pastel art, and Home Art Studio. Creating a Masterpiece is excellent for the older children.
You might check out the book Discovering Great Artists by MaryAnn Kohl. You learn some about the artist and then recreate artwork in that artist’s style. There are various levels of difficulty, so you could hand select activities that are easy for this age group.
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