5 Fantastic Art Resources to Bring Beauty to Your Morning Time
I love art, but as a homeschool mom, most days I don't find the time in our schedule to make art a priority. I either get overwhelmed with the possibilities, the mess, or the unknown. However, taking time to enjoy, create, and appreciate beautiful things does something to a soul that I can't deny. The value of contemplating beauty is high on our family's list of priorities, and therefore, day 7 of my 10 Days of Morning Time Resources series features these art resources that have found a happy place in our morning time.
One of my favorite things about morning time is that you can focus on different things for a "season". I don't over plan my morning time schedule so that our studies can ebb and flow with starting and finishing a pursuit. This just means that I can try anything, because if my goal is to contemplate and enjoy beauty, then we can do that in so many different ways. Here are some of our family's favorites:
1. Simply Charlotte Mason Picture Studies
We picked up some of the Picture Study Portfolios at a convention this year and they were a hit in our morning time. Each portfolio features a different artist. The kit comes with eight full color prints by that artist, which are on beautiful, glossy, thick stock, making them safe to handle and lovely to display around the house. Also included is a biography of the artist and facts about each painting.
We started by reading the biography over a couple of days, and then admiring a single painting a day. Each day we'd review or recall what we looked at the previous day, and then observe another. We then added our paintings to our school room art display to admire throughout the week.
I've never found a simpler way to admire and appreciate famous artists and their work. I look forward to more of this in our morning time future!
2. Fine Artist Studies from Enrichment Studies
If you'd like a variety of great artists to study, check out these great digital resources from Enrichment Studies. Compiling resources throughout the internet, these easy to use guides introduce your students to a variety of artists. Check out this featured resource on Claude Monet for free. While you're not handling physical prints like the Charlotte Mason resource, it does make it very simple to have all of your resources at your fingertips with videos, activities, and galleries.
3. Chalk Pastels
If you're looking to get a little more hands on, there is nothing more simple and fun than chalk pastels. This was also something that we discovered this year, and everyone thoroughly enjoyed it.
The materials are inexpensive, and you get to get your hands messy. This scared me at first, because one of the things I shy away from in art at home is a big mess! However, I found that chalk pastels are a low level mess. It's similar to drawing with chalk on the driveway. You just wipe it up, and you're done!
We worked through the Olympic summer games eBook, but there are so many great options for playing with pastels. You can download A Simple Start in Chalk Pastels for free and see what you think! Our Colosseum picture took no more than 20-30 minutes from beginning to end. It's tough to find an easier project to complete than that!
4. Drawing Books
You don't have to be producing fine art to introduce art into your morning time. Training your students in basic drawing cultivates observation and fine motor skills in a fun and enjoyable way. We've always loved these Draw Write Now books because they do a beautiful job of leading you step by step through a simple drawing. Some of them are nature based, and some feature historical events. What a great way to integrate your art and history than drawing what you're studying!
Another great series is the Draw and Write Through History books. These are great for more advanced artists and offer impressive final drawings. Also included is cursive handwriting copywork if you'd like to integrate even more great skills into your studies.
5. Craftsy Drawing Course
Sometimes we can get so worried about getting the most bang for our buck from an art resource that we forget that sometimes you just need to cultivate a skill for the love of it. Your children may not enjoy drawing boats, vikings, or Christopher Columbus, as important as he was. Try a fun online art course together and see how the enjoyment of making the art is just as important of a beautiful task as appreciating fine art.
This course below is a sample of something I'd love to try with my girls!
People in Picture Books: Developing Your Main Character
Adding a few great art resources to your morning time arsenal can be a great way to mix up your morning time routine. What a fun way to start the day!
Get more great Morning Time inspiration from Pam at edSnapshots:
Discover more great resources by reading the full 10 day series:
Day 1: Why Morning Time
Day 2: Bible Study Resources for Your Morning Time
Day 3: Building Character and Virtue During Your Morning Time
Day 4: 5 Simple Resources for Including Science in Your Morning Time
Day 5: 5 Helpful History Resources for Your Morning Time
Day 6: Making the Most of Your Morning Time with Literature
Day 7: 5 Fantastic Art Resources to Bring Beauty to Your Morning Time
Day 8: Morning Time Comes Alive with the Sound of Music
Day 9: Making a Morning Time Plan and Sticking With It
Day 10: Morning Time Storage Solutions
Betsy Strauss is an unexpected homeschooler, mother of three, who is in a relationship with a sweet man for life. She loves reading books, drinking coffee, and learning anything with her kids.