From painter and sculptor to a magician with paper, Matisse created wild and colorful art that are both magical and modern, creating art designs of perspectives before his time. Who Was Matisse? Matisse was a man of many talents and a hard life. He started as a painter and sculptor. Very little is known about some of his paintings and sculptors. He is mostly known for his paper art motifs and murals/collages that he designed after a divorce and severe…
Gaining independence through revolution in 1775 Over the past few years we have been struggling to find good, clear cut curriculum for American History. Our eldest child loves history and has already utilized a lot of the history curriculum out there. After a lot of trial and error, trying to find books that were age appropriate but also interesting (not those 500 page biographies on one topic!) we finally found a good set. It wasn’t without failure. The first lesson…
An interactive journal activity using a great American text. As you read, you learn an overview of American history from Vikings to the presidents and everything in between… Free Printable Lessons 1-28 Below: What this American History teaches… This history book with lessons covers a wide range of general history in easy to read chapters. Each chapter is about 10 pages or less, with pictures and large print. Simply using Google images and the key concepts and phrases of each…
Using Southwest Advantage – an American History Curriculum for the Teaching the Settlers of America This curriculum design was inspired by our family vacation plans (long awaited and desired!) to visit Jamestown and Williamsburg, Virginia. We studied this unit both before and after visiting Jamestown. History really came to life. If you haven’t seen Virginia yet, I highly recommend it! Below are the lessons we designed using Southwestern Advantage materials about the Early Settlers. Bringing our trip to life, we…
These days it is getting harder and harder to find good and accurate American History curriculum. While there is a plethora of world history in the academic world, finding age appropriate history books is a challenge. We have found many books over the years that have been a great resource. Although there are history books of all kinds, elementary is what has been the hardest. Below are three units I have created for elementary and middle school age to get…
Rembrandt was a 1600’s artist of realism and portraits….a wealthy famous painter Who was Rembrandt? A painter from the Netherlands Resources: Art Activity: Silly funny portraits of faces here: Courtesy of Hundred Acre Wood Other Option: Books: Art in Early America by Randy Osofsky A Child’s Introduction to Art: the Worlds Greatest Paintings by Heather Alexander MagellanTV: Exhibition on Screen History’s Greatest Painters show Season 1 Episode 7 (minute 27-39 shows process of painting) Printables for Faces below: Extensions: Compare…
Monet- the master of lilies and impressionism who went from a grocer to an impressionist Who was Claude Monet? Claude Monet was an impressionist from the 1800’s who enjoyed painting the everyday. He grew up in Paris, France, living to almost 90 years old. His experience growing up as a teen on the water and helping with shipments, he often painted boats and water scenes. Later he painted the everyday pleasures of the middle class he saw including beaches, ladies,…
How a Certified Teacher Answered the Call to Homeschool I am a certified public teacher but I’m a mother FIRST – I’m a parent just like you. Like me, I’m sure there are days you will doubt your skills. You don’t have lesson plan training and hours of IEP meetings or books and materials with references at your disposal. You probably don’t have dozens of certified tenure teachers to guide you along the way either. It’s just you and your…
Michelangelo – the Master and Ambitious Nobleman How did Michelangelo paint for 4 years straight on the Sistine Chapel? How did he create so many complex marble statues that were intricately carved? Who Was Michelangelo? Use MagellanTV Season 4 Episode 4 (minute 16 is great and minute 25 shows how ink is made) The Art Project Painting the Sistine Chapel The Process 1. Make a cardboard box chapel or just layer the paper under a table (flatter and shorter table…
1880’s Spain – the man of many styles and emotions Barcelona gave Picasso adventure, but France gave him his freedom. A Rebel, a Genius Teach your kids a few fun facts about Pablo: Who Was Pablo Picasso? Pablo didn’t like the ordinary or rules… Picasso did not like the restraints of “school” and “education” but instead roamed the streets. He was accepted to a prestigious art school at 14 years old (very rare – the school made an exception) and…