Living Art Lessons (Download)

Fun addition to our weeks. And love it even more for the simplicity, because when it comes to anything "art" I have two left hands. Can't wait for more!

I'm having a lot of success with this program and I've always been intiimiated by art. I'm doing it along with my kids and we're learning and having fun.

I love the structure and scope of this curriculum. Art is the subject I most often skip, and this colorful book has made it a lot easier to keep at it. (The separate Artist Journal includes a suggested schedule of 2-days a week and additional activities. I recommend also getting one of these for each student.) This primary book introduces how to observe lines, shapes, color, etc., how to reproduce them, and also highlights famous artists, and has various kinds of exercises: from scavenger hunts and simple drawing and painting projects, to more involved projects that need some preparation (they are still very doable, and spread out). I’m using it with early and upper elementary, and it’s been perfect for both levels. It’s fun, colorful, and simple to use.

I love how this particular art curriculum actually focuses on various elements of art that set the foundation for creativity. Many texts may just focus on artistic work from famous artists or historical pieces, which is perfectly fine and a good basis for art lessons. Of course, it does help to really dive into the various components and fundamental principals of art, and that is what Living Art Lessons does.

The seven major elements are discussed in great detail. These are lines, shapes, color, value, texture, form, and space. Each of the seven elements are broken down by chapter and offer a lesson and various activities that will appeal to those who have different artistic interests. The Artist Journal is wonderful and a must have to accompany the text, because it allows students to apply what they've received from the lessons by offering their own creative expression based on what they have learned. If you still prefer a curriculum that puts some focus on well known artists, this does offer the best of both worlds, because each lesson focuses on one famous artist, some of these include Vincent Van Gogh, Norman Rockwell, and Mary Cassatt.

Masterbooks is one of my favorites when it comes to planning, because they really take all the guesswork out of the equation. For instance, the Artist Journal includes a suggested daily schedule, which is really convenient. There is also a supply list that shows what will be needed throughout the year, so I can have everything on hand ahead of time. I like that it's also broken down by week, which keeps me extra prepared. The activities in the journal vary in degree of difficulty, so this particular art curriculum can accommodate different grade levels, which is also quite helpful.

I have one extremely talented artist who is 11. I have a tag-along who is 5. She is good for her age due to her brother somewhat training her. I really like this curriculum for its simplicity. It breaks down art to its basic essentials and has fun and interesting projects. I really admire how it uses some art history in it’s projects. I also really like the uses of many media throughout the book. Much better than “just” a drawing book. My children snore through chapters and lessons of droning on about the elements of art with only graphite and paper. This book is very good!

What a wonderful introduction to art! It teaches the basics while being simple enough that anyone without an art background can teach it. The projects are great for elementary kids & don’t require too many supplies that you wouldn’t normally have on hand. I love that it includes observing nature within the study. My kids are going to be so excited to start this curriculum!

I have been looking for an art curriculum for a long time that met my needs and this is perfect for us. I love that it starts with learning about lines and shapes, then colors, textures and shading. Drawing is a struggle for me so maybe I can learn right alongside them. I love that it works in artist studies and projects as well. All of the needed supplies are easy to come by and I have most of them already which is super helpful. For this non-artsy mom, I love the simplicity but also that we can expand and do a little more when my kids hit on something they love. My kids have been asking for more art but I have struggled to work it in and this course it just what we need! Having the separate artist journal is great as well. My kids can share the text and have their own journal with all of their activities. I like that it includes things like shape scavenger hunts and observational sketching for them to do. This course would be easy to work in nature journaling. I am doing this course with my 5th and 7th graders. I may add some additional artist studies for my older one. It’s pretty versatile and I’m sure you could easily adapt it for older or younger students and make it a family study.

I was able to adapt it with my K grader. I liked how bright and colorful each lesson is. There is lots of reading, so it is of course suiting for upper elementary who has more stamina for that, but it definitely can be adaptable for a lower grade elementary, they can either sit in or you can omit some reading and just mention main points for them to learn about different elements of art such as lines, color, texture, etc. I like that there are many beautiful examples provided for kids to study and see, also there is study of an artist for each element with beautiful pictures of their works. I also love that it is practical and helps student to relax and just create instead of being self conscience about how good they are. It is written directly to the student which makes it engaging and more personal. I can see it being repeat easily for a couple of years. Also, I would say it can work great for a family with kids in several elementary level grades and easily adaptable for them depending on the skill and ability.

I can't wait to start this with my kids. The lessons are short and informative with an activity for each. I think my kids will like it.

Living Art is the perfect starting point for new artists or those just beginning a serious study of art. The curriculum is simple to follow, beautifully organized, and teaches much. Students will be pleased with the manageable lessons and the multitude of hands-on activity. Teachers will love the well-paced lessons and the pace of work assigned.

We can't recommend this curriculum enough!