Homeschool Crew Review: ARTistic Pursuits Art Instruction Books with DVD and Blu-Ray

We have used may products from ARTistic Pursuits Inc. in our homeschool.  We have found their art instruction to be easy to follow even for non artsy people, and we have produced wonderful artwork while using this curriculum.  It also has instilled a love of art in my children.  I was very excited to see that ARTistic Pursuits Inc. was releasing a new video curriculum for grades K-3 and even more excited when we were chosen for the review.  We have had an opportunity to use and review ARTistic Pursuits Art Instruction Books with DVD and Blu-Ray ,  Art of the Middle Ages.


ARTistic Pursuits Art Instruction Books with DVD and Blu-Ray for Grades K-3 will have 8 books in the series.  Six are available right now and the other two will be released over the summer.  Each book has 18 lessons, 12 of which are text lessons and 6 are video lessons. Each book is 64 pages and is designed to be completed in a semester.  The 8 books in the series move chronologically though history after Vol 1, Building a Visual Vocabulary.  This series will cover 4 years of art for grades K-3.  Each volume comes with a hardcover text, DVD, and Blu-ray discs.  Books in the series include:

Vol. 1 Building a Visual Vocabulary
Vol. 2 Art of the Ancients
Vol. 3 Art of the Middle Ages
Vol. 4 Artists that Shaped the Italian Renaissance
Vol. 5 Art of the Northern Countries, Renaissance to Realism
Vol. 6 Art of the Impressionists
Vol .7 Art of the Modern Age
Vol. 8 Art in America

In addition to the curriculum, ARTistic Pursuits also sells Art Supply Packs for each of the volumes if you prefer to buy everything together.

Art of the Middle Ages begins with a list of materials needed to complete the projects in the book and a note to the teacher.  In each lesson there are prep notes for the lessons for the teacher to read through along with a page or two for the teacher to read to the student.  Colorful works of art are included in the lesson part along with some questions to ask the students about the artwork.  There are 6 video lessons that give step by step instructions for making the artwork.  For the lessons that do not have a video lesson there are instructions in the book and an example of artwork that was made by a child.

Lesson 1 starts with a video lesson on Paper Loom Weave.  After creating a simple loom students can then make a woven crown.  In lesson 2 students use their weaving skills to weave beasts.  Lesson 3 is on Art in the Monasteries and students make an initial page.  Lesson 4 is on Art in the Basilicas and they make a mosaic.  Lesson 5 has students watch video lesson #2 on Panel Drawing.  In lesson 6 they make a panel relief.  Lesson 7's project is make a collage.  In lesson 8 they view video #3 and do stitching on burlap.  In lesson 9 they use oil pastels to color on burlap and stitch the fabric.  They watch video #4 in lesson 10 and do straw loom weave and in lesson 11 make an outdoor picture.  They view video #5 in lesson 12 and do book binding.  In lesson 13 they make a bestiary picture.  They view video #6 in lesson 14 and make a low-relief.  In lesson 15 they make a treasure bound book.  Lesson 16's project is to make a raised picture.  Lesson 17's project is to make colored glass windows.  The last lesson, lesson 18 is to make a statue.

I have been using Art of the Middle Ages with my 7,9, 11, and 12 year olds.  I knew the projects were designed for grades K-3, but my boys wanted to join in with what we were doing too.  We have been working on one lesson per week, except for the first lesson.  We did two weeks on that one because the first week we did the simple weave and then the next week made a woven crown.

I have been a big fan of ARTistic Pursuits Inc. and was very excited to see the new books coming out.  I love that they are designed to go chronologically through time so that if you wanted to you could match up your art lessons with what you are studying in history.  I was very excited to see video lessons!  Although the previous books did a good job describing how to do the projects, some times it is just better to see an example of it being done.  I am very thankful that they did this through a DVD and Blu-Ray.  Many companies have started streaming videos but that is very difficult when you have slow or no internet.  DVD is a much better option for us.  I thought the DVD lessons we very well done and age appropriate. We love the history that is included in the books and the beautiful artwork.  I also love that on the project page they always show a piece of child's artwork so that the children do not feel like they need to produce something that an adult would.

The books are wonderful.  They are hardcover and sturdy.  At only 64 pages they are thin but packed full of beautiful color art and instruction. 

Some of our projects

Lesson One Paper Loom Weave

 Woven Crown

Lesson 2 You Weave Beasts

Lesson 3 You Make an Initial Page

 Lesson 4 You Make a Mosaic

We were very impressed with Art of the Middle Ages.  In looking ahead we cannot wait to get through the rest of the projects!  My children were especially excited about the stitching projects and the book binding.  I can't wait to see if ARTistic Pursuits Inc. will do something similar for the older grades as well.

Members of The Crew reviewed a variety of the books in this series.  To see what my Crew Mates had to say, stop by the Crew Blog!

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Our Week in Review (June 4th -10th)

This week was VBS at our church.  I was the science station leader, Nick was the recreation leader, and Alex was the puppet during assembly and a floater (working where-ever they needed him.)  Anthony was my assistant and Chelsea and Liam came 4 days.

At the science station we had 2 scheduled activities every day related to the Bible lesson or a specific theme.  Our Bible school was named Rolling River Rampage so there were several activities that were related to water.  I also brought a few extra activities because we had extra time to fill.  I was not as impressed with this year's activities as I was with last year, but we had fun and I hope that the children learned something.

Day one we did an activity where the children drew a landscape and we talked about which way water flowed.  We also did an activity using solar paper.  I had never used it before but it was really cool.  Day 2 we did the Bernoulli bag where one breath of air can fill the entire bag if you do it correctly and we made and raced boats.  Day 3 we erupted a lemon using baking soda and tried to find out what types of materials can be used to clean up oil.  Day 4 we made life jackets for a peeled orange to make it float and did some experiments with erosion.  I also did fireworks in a jar.  Day 5 we made a water filter out of a coffee filter, sand, and rocks to clean dirty water and figured out how many drops of water a penny could hold.  We also did the diet coke and mentos experiment which everyone loves.

Monday after VBS we had a 4 h Jam and Jelly workshop.  We made strawberry jam, blackberry jelly, and blueberry jam.  We were really tired that day!

On the second day of VBS I had a little boy pass out on me.  That was not an experience I care to have ever again!  He was ok thankfully and came back the rest of the week.

Thursday Nick and Alex went over to help our preacher and his wife move.  He is retiring.  We are very sad to see him go.

Lily had her piano lesson.  She is doing very well with the piano.  Her teacher has added other books to her lessons because she learns them pretty quickly.  One day she wanted to learn a new song so she started playing Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee and had it memorized before her lesson the next week.

By Friday we were pretty worn out so we decided to not go grocery shopping until Sunday after church.  It was nice to be home the rest of the day!


I hope you had a great week!

Happy Homeschooling!

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Homeschool Crew Review: New American Cursive 2 Famous Americans

Memoria Press is a family run company that publishes Classical Christian materials in a variety of subjects for homeschools and private schools. Memoria Press curriculum is easy to teach and requires no previous knowledge of the subject being taught, but have high Academic Standards. We have used many different products from Memoria Press over the years and have been very impressed with all of them.  We were excited to have an opportunity to use and review New American Cursive 2 (Famous Americans.)

New American Cursive was developed by Iris Hatfield who has over 35 years experience in the field of handwriting.  It uses simplified letter forms and multi sensory methods to help with motor skills necessary to learn to write well.  The simplified letter forms allow NAC to be used with younger students.  The books in the program were designed to be used with students in grades 1-4.  Mr. Meerkat is the book's guide showing the students how to draw each letter. 

We received New American Cursive 2 (Famous Americans) for our review.  The book is spiral bound at the top and contains 125 lessons.  In the book you also will find 8 pages of teacher instruction, journal pages, and reproducible writing pages.  The book begins with practice of the alphabet and has places to trace and then draw the letters themselves.  Mr.  Merkeet shows how the letters are properly formed by using directional arrows.  Students also have places to practice words, copy quotes, do creative writing, journal, and draw.

I have been using New American Cursive 2 (Famous Americans) with my 9 year old daughter who just finished third grade.  She had already completed one year of cursive with a different curriculum but needed more practice and needed to work on making her handwriting neater.  We studied American history this year so I chose the quotes from famous Americans.  Lily has been completing one page per day.  Lessons take less then 15 minutes per day.

Lily really likes her new cursive book.  She thinks Mr. Meerkat is cute.  We love that the book is spiral bound at the top.  This makes it so much easier to write in as the book lays flat on the table and the binding will not get in the way.  Lessons are short.  Students have an opportunity for plenty of practice.  I love the fun pages that allow students to free write about a topic such as writing about one of your best friends, favorite states, favorite city, etc.. and then there is a space for children to draw a picture about what they wrote.  At the beginning of the book the lines are large and as they move through the book they start to write on lines that are smaller and loose the dotted line.

Some of the letters are formed in a different way then Lily learned in other book.  Many of them are missing the fancy loop at the top and the F, T, Q, Z, and K look more like then do in print then in the other form of cursive she learned.  But I do believe the style of NAC is easier, especially for younger students.  She has enjoyed working through the book and I love the different varieties of assignments that are in the book.

Members of the Crew reviewed a variety of products from Memoria Press including the different New American Cursive books, Traditional Logic, and Classical Composition.  To see what my Crew Mates had to say, stop by the Crew Blog!

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Homeschool Crew Review: The Critical Thinking Co.™

 The Critical Thinking Co.™  publishes fun, award winning, easy to use products that help students achieve better academic skills.  They learn to analyze what they are learning and apply critical thinking to their lives.  Over the last several weeks we have had an opportunity to use and review Understanding Pre-Algebra.

 

 Understanding Pre-Algebra  ($42.99) is a 448 page paperback book for grades 6-8.  The pages are perforated for easy removal if you choose. It is a full math curriculum, not a supplement.  This course teaches the concepts and skills necessary for students to be able to tackle Algebra 1.  The book is arranged so that concepts are presented in a logical order with clear connection to other concepts. The book is written to the student with color examples and diagrams shown allowing children to work independently.  The back of the book contains a glossary defining mathematical terms, reference sheets, and an answer key.  No separate teacher book is required.  The book is a workbook style with space for the answers but at times students may need extra paper to work out their problems.

There are 15 chapters in Understanding Pre-Algebra including:

Family of Numbers
Working with Integers
Working with Rational Numbers
Ratio, Proportion, and Percent
Percent Applications
Algebraic Expressions
Equations and Solving Word Problems
Inequalities and Applications
Understanding Square Roots and Irrational Numbers
Two Dimensional Geometry
Understanding Volume and Surface Area
Graphing on the Coordinate Plane
Transformations and Congruency
Understanding Functions
Probability  and Statistics


I received the physical copy of Understanding Pre-Algebra.  It is also available as an ebook for the same price.  I have been using this with my almost 13 year old son who just finished 6th grade.  He has been completing 2-3 pages daily. He is not very strong in math and I was a little worried he would not be ready for Pre-Algebra but wanted to give it a try to see.  I have been pleasantly surprised!

One of the first things I liked about Understanding Pre-Algebra was that even though it is written to the student it does not have a lot of required reading for each lesson. Concepts are explained in a concise, easy to understand format.  Plenty of examples are given to show the student what is being explained.  Color charts and number lines are used.  Important things for the student to remember are "highlighted" in a colored block.  This reminds the students that they need to pay attention to those items. Tips and tricks are given to help students understand the concepts. We liked the Cowboy Story.  I wished I had that for one of my older sons who had a really hard time with positives and negatives.

I think there are a good amount  problems so the student can practice what they have learned, not too many or too few.  As I mentioned above some of the work will require a separate piece of paper to work out the problems.  At least one or two questions on each page asks the student to explain their thinking when they give an answer.  This really helps them figure out the "why" behind the answers to the problems. Many real word problems are used which I love.

Having the answers in the back of the book comes in very handy.  I love that no other teacher manual is required.  The glossary is a great tool to have in case the student forgets what a natural number or a polynomial is.

Before this review, I have used a few other products from The Critical Thinking Co.™, but I did not know that they had full math curriculum.  We have been very impressed with Understanding Pre-Algebra and will continue to use it for our math curriculum this year.

 The Critical Thinking Co.™ is offering free puzzles delivered weekly to your inbox.  Choose Pre-K-Grade 8.  A $75 value.  https://www.criticalthinking.com/toscrew

Members of The Crew reviewed a variety of products from The Critical Thinking Co.™ including: Critical Thinking Detective Book 1 , Something Fishy at Lake Iwannafisha, Critical Thinking Detective: Vocabulary, Dare to Compare Level 1, Vocabulary Riddles Book 1 .

Stop by the Crew Blog to read the reviews!

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Our Week in Review (May 28th-June 3rd)

 This will be brief.  I am a day behind and have been gone all day and am leaving again in a few minutes.

Tuesday We located a female Netherland Dwarf 2 hours away.  Chelsea volunteered to drive Nick if I babysat Liam.  I think I got the better end of the deal ;)  We took Liam to the park and took him swimming.  He had a good time.  The rabbit made it home safe.  Nick named her Scrapper.

Wednesday we went beery picking with 4 H.  We picked blueberries and blackberries to use for the jam and jelly workshop.  We did get to take some home.  I froze some and made some yummy blueberry muffins with the others.

Thursday Lily had piano.

Friday night we had to go to church to set up for VBS.

Sunday night was the VBS Kickoff party.

We put up our timeline for Bible Study Guide for All Ages.

Anthony made a doodle machine from Tinker Crate.

We had to take down our swing set because the wood is damaged and rotting. 

The children used some of the good wood to make Marshmallow a cat house.

I hope you had a great week!

Happy Homeschooling!

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Review: An Amish Heirloom by Amy Clipson, Beth Wiseman, Kathleen Fuller and Kelly Irvin

Book Description

"A Legacy of Love by Amy Clipston
Local volunteer fire fighter Leon King agrees to repair his ex-girlfriend Susie Bontrager’s grandparents’ antique rocking chairs for her future home with her fiance and is forced to acknowledge that his feelings for her have not quite gone away. As Susie spends time with Leon, she begins to recognize she is marrying the wrong man for all the wrong reasons.

The Cedar Chest by Beth Wiseman
Decades after inheriting her great grandmother’s cedar chest, Emma Fisher decides to pry it open only to discover a beautiful love story in the form of letters between her great grandparents. But as Emma immerses herself in their story, family secrets are revealed, and she must decide whether to share them to preserve family history or honor her great grandparents’ decision to leave them hidden.

The Treasured Book by Kathleen Fuller
For the past two years, Shane Broyles has felt God leading him to join the Amish. He’s staying with his friends Noah and Ivy Schlabach in Birch Creek, OH, where he is reunited with Lucy Fisher, an old friend of Noah’s family. Shane and Lucy have never revealed their feelings for each other, but when they stumble upon an antique Bible at a flea market, they feel drawn to each other and to the mystery of the contents found within.

The Midwife’s Dream by Kelly Irvin
Iris Beachy serves as a midwife in her district where she longs for a family of her own. When her friend’s brother Mahon Kurtz seeks her help in delivering the baby of two young teenagers who have sought refuge in their town, they begin to see each other in a different light. Unprepared for parenthood, the young couple leave their baby girl behind in an antique crib quilt resembling the one destined for Iris when she becomes a mother. Mahon and Iris come together to take care of the baby as they try to find her parents, and they begin to see new possibilities for their future."

An Amish Heirloom is a collection of 4 short novellas written by Amy Clipson, Beth Wiseman, Kathleen Fuller, and Kelly Irvin.  The characters in each of the novellas are not related to each other at all and do not live in the same town.  What ties these stories together is that all of the characters are Amish and each story is centered around a particular heirloom. In A Legacy of Love it is a set of rocking chairs, in The Cedar Chest it is an old chest, in The Treasured Book it is a Bible, and in The Midwife's Dream it is a crib quilt.  The 4 stories are all quick and easy reads with a sweet happily ever after Amish romance.  My favorite of the four stories was The Cedar Chest.  it holds a bit of a mystery of why the letters start out with mention of fleeing from the law and that Catherine's great great grandparents did not appear to be Amish.  While reading through the stories of the past, Catherine finds ways to improve her present and her future.  I enjoyed all 4 stories.  An Amish Heirloom would make great summer reading for anyone who enjoys reading Amish romance.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book for the purpose of writing a fair and honest review.  I received no other compensation and all opinions are my own.  I am disclosing this in accordance to the FTC regulations.

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