Tag Archives: art

Our Ocean Wall

After a week of a blank chalkboard wall, tic-tac-toe, and random graffiti, we finally decided it was time for a new mural. I had thought a camping scene was a good idea for summer, but it was voted down. J and Z had been learning about coral reefs and ocean life in their summer school science lessons, so they wanted an under water scene.

I knew this was going to be a big project so we enlisted some friends to help. This is K, a friend from our homeschool support group. She did an awesome job on the plants, coral, purple fish, and pink dolphin.

I attempted a scuba diver. I truly appreciate working with chalk. It is so forgiving. A mistake is easily wiped off or blended in.

Z stayed busy on the floor with rocks, more plants, more fish and a very cute crab.

We added a shark for a bit of danger.

J wore his arm out coloring water. He colored some on the jelly fish, too.

A sea turtle, and clown fish were added.

Now presenting our completed Ocean Wall! It turned out to be one of our favorite murals yet.

For more about our chalk board wall click here https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/one-of-our-favorite-things-the-wall/ , here https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2013/03/01/oops-i-forgot/, here https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2013/03/21/the-old-has-gone/ , and here https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2013/04/19/942/

For another post about our coral reef study click here https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2013/06/11/reef/

betty jo

Garfield (the Cat, Not the President)

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According to my special days calendar, June 19 is Garfield’s (the cat, not the president) birthday! We will be having fun learning with our favorite cat as part of our homeschooling summer school subject of the day.

I’ll be combining math, health, science, and life skills as the kids add up the calories contained in our crock pot lasagna kitchen project, and figure how much Wii Just Dance it will take to burn those calories.

We checked these out from the library for hilarious reading.

I found these links for the kids to follow for computer lab, art, and fun.

Garfield Online Comics

educational games http://www.professorgarfield.org/pgf_home.html

how to draw for younger kids http://www.dragoart.com/tuts/12843/1/1/how-to-draw-garfield-easy.htm

drawing for older kids http://www.my-how-to-draw.com/how-to-draw-garfield.html

games for fun http://www.garfield.com/fungames.html

And what would a Garfield themed day be without a nap? I’m putting that in our day’s plans, too.

betty jo

Mathematical Art

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“For me it remains an open question whether [this work]
pertains to the realm of mathematics or to that of art.”

– M.C. Escher

June 16 , 1898 is the birthday of mathematician/graphic artist M.C. Escher. He combined art with science and geometry. He created colorful and interesting tessellations, polyhedra, and topologies. His bizarre and fascinating works are more famous today, than they were during his lifetime.

As part of this weeks homeschooling summer school calendar studies, we will be following these links as we learn about M.C. Escher and attempt some mathematical art of our own.

Biography http://www.surfnetkids.com/go/205/about-mc-escher/

Picture gallery http://www.mcescher.com/Gallery/gallery-symmetry.htm

Art gallery tour https://www.nga.gov/features/slideshows/mc-escher-life-and-work.html

How to draw an impossible cube Escher style http://www.wikihow.com/Draw-an-Impossible-Cube

Online tessellation games http://www.mathcats.com/explore/tessellationtown.html

Printable worksheets http://printableworksheets.in/?dq=M%20C%20Escher

betty jo

Our Homeschooling Week, April 15-19

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This homeschooling week started off with an unplanned study on poison ivy remedies. My daughter brought the itchy rash home with her from last week’s mission trip.

We learned that placing potato slices over the rash sites was an effective treatment.

Also this week, we the added an anemometer and a barometer to our homemade weather forecasting center.

Z7 updated the current conditions chart and practiced weather related jokes. His favorite this week is, “What does a cloud wear under it’s raincoat? Thunderwear!”

For “Poem In Your Pocket” day we not only kept poems in our pockets, but also studied poetic devices. Instead of notebooking or lapbooking our printable mini posters, we put them on our current (art in progress) chalkboard wall. I think it looks nice having some of the blank spaces filled in.

And, SALT (saved, anointed, loved, transformed) practice for our homeschool group’s creative ministries troop.

And, Silver Lining, homeschool color guard practice.

We will be ending our homeschooling week with our monthly homeschool support group’s family game night and potluck.

How was your week?

betty jo

Poetry In Chalk

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We have a chalkboard wall in our kitchen/school room. Currently, we are in the process of working on a project called “April Showers Bring May Flowers”. We are only working on it on rainy days and hopefully the whole wall will be covered in flowers and butterflies by May.

Yesterday, being Poetry In Your Pocket Day, we used the wall for our poetry studies.

All the poetry devise mini posters filled up the blank spots rather well.

For another blog post about our “Poetry In Your Pocket” Day click here https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2013/04/18/poetry-in-your-pocket/

For more about our chalkboard wall click here https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/one-of-our-favorite-things-the…

betty jo

Leonardo da Vinci

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After taking a break from our middle ages unit studies this week to study spring weather, we will be returning to them again next week. We will be finishing up our artists lessons with Leonardo da Vinci. The timing for this is perfect because his birthday is April 15. That means that we can work some cake baking and decorating into our homeschooling day.

Below are the links we will be using for the da Vinci study

Biography, art gallery, games, quizzes, printables and more from here http://www.gardenofpraise.com/art17.htm

Even though our library did not have Leonardo’s Horse I think we can still make good use of these lapbooks using what we found here http://www.homeschoolshare.com/leonardos_horse.php

Artist Notebooking Page https://notebookingfairy.com/artist-notebooking-page/

And da Vinci quotes from here http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/l/leonardo_da_vinci.html

Since da Vinci is famous for his works of the human body and portraits we are going to try the lessons from here http://www.drawingnow.com/tutorials/view/how-to-draw-people-step-by-step-for-kids/ and here http://www.learn-to-draw.com/figure-drawing/07-drawing-muscles.shtml

Da Vinci Inventions http://www.da-vinci-inventions.com/davinci-inventions.aspx

For other posts about our middle ages art studies click here https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2013/04/06/raphael/ and here https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2013/03/07/art-day-sistine-chapel-style/ and here https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2013/03/12/gothic-revival-in-western-kentucky/

“Where the spirit does not work with the hand, there is no art.” Leonardo da Vinci

betty jo

The Old Has Gone

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2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”

It was supposed to inspire me to meditate on things “spring”, like budding trees and flowers, then make a comparison with my new self since giving my life to Christ. However, when I read it, this is what I saw, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the NEW CREATION has come: THE OLD HAS GONE…”. I glance away from my study for just a second, and see our chalkboard wall.

“NEW CREATION”? The “Castle Wall” has been the featured chalk art since the end of January. We are finished with the knights and castle part of our middle ages unit study. It’s time for something “NEW”. So I had B14 erase it.

“THE OLD HAS GONE”!

The next study will be about the plague. I do not want anything plague related in my kitchen. So, I’m thinking something “spring”. Something butterflies and flowers. I glance through an art book we got from the library . And, sure enough there’s step by step instructions for drawing a butterfly.

It usually takes a couple of days to finish a mural, but when it’s done, I’ll show you.

For earlier posts about our chalkboard wall click here https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/one-of-our-favorite-things-the-wall/ and here https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2013/03/01/oops-i-forgot/

Happy Spring and Happy New Creation,

betty jo

Gothic Revival in Western Kentucky

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We toured some local historical churches with our homeschool support group. The three we visited are over 100 years old. Not that old on the scale of old churches around the world, but old enough to have history. Each of these were designed in a Gothic Revival manner, meaning that they look like mini middle age cathedrals.

The windows we admired were beautiful stained glass, the Bible in art, just like those windows from long ago when the common man could not read the stories for himself, but instead saw them in the church windows.

As I stood amazed at the artisan skill, I was humbled at the thought that God chooses not these fine buildings for his home, but us. “Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God.” (1 Corinthians 6:19)

One of the tour guides reminded us of this lesson from Luke 21:5-6, ^“Some of his disciples were remarking about how the temple was adorned with beautiful stones and with gifts dedicated to God. But Jesus said, “As for what you see here, the time will come when not one stone will be left on another; every one of them will be thrown down.” I’m glad to have seen these and shared them with my kids and friends before that happens.

betty jo

The If’s of Friday

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IF the kids have done about 10-15 minutes of extra math Mon.-Thrus, IF the notebooking assignments are finished, IF we have made some progress on chores, IF Thursday’s reviews went ok, and a few more IFs, then we have what we call “Free Ed Friday”. This means that for our 6 hour school day (requirement for homeschools in KY), the kids get to pick whatever they want to learn about. They pick books they want to read. They come up with their own art or cooking projects. They watch some educational tv and play educational games on the internet. On Fridays we might get out a board game or two.

Friday is also the day for homeshool creative ministry rehearsals, color guard practice, and errands. And sometimes, fast food. Our support group/co-op meets every 3rd Friday evening for a themed family night get together, so on that Friday we prepare for family night.

While the kids are busy learning whatever by themselves, I get to do my own educational things too. I surf the web looking for new lessons. I read posts and e-mails I didn’t have time for earlier in the week. I always find something new and wonderful. And sometimes meet someone new and wonderful. Knowing that our school week can end this way sure does give us the incentive to work hard during the week. Ask any of us which day of the school week we like best, and we would all answer “Friday”!

My favorite Free Eds from this last Friday included an earthworm collection complete with some new holes dug in the yard, learning Just Dance 4 moves, meeting some new homeschool moms and chatting with others I’ve known for years. I’m reading Andrew Klavin’s If We Survive, because E17 recommended it . She knows I love a suspenseful story and this one is.

And I found an amazing link to share with you:

http://www.google.com/intl/en/culturalinstitute/worldwonders/rideau-canal/#tab=photos&ql=1

And this one for creative fun: (be sure to check out St. Patrick and Easter on the “Holiday” tab)

http://www.thetoymaker.com/

betty jo

Art Day – Sistine Chapel Style

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As part of our “cathedral” section of our current middle ages unit studies, we researched Michelangelo and his masterpiece ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. To get a feel of what laying on your back and painting was like, we taped some paper to our dry erase board and and set it across a couple of chairs, then took turns laying under it to paint Bible story scenes. Even the homeschool graduate wanted in on this project. I love it when our assignments capture the interest of the older kids.

This is A21.

Tay art 1