Are you looking for a way to get art and art history covered without adding one more subject in your schedule? A fellow homeschooling mom shared the idea of an art placemat with me many years ago. She is the mom of 11 children which makes her an expert in my opinion.
We were discussing time management pertaining to fitting in all the subjects we think we should be teaching. I want to teach my children art. I really do BUT (isn’t there always a but) I do not know the first thing about art. Not one iota plus how to fit it in the schedule.
I took her massively brilliant idea back home to the kids and we actually did it. Ha! And it was uber easy. Is uber even a word? This is perfect for kids in general, homeschooled or not. Who doesn’t want cultured smart kids? For us Charlotte Mason people , this is perfect to go with artist studies.
Make a new one each term to go with whatever artist you are currently studying. Add in some drawing while doing fine motor or coloring in OT and you have yourself an art credit.
Before I show you how and what I did, I must make a disclaimer. It would be an injustice to art if it was just a placemat with pictures. I must clarify that we use these to enhance our art studies. We use the placemats to talk about the different forms of art along with what we see online and in person, when possible. We rotate them around the table so everyone can see them.
Download the artist placemats. Print on card stock. If I can, I print pictures by that artist to tape on the back for more conversation. Sometimes, I have postcards with paintings on them that I get from art museums gift shops. You can also get some from Amazon.
I laminate them then have dry erase markers on the table for the kids to color while waiting for food to appear. We usually do this at lunch because someone sets the table for dinner. Back when Dad works nights, we did this at dinner since our family meal was at lunch. That’s the beauty of homeschool, you do what’s best for your family.
Sit back and enjoy the conversations about the paintings and the artist that are sure to crop up. It’s especially wonderful when your child sees the painting for real and makes the connections.
