Artist Study with Degas

Along with our 6 week Music study of Tchaikovsky, we are also studying The paintings, Sketches and sculptures of Edgar Degas. This is a perfect Artist to be studying with Tchaikovsky, because they are both directly related to Classical Ballet.

In viewing works by Degas while listening to the music of Tchaikovsky, you can almost see Degas' ballerinas come to life.

Some Of Tchaikovsky's more famous Ballets are:

• The Nutcracker Suite
• Swan Lake
• Sleeping Beauty
• And Romeo an Juliet

  All Make for beautiful selections of music in which to begin your studies.

  Some of our Past Degas Selections have been:

• the Dance Class 1875-76
• The Star
• Ballet dancers

  Our Chosen Picture for this particular study was:

Singer in Green 1884-85 Pastel on paper.

In this study we chose to focus on recreating the look of pastels.

I have a few younger little ones, so instead of working with the pastel medium, I chose to recreate the look with a medium that the kids are extremely familiar with....crayons.

This method is called the "crayon-resist".

All you will need is:

• Crayola crayons (vibrant colors)
• watercolors
• paintbrushes
• watercolor paper
• a cup of water
• painting smock

Have your child first sketch their work on the paper. A soft outline sketch is all that is needed. Any detail will be added in with the crayons. It is important to note that the sketch need not be perfect. As with any "interpretation" of an artist's work, It will ultimately take on a life of its own... and it will be a life created by the unique hands of your child.

The most important goal of this activity is for your child to commit the Artist's picture to memory, so that it can always be on display in the Gallery of the "mind's eye". It is in capturing the essence of a painting, that we establish a deep and meaningful relationship with it.

After your child's Sketch is complete, have them go over their sketch outline in crayon. From here on out, it is important that your child color in detail with a Heavy hand. In order for the crayon to "resist," the paper most be covered in wax. Have the child color in their Sketch with colors and direction similar to that of the artists. Have them Examine the pattern of the pastel colors, and imitate it to the best of their ability (with a heavy hand).

Once all coloring has been completed, you child is ready to paint with watercolors. You will notice in Degas' Pastel works, that often times his pastels were layered . Have your child choose the paints that best match the layered effect of the pastel. Paint over the crayon with nice heavy strokes. The Crayon will resist the watercolors where the wax is heavy, and seep into the paper where the wax was lacking. This will ultimately create the layered effect and Chalkiness of the pastel work.

Here are a few samples of our work:

Mom

"Belle"- age 10yrs

"Little Sparty"- Age 6 yrs

(He opted to Draw a Bus)

Hope you enjoy this activity as much as we did!

Composer and music Studies with Tchaikovsky

We have had a wonderful 6 weeks studying Tchaikovsky.

He has always been one of my favorite composers, so It was a real Joy to share my love of his music with my kids this term. To add to our music studies, I put together some

notebooking pages, a coloring page, and a mini book to go along with our studies.

Classical music and the arts played a large role in my childhood. My mother was very fond of classical music, and I have many memories directly associated with certain pieces that I heard while growing up. Music and the arts also played a huge part in my Younger sister's growth and development. Growing up with Cerebral Palsy was a major obstacle, but music and the arts along with her regular therapy had a profound effect on her.

All and all, I have to say that I have come to understand the importance of Music and the arts in the life of a child.

In order to deepen our appreciation and develop a strong relationship with music, I have always advocated engaging as many of a child's senses as possible while listening to a selection. Any creative and calming activity is fine, so long as it is something that your child enjoys.

It can be as something as simple as dancing to the music... (free-style or simply choreographed), or playing an instrument along with the music. My kids enjoy getting out their toy drum or tambourine, and playing to the beat of the music. An activity as simple as this, can even help teach your child rhythm.

One of my favorite activities to do with my children, is something we call "paint-conducting".

All you will need for this project is:

• a set of finger paints
• finger-painting paper
• a painting smock
• a selection of music.

Firstly, the kids and I take a few minutes to absorb the piece of music.

In this case, we listened to Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto no.1.

After listening quietly to the music, I tell them to simply paint how the music makes them "feel".

Their color selection is based on feeling.

Their finger strokes are based on rhythm.

They enjoy both attentively listening to the music, as well as seeing the product of their listening .

Don't forget to label the finished product with a name, date and composition.

My hope is that at the end of the year, we will have a collection of paintings to compare and contrast.

Piano Concerto No.1- Tchaikovsky

Mom

"Belle"- age 10yrs

"Little Sparty"- Age 6 yrs

"Little Music"- age 18months

Fruits of Our Labor

In an earlier post, I mentioned the garden that the kids have been tending since Spring.

It has been a blessing for so many reasons. The kids have learned so much about plants and nature, they have witnessed and discovered things like:

How the plants grow from seed to fruit bearing plant.

They have witnessed the plant"s stages of growth, and seen the miracle of God's creation

first -hand.

They have built a relationship with their garden.

They have learned how to be responsible.

They have discovered a new appreciation from theveggies that they harvest

and have learned to be thankful

They have even discovered and learned about bugs and insects that now inhabit their little garden. But I think the MOST important thing... is that they have learned these things on their own

They actually OWN their garden.

In the beginning, I taught them how to weed, trim and harvest... but since that time, they have cared for their garden on their own. I do not have to tell them to water it, I do not have to tell them to care for it. They know that it is THEIRS, and they relish the thought of it.

Since this spring we have made a number of changes to the garden. This past week, we did away with our cucumbers and tomatoes... and have planted some lovely fall crops!...

Say "mmmm....." for butternut squash and pumpkin!

Off to a start!!!

We officially started school the day after Labor day. It was a perfect time for us to start. We were able to get one last summer adventure out of the way over the weekend. I am happy to say that we ended our summer with a "bang"! I am So excited about what we have planned for this year. We are currently working on a number of fun projects, and have started some exciting new journeys and adventures into some fabulous new books. Last School year turned out to be very fruitful, but I did walk away wanting to improve a few things. Over the summer, I set myself to the task of re-examining our organizational skills and habits. It seems that there are a few things that need "tweaking". With a little one constantly running under my feet and a 6 year old who is starting 1st grade,this year will be a challenge, indeed. One of the first things that I set to work on is our habits. My 6 year old is in definite need of developing his habits of attention and obedience. in his case, I think the two habits are directly correlated. I am so thrilled to be reading the book "Laying Down the Rails: A Charlotte Mason Habits Handbook," By Sonya Shafer. It is A Heavy read, but it does a wonderful job of pulling all of Charlotte Mason's writings on the formation of habit. The things that I have taken away from the book are: changing my own habits into an attitude of encouragement and positive reinforcement, remembering that the development of a new habit should be exercised in baby steps, and to drop the relentless nagging and replace it with a firm but gentle reminder. the Formation of habit is definitely a team effort :).

Along with my sons habit of attention, I have decided to re-form my own habit of organization. I have, therefore, decided that "work boxes" are the best means of delivering materials to my children in the morning. Having their work pre-set for them gives me more opportunity for free time with the little one. It also inspires the kids to complete their work in a timely manner so that they can move on to the next "bin". At the end of the day, they get to see how much they have accomplished. In order to keep myself on track, I have adopted a kitchen timer. Not only does this remind to keep the lesson short and to the point, but it helps my 6 yr old develop his habit of attention. He hears the time ticking away, and he knows that as soon as that bell rings, he is able to move on to the next subject. If he gets his lessons done quickly (and done well), he is rewarded by free time. Another handy little tool that I have adopted for this year is the online CM organizer at www.simplycharlottemason.com This tool has been a God send for me. Should we happen to miss a day or skip a scheduled subject, it carries the assignment to the next scheduled day. No more backtracking, erasing and rewriting our school plans into a day planner! It is also VERY handy for keeping records and reports. The best thing about it is that it has a free trial, so that you have the ability to make sure that is a program that you will use. Now that I have shared our organizational over-haul, I can't wait to share our projects and assignments!! But I will save That for my next post

The Marriage of Art to Music

Da Vinci Art study and Gregorian Chant

We have been very fortunate in our artist study to have such a wonderful support group. It is such a blessing to have the opportunity to study along side other homeschoolers from time to time. It a real treat for the kids and for the parents to witness such an atmosphere of fellowship. Once a month we meet at the local park and take time to study famous artwork and listen to good music. This makes for a great introduction to our at home studies, which we then build upon in our own special way.

** Note the enthusiasm in my 5 yr. old's face**

I have been working on creating a curriculum which builds upon our love of the fine arts through merging the study of art with classical music. These two forms of expression are uniquely suited for each other in study. Being a musician myself, the correlation between music, art and dance has always seemed very evident to me. There is no doubt that all three of these mediums have direct influence on one another. We can see the evidence of this through out the course of history. All 3 of these art forms can incite such passion and emotion, they help us to recollect memories, inspire creativity, and as mentioned in " The Mozart Effect;" They have the power to stimulate brain activity. A recent re-read of the book "Better Music, Brighter children" reminded me of the depth of influence these mediums have, as well as the responsibility that we have as parents to insure that our children receive the proper Fine Art influences. *** my daughter focuses on the subject during this drawing exercise***

This month, we have been studying Leonardo Da Vinci. There is such a challenge in studying the magnitude of this man. He was a genius in his own right, and I know that we will be returning to our studies of him for years to come. I have opted to pair our studies of Da Vinci with Gregorian chant and the music of Josquin Desprez. Thus far, we have been paying particular attention to Da Vinci's sketches, and using the opportunity to advance ourselves in the skill of observation and contour drawing. ***notebooking page courtesy of www.notebookingpages.com ***

His completed oil works, particularly ones such as; "The Annunciation," "The Virgin of the Rocks," "The Last Supper," and "the Mona Lisa" are paintings that we have been viewing while listening to Josquin Desprez. All of his music is both classical and reverent, as are most of Da Vinci's paintings. Still, You can hear the underlying influence of the notable Renaissance sound that we are all so familiar with.

*** My daughter's (9) free hand sketch of the Mona Lisa ***

Charlotte Mason is a great advocate of atmosphere. A joyful environment, indeed, makes for a joyful learning experience. In this instance, it was important for me to provide an atmosphere in which my children could hear the musical influence in art through the subject of time period. There are occasions in which I have Chosen to match a particular song with a certain artwork. Not only does this particular method engage the totality of ones senses, but it makes music and art more tangible. It gives a child the ability to internalize. It enables the child to understand that Music, Art, and Dance speak to us; they all have a story to tell. The following pictures are examples of blind contour drawing. It is important in building observational skills. It will no doubt aid in the study of famous artwork. As your child becomes more aware of the details, he/she will become more able to distinguish one artist's style vs. another.

***Subject 1 of Blind Contour Drawing***

*** 5 yr. old contour drawing***

***9 yr. old contour drawing***

*** subject 2 of contour drawing***

***contour drawing by 9 yr. old with added detail afterward***

Keeping a Schedule with Charlotte Mason

First off, let me say that I am definitely NOT a "schedule person".

I tend to rebel against them; preferring instead the nonrestrictive freedom of spontaneity.

I would much rather go with the ebb and flow; to have no routine to follow; no demands on my life. I would much rather feel moved by the creativity of the moment.

And so I resolved to NEVER have a schedule.

Here is my confession: "never having a schedule"

doesn't work so well when you have 3 children at home.; two of which homeschool, and 1 of which, is a nurse on demand baby.

In anticipation of this very problem, this past Spring I resolved to finding the perfect schedule.

I am happy to say, that after Long Last... I have found something that works.

After reading and re-reading Charlotte Masons thoughts on schedules and habits, I have come to a deeper understanding for the importance of a schedule. It actually dawned me that I was doing a tremendous disservice to my children by not having a set routine for them.

Now, I am not advocating for a routine that turns children into lifeless robots.

You see, THAT was my biggest fear.

I was always afraid of being stuck in the monotony of a perpetual Groundhogs day.

Having to have the same day over and over would, no doubt, destroy the very breadths of the soul.

No, that is not the kind of schedule that would work for me or my children.

What we needed was a comprehensive list of Goals to accomplish from day to day.

What we needed was to be able to have the freedom to go on a whim, without feeling bogged down by our daily "To Dos".

Charlotte Mason gives us the perfect opportunity to do Just that!

She advocated, with good reason, for "habit training". Which is, of course, essential in training

up a child who is disciplined.

It makes good sense that we cannot have a virtuous child, if the child is undisciplined. It is impossible for an undisciplined child to fight the temptations of vice without, first arming them with knowledge and good habit.

Yes, good habit is essential... and so I endeavored to ensure good habit when creating our schedule. The practice of good habit would come first thing in the morning with:

making the bed, getting dressed and brushing the teeth.

Charlotte Mason Also said to give a child something to love. It is important for them to have someone or something in the home for a child to tend to and care for. So, in our new schedule I included "Feed the Pets".

This leads us to morning prayer and breakfast... and then, my favorite, Morning chores.

The children are in charge of unloading the dishwasher and cleaning up after breakfast. I have also broken the house down into "zones" which we rotate throughout the week.

Some of the things that the children are in charge of are:

• separating dirty clothes by color
• loading and unloading the washer machine
• vacuuming
• Dusting
• Washing base boards
• and general Tidy up

We have a list of school goals to accomplish... so we can mix and match our learning according to our mood, or according to the learning opportunities that present themselves. The Children can also pick one weekly activity to do per week. More about that in a sec.

So, now that I have gone into a big THING on schedules...

I would like to share with you my latest project.

Being that I am NOT a creature of routine... and being that my children have taken after my example, I sat for a LONG while trying to think of the best way to lure ourselves into looking at a written schedule.

After a LOT of brainstorming, I came up with an interactive schedule that the children cannot seem to separate themselves from.

Using some left over fabric, batting, and some scrapbook odds and ends I created a hanging Pocket chart.

First off, I typed out our weekly schedule headed with the verse: " A Place for everything and everything in its place. I always put my things away that I might find them another day."

I then mounted the schedule on scrapbooking paper, and slipped into a page protector.

I sewed the schedule on to the hanging pocket chart using 4 buttons. 1 per each corner.

Under the Schedule. I sewed 3 pockets. Each one of the Pockets is labeled.

The first pocket is entitled: "Weekly Activities."

Using Cardstock, scrapbooking tags, and yarn; I mounted activities that we are either involved in through our homeschooling group or that we enjoy doing at home.

Some of the activities are as follows:

• Nature Notebook
• TimeLine
• Tea Time
• Fine Arts Study
• Craft time
• Snack time with Winnie the Pooh
• P.E
• Pickwick Society
• Little Flowers
• Blue Knights
• Travel Log

The children are in charge of pulling out the tags that have, both, the activities that we have planned for the week, and the daily activity that they would like to do that day. They then hook the tag onto one of the schedule's corner buttons.. and it instantly become part of the schedule.

The next Pocket is entitled "Narration." I added the title on this pocket after seeing a interactive narration station from one of my fellow bloggers. http://www.amothersjournal.com/.

Kudos to you for such a brilliant idea!!

I have a set of Narration Recipe Cards by Karen Radcliffe. They are Chalk full of narration activities and ideas. I select One narration Recipe card per day, and put it into the narration slot to be completed.

The 3rd Pocket is entitled "weekly Chores". There are 4 scrapbooking tags in this pocket. Each tag is labeled "week 1", "week 2" etc. I have listed certain monthly chores on each tag.

Some of the chores include:

• Flipping mattresses
• cleaning out cars
• organizing the pantry
• cleaning out fridge
• organizing upstairs closets
• spraying for bugs
• cleaning of the porch

Every Saturday we accomplish the list of monthly chores on our tag. The Tags are tied to a set of ribbons, which I have sewn onto the corner of the pocket. The Children pull out the tag of the week every Saturday... remembering to rotate them so that we can accomplish all 4 sets of chores every month.

Finally,

At the bottom of the Chart I have sewn 3 double pockets.

The first double pocket is labled for my son,

The second pocket is labeled for my husband and myself,

and the third pocket is labeled for my daughter

(the baby is currently sharing pockets with mom and dad ).

We use these pockets as mail boxes.

This past year our Charlotte Mason book club gave us the idea of making or buying mailboxes for each of our children. The mailboxes were to be meant as a way to send notes of encouragement and love to our children. The children would then be able to respond in letter to their parent's mailbox. I thought this to be a wonderful Idea to create keepsake letters for my children. I will eventually scrapbook all of the letters for my children to have as a reminder of our love for eachother.

It is also a wonderful way to encourage and inspire the reluctant writer :).

I write notes to my children every evening and place them in their "mailboxes"... or pockets. The first thing they do every morning is check for a letter.

I always have a reply by lunch time.

The back portion of the double pocket is where the children place their narration assignments that they have completed from the narration recipe card. This way, at the end of the evening, I can grab the written narration, and type it up.

We then place it in their notebooks or use it for copywork for the next day.

All and all, I will say that the schedule has been a wonderful success. I cannot begin to explain how wonderful it is to have the children share in some of our household responsibilities. I have to admit that the schedule has freed us up for more free time in the afternoon. With less stress, and more productivity in the mornings, I have been able to focus on the joy of my children, rather than what has yet to be accomplished.

Pickwick victorian Egg Craft

PickWick Society's Victorian Easter Craft This Past Pickwick meeting we opted to make a traditional Victorian Easter egg craft.

I have heard these eggs called by many names:

"spy eggs"

"Panoramic eggs"

"Peek Hole eggs"

I personally Call them:

Peek-a-boo eggs

Traditionally, these eggs are made out

of real eggs which are emptied of their

contents via small pin hole.

But as delicate as this process is,

I decided that the hardiest way to make these eggs are with Paper Mache eggs, which I purchased at Hobby lobby. These eggs come in various sizes, and are quite easily cut using an exacto knife.

The peep holes were

precut the night before, and various Victorian Easter images

were printed on color fast paper

for the decoupage process.

One image was used to decoupage onto

the surface of the egg,

while an alternate image

(printed on heavy card stock)

was mounted to the inside of the egg....

to be seen through the "peep hole"

The girls were in charge of painting the eggs a solid color and then embellishing them with their choice of paints, glitter, fabric flowers, lace, ribbon etc.

We had such a fun and crafty time making these eggs. I was so very proud of the girls for coming up with such original and creative ideas!!