ARTistic Pursuits Early Elementary K-3 Book One

Book excerpt: This book is sure to delight young children with over 185 colorful illustrations and great Master paintings. Lessons capture each child's interests and imagination while introducing the fundamental principles of the visual arts. Parents read a simple ten-minute lesson with their child that includes art appreciation. The topic is pointed out in a full – color work of art by well-known Masters like Rivera, Chagall, De Hooch, Van Gogh and more. This time is followed with a project that allows children to immediately apply their new knowledge of the subject, while creating works of art from their own experiences and observations, making each piece produced personal and unique. The first section covers the activities artists engage in when making art (composing, imagining, looking, etc.,) how to use the materials of an artist (watercolor crayons, pastels, pencil), and the various types of subjects artists work from (landscapes, people, still-life, etc.) Activities broaden children’s awareness of the world they live in. The second section of the book covers the elements that artists use in two-dimensional and three-dimensional work such as shape, form, line, and color. The third section is a comprehensive study of ancient art as children are introduced to different kinds of art that we see such as art in caves, pyramids, cathedrals, and more. This section covers early cave paintings and figurines from Jordon to tapestries and book illumination of the Middle Ages. Children's ideas about art are greatly expanded as they learn how ancient cultures used art. The hands-on projects help them remember what materials the culture used or the major ideas of the culture. This book provides lessons for the completion of thirty-six finished drawings, paintings, and sculptures that are both original and wholly the child’s own. “The instruction is so well-suited to the book’s audience of kindergarten to 3rd graders. Mrs. Ellis uses a conversational style of writing that is so appealing to younger children, yet her curriculum never “talks down” to them nor does it go over their heads!” - Homeschool Parent – Jenny Thompson / Florida