Art Appreciation Month

During the month of January I will be focusing our studies on art. This week we will be focusing on Vincent Van Gogh. Although very famous for Sunflowers & Starry Night, the boys will be diving to take a deeper look at Van Gogh’s life.

This week’s study will be an accumulation of using Van Gogh, by Dorling Kindersley’s Eyewitness books and the internet as our main sources of information. Every day they will read this book and answer a series of questions in their notebooks.

We will be recreating Starry Night by using long strips of magazine paper, Fourteen Sunflowers by using colored pencils, and The Sower by using pencil and charcoal. During this time we will be watching a series of beginner videos on YouTube for a guide on techniques, materials, and overall early introduction to art.

Here is the link:

For writing we will be gathering information by researching on the internet on what art means, the expressions of art, early findings of art, and how art makes us feel. We will be compiling a list of art work that portrays the following emotions: sadness, happiness, excitement, and love.

Math is brought in by creating an ongoing timeline of events that happened in Van Gogh’s life, as well as, making simple bar graphs of materials used to create and how many pieces were created in such media.

We will also be watching a video, The Story, on YouTube, of Van Gogh’s life. It is about an hour long and can be broken down across the days if needed.

Here is the link:

I had an awful time finding websites that included online educational games for fun. The ones that I did find are the following:

http://www.artsology.com/van-gogh-hail-storm-game.php

http://artk12.com/vincent-van-gogh-sunflowers/

Art is intriguing and fun. I love applying a topic across a multitude of subjects! Making it developmentally appropriate is key. The “grades” I am teaching are 1st, 4th, and 8th. I simplify the lessons in some areas and apply more challenging activities in others.

As we know, children learn better through play. Let your child learn about art by recreating, investigating, cultivating curiosity, and applying their own ideas to paper.

What is art anyway, but a visual form into an individuals imagination and consciousness.  Express yourself!

If you know any websites that offer art activities, interactive games,etc. please feel free to share them in the comments.

Thanks!