I hate art!!! But...

[Lovedtodeath]

The materials needed for each book are listed if you click on the book on this page:

http://www.artisticpursuits.com/03mcont.htm

[DIY-DY]

What is WP?

I'm not sure if you would get overwhelmed. I pretty much get overwhelmed just thinking about doing any art-related activity. But we're still feeling comfortable with AP, so that's encouraging.

I think it would be a fun, fantastic summertime course!! What a great idea!

Dy

[DIY-DY]

Originally Posted by swellmomma

For extra supplies, did you have to buy a lot for it or did you have most of it on hand? I have a lot of art stuff here because I simply wanted to let the kids explore before starting an art curric and don't want to spend a crazy amount expanding my already overflowing quant. of supplies. So is there a lot to buy? Anything particularily weird?

I had some of it, already. You'll probably have more. Construction paper, scissors, glue... all pretty benign. Air-drying clay. (I plan to use the Sculpey we have leftover from other failed attempts at doing creative things. If that fails miserably, I'll be sure to post back about it, okay? )

You may not have an ebony pencil, or oil pastels.

Watercolor pencils - are AWESOME! (I actually wish we'd had these a long time ago - not a wasted purchase, imho. Even if, for some reason, we dropped AP altogether - lovin' the watercolor pencils.) And, of course, watercolor paper (something with a good "tooth" - Needleroozer walked me through that - glad she did, 'cuz I never would have thought that there was any difference!)

But no, in the K-3, Book 1, there doesn't seem to be anything too weird.

[Colleen]

...I can't get past the fact that the pictures on the cover of the books are so cheezy. Okay, okay, it's not just that. I simply can't get myself to "do" art at home. Can. Not. I'm talking about the actually act of making art. Art history? Love it! Art appreciation? Not a problem. But actually creating art, in this house, consists of nothing more than having the boys take out their art notebooks and Lyra pencils and just drawing. The mere thought of anything beyond that gives me the willies.

I outsourced art instruction for a few years to a wonderful woman. Price was right, location was perfect, and the boys ~ who, unlike their mother (and father, for that matter) do have artistic bones in their bodies ~ were happy campers. And then...she moved. She had the gall to up and head to Arizona simply because her grandchildren are down there. As if her grandchildren take precedence over her art students. The nerve!

We've been art teacher-less these past couple of years and now and then, when the guilt overcomes me I again contemplate a few different options, including Artistic Pursuits. Then I go to their website and within, oh, maybe ten seconds I become overwhelmed because the page layouts are overloaded. But I calm myself and look at the lessons. I look at the picture study and read the accompanying text and smile and nod because, as I said, I can deal with that. Once I see the actual application of the lesson though, that Wise Voice in my head asks: "Will you really do it?" And the answer, I'm afraid, is no.

But now that I know you're a changed woman, Dy, I'm at least aware that we art instruction duds can turn over a new leaf.

[matroyshka]

Wow, Colleen, I could almost have written that. "Doing" art with the kids overwhelms me.

I have, though, decided to break down and buy AP this year for my older two (10yo). This is completely because at this level it's written to the kid, and even though *I* will never sit down and "do" a lesson with them, I have a feeling they will do it themselves. They were so excited looking at the books. They've loved the art lessons we've outsourced. I think mommy just needs to get out of their way.

My youngest is supposedly too young for the 4-6 books. I contemplated ordering her the K-3, then had a reality check moment, in that it's written to the parent, and I *know* I will not do it with her. She's going to have to hold out till she's old enough for the other book! In the meantime she'll just have to draw whatevery with colored pencils, or I may break down and give her an outside lesson out of guilt. But I just know that reality says I'll never direct an art lesson. Bad mom.

[Lovedtodeath]

WP is Winter Promise and they have crafty type projects almost every day... of course you can choose not to do everything on the schedule (actually you are supposed to pick and choose) but I kinda answered my question by decideing to do AP along with science and skipping history/geography altogether when we do this. We will do the first half of AP this spring/summer, and wait until next spring/summer to do the second half which involves ancient art (which will coincide with our history studies).

I do a lot of thinking on these boards. lol