Disclaimer: I was compensated for my time in exchange for my honest review. This post may contain sponsored content and/or some affiliate links for your convenience (which means if you make a purchase after clicking a link I will earn a small commission but it won’t cost you a penny more)!
Living Art Lessons with MasterBooks is an uncomplicated and easy-to-do art curriculum for the whole family
Confession time!! I will usually pay someone to teach art to my kids. I.e., neighborhood programs.
It is not what you think. I do appreciate art and I actually don’t mind all of the mess. However, over the years, I’ve been super focused on the three R’s; reading, writing, and arithmetic; coupled with extracurricular activities (outside of the home), so my time is very limited.
Unfortunately, homeschooling multiple kids with completely different interests, the expenses of these programs add up quickly.
So, I was looking into art curriculums that are budget sensitive, user-friendly, and can be used as a whole-family project.
To give a little background to our homeschooling life, I consider ourselves an eclectic homeschooling family which includes some aspects of the Charlotte Mason methods in our learning journey, so Living Art Lessons with MasterBooks seemed like a logical place to start.
This is meant to be a year-long introduction to art for 4th through 6th graders. Master Book’s Art Curriculum is divided into seven different elements of art:
- Lines
- Shapes
- Color
- Value
- Texture
- Form
- Space
For our family, there are many positive elements in this curriculum.
The Pros
- Homeschool Budget Friendly: This is an inexpensive art curriculum compared to other programs for this grade. You can purchase directly from Master Books.
- Uses everyday home supplies: I read through the entire supplies list and had every single item at home expect for Shellac, which can be easily bought at any craft or hardware store.
- Very easy read and easy to follow instructions: I am confident that my 11 year can read and lead the lessons alone because she did!! She helped both brothers with the assignment. (I did help set up the art supplies)
- Can easily weave in Art Study Books: Because the book is separated into seven different art elements, each section highlights at least one artist using a specific art element. You can adapt the curriculum to only focus on those artists and expand into their life history and other examples of their work. You most definitely should visit an art museum and see their art in person, if you can.
- Writing Opportunities: Using the Artist Journal, there are a number of activities that can be used to practice dictation skills or transfer of knowledge from mind to paper.
- Educator’s Section: At the beginning of the course books, there is a scope and sequence page, how to use this course and its objectives, and finally an extensive supplies list.
The Cons?
- Not enough diverse artists : It contain plenty of well known artists, but those families who may be looking for a more complete list of artists, will be disappointed.
Will We Use it?
Yes, The lessons are so well done and uncomplicated that I can easily weave in these art lessons on any slow day and adapt them to fit each child.
So if you’re looking for a fun and easy-to-use art curriculum that will introduce your kids to basic art concepts, then you need to check out Living Art Lessons by Master Books!
Homelife with Us 