Summer Art Challenge 2019: Wrap Up

 My youngest came home from school last week so excited to tell me about the art project he worked on at school.  They made pumpkins (because FALL!!!) using the techniques based on the art of Yayoi Kusama.  We looked her up and he was so excited to tell me all about her.  His teacher gave me a sneak peak of their creations and let me tell you, so neat!!! 

I love art.  I love that my kids are falling in love with art and studying the life and styles of the artist.  Watching them as we walk through art galleries, like the National Art Gallery this summer, and have their eyes light up in excitement because they "know" the artist.  I am a firm believe that art is just as important for kids to learn as reading and writing.  It is a way to express feelings and build confidence.  It is a way to relax.  It stirs conversation. It is vital in the development of kids to experience and create art. 


I have always been pretty good about incorporating art into our vacation time, but this past summer, I wanted to be intentional with how I did it.  So, I got online, picked out 6 artists, planned our projects, and checked out as many books as I could find.  I love picture books and there are some beautifully written picture books that captivate the kids (and the parents) and teach them about the artist.  The best part if I didn't actually own a book, I could get online and request it and my local library would tell me it was there.  Best.thing.ever! 

This summer, we studied Kandinsky, Seurat, Picasso, Matisse, Van Gogh, and O'Keeffe.  Each artist had their own unique style, and each week we tried a different method.  We used paper cutting, water colors, oil pastels, tempera paints, q-tips, paint  brushes, and scissors.   We took risks and stepped out of our comfort zones to create a piece of art each week.  We learned history, we read books, we learned things like shading and tints, blending, warm and cool colors, complimentary colors, and so many more things. We learned that some things were time consuming and others took less time. 

Anytime that I get to add beautiful picture books into what we are learning at home makes my teacher-heart/picture book loving heart so happy.  

 I love getting creating with my kids and we can't wait to do some more art when we have a day off soon.  I think my favorite thing was the time it gave us just to sit down and talk while we created.  The conversations that come when you put a art supply in your child's hand are phenomenal.  If you are ever having any trouble making time to be intentional with your kids, I highly recommend planning an art project, or sitting down and doing some coloring together. . . once the hand starts moving, so does the talking.  It's a really beautiful thing!

 Here are the links to each art project:

Kandinsky
Seurat
Picasso
Matisse
Van Gogh
O'Keeffe