Learning To Appreciate Beauty With Fine Arts Resources @ As We Walk Along the Road: The 2015 Virtual Curriculum Fair

This is our fourth and last week for the Virtual Curriculum Fair. I hope you've enjoyed getting a glimpse into what resources other homeschool families are using and enjoying. If you've missed any weeks of the Fair throughout the month of January, you can learn more and find the links to each week's post here. The cohosts of this week's fair are Susan@Homeschooling Hearts and Minds and Lisa@Golden Grasses.

The Arts: I have to admit that it's probably my least well-known subject. I didn't do very much along the lines of visual arts when I was in school. Our school did do well in the performing arts. I was in chorus. We had a band. We did dramas each year. For two years when I was in high school, I went to a drama camp in the summer. But I never know lots about the technical side of performing arts. And there was very little I knew about visual arts in general. So when I began homeschooling, it was something I struggled to incorporate in our homeschool.

There have been several resources I've really enjoyed to study the arts. And, although I would consider myself an expert by any means, I do know more about the arts now than I did growing up.) In this edition of the Virtual Curriculum Fair, I'm going to share some of my favorite arts resources- some we're using now and some we've used in the past.

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ARTistic Pursuits

I had heard many good things about ARTistic Pursuits and finally had the opportunity to try a book last year as a review. We enjoyed it. I like that the book is very complete so that a parent with little to know art experience- ME!- can follow it. We reviewed one of the elementary books here. And this year Kathryne and Charles have both used ARTistic Pursuits as a part of their curriculum. Kathryne used one of the high school books, and Charles used the stand alone Sculpture book.

Classics for Kids

This is a free online resource. It is set up as a weekly radio program that features a composer or musical time period or style of music. All of the shows are archived, however, so if you are studying a particular time period, you can search for shows that feature it. Or you can search by composer or musical style. I love this because I can match it up to specific historical periods about which we are reading. Each week's radio show show also includes a printable with more information and other activities. The site also has information about the orchestra, including printables, and other musical topics. It is truly a wealth of musical information.

Maestro Classics

This is another great resource I found with a review. Maestro Classics has some great CDs that feature a classic piece of music, commentary, activities for kids and much more. We listened to The Sorcerer's Apprentice and Casey at the Bat for our review and really enjoyed both. I really like that the CD is more than just the piece of music. The other information that is narrated helped us enjoy the piece even more as we learned the background and musical techniques and more.

God and the History of Art

Our curriculum from My Father's World uses this resource. It follows great art through history, featuring classical art from the time periods and teaching art technique. It truly is art with a Christian worldview, focusing not just on the work of art but on how it relates to our Christian perspective. I really like that it alternated between featuring classic pieces from classic artists and teaching technique, giving the kids projects to try.

Shakespeare Resources

I can't end a discussion of the fine arts without sharing some of my favorite resources for reading and studying Shakespeare. Study of the Bard wasn't something I really planned when we began homeschooling. But as we moved more into a classical and Charlotte Mason homeschool style, I became interested and wanted to share Shakespeare with my kids. I've loved learning about Shakespeare myself. This is another area that I didn't know much about, but that I am learning more and more about as I teach it. Here are a few of my favorite resources for reading and studying the Bard.

The Folger Shakespeare Library has games, facts, scripts for the plays, and many more activities for kids.

Tales From Shakespeare by Charles and Mary Lamb was an excellent way to introduce my kids to the plays. The plays are written as stories, adapted for kids. So, before you read the script, you'll have a good idea of what the play means. You can get this book free for Kindle here- Tales from Shakespeare or read it free online at ReadCentral.com.

Beautiful Stories From Shakespeare is another beautiful adaptation of the plays into stories. This one is authored by E. Nesbitt and can also be read at ReadCentral.com or purchased from Amazon. Beautiful Stories from Shakespeare for Children

How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare from Ken Ludwig is a book I chanced on to review. I loved it. Ken Ludwig focuses on having your children memorize passages of Shakespeare- which are detailed in the book. He tells you the whys and how tos, making it a book you can easily pick up and work through with your kids.

No Fear Shakespeare is the version we like to use when we read the actual Shakepeare scripts. It has the traditional wording on one side of the page and the modern English on the other. I've liked using these to read aloud because the older kids, and I, can read the traditional script, and the younger girls can read the modern.

As with all of the subjects I've posted about in the Virtual Curriculum Fair, I truly believe I've learned more about the fine arts as a homeschool teacher than I ever did in school. I love learning about these things as I teach my kids, and sometimes, I know I get more excited about them than my kids!

Make sure that you read on and visit my the other bloggers who are sharing their Fine Arts resources today, and then you can link up with your Fine Arts resource posts.

The Art of Organization�or How Clutter Almost Ruined My Homeschool by Susan @ Homeschooling Hearts & Minds

The Shadow of Divine Perfection by Lisa @ Golden Grasses

Relaxed Homeschooling: Fine Arts in the Early Elementary Years by Brittney @ Mom's Heart

Fine Arts {Art Appreciation, Art, Composer Study Hymn Study} for 2015 by Chareen @ Every Bed of Roses

Adding Sparkle to Home Education by Sarah @ Delivering Grace

And All the Extras by Christy @ Unexpected Homeschool

Teaching Art Using the Bible by Tauna @ Proverbial Homemaker

Art In Every Subject by Kym @ Homeschool Coffee Break

Letting Art Just Happen in Homeschool by Amy @ One Blessed Mamma

Missing Art? by Kristen H. @ Sunrise to Sunset

Do YOU Have Time for Extracurriculars? by Michele@ Family, Faith and Fridays

Fine Arts in Our Classical / Charlotte Mason Homeschool by Sharra @ The Homeschool Marm