"This is a Perfect Book for My Art Appreciation Class!"

Budget cuts in many school districts have cut art and music classes. 

A Harris Poll released in 2005 determined 93% of Americans believe the arts are essential to a well-rounded education.

In our home, art is not part of a budget cut. In fact, art can often be taught well for minimal cost and better yet through a mentoring artist or art enthusiast.

Today we headed to the local library to return items. We purposed only to be in long enough to return books and have the notary sign paperwork for a sports opportunity. An hour later, three floors of shelves investigated--because each child headed off on a rabbit trail (have I mentioned, not planned!) --we left with treasures.


While one learner found the books she needed to add items to her hand-made jewelry collection, another turned around and found Children's Picturebooks: The Art of Visual Storytelling by Martin Salisbury and Morag Styles on an adjacent shelf. She also found Drawing and Painting Animals by Bill Tilton.

From an aisle over I hear, "This is a perfect book for my art appreciation class!"

Appears my high school young adult with The Great Book of Currier & Ives' in America. This book, this HUGE book, is a BEAUTY, every 15 inches in height, 12 inches in width, and 2 1/2 thick piece of it! It has to be one of the biggest books I have ever seen! It set spine up on the shelf as it was too tall for the traditional shelving.

On the way home, two high schoolers seated side-by-side in the car, paged through American history by means of  Currier & Ives. Stunning art definitely appreciated. A great addition, student-interest led, to her art appreciation class.

I will keep you posted on how this book is woven into this year's art appreciation.

Note: I imagine for a student interested in art more than history, this book might spark an interest in our nation's history through its brilliant works. If a student with such interests resides in your home, perhaps a catalog search will reveal this treasure on shelves near you. Just be prepared for an arm workout while hauling it home!

Benjamin West: Impromptu Mini Study

Celebrate the simple in learning

It's been a few years and a few children ago that we read Benjamin West and His Cat Grimalkin by Marguerite Henry (yes, the author who wrote the beloved Misty of Chincoteague, another classic worthy of the read). The book introduced us to the Father of American Painting, an artist of whom we were unfamiliar.



Recently, the youngers were introduced to Benjamin and the olders were reacquainted while reading Benjamin West: Gifted Young Painter by Dorothea J. Snow, a biography from the Childhood of Famous Americans series. We were all intrigued, just as we were years ago at our first introduction.

Little known facts we learned:

• Benjamin wrestled with how his God-given talent could possibly be woven with his Quaker faith, giving his family and his church a new perspective to consider. 
• Benjamin was creative and industrious, making the best of what he had, from colored clay (insert science study here) to using his cat's fur to make paintbrushes (there is a character lesson of truth telling here but I won't spoil the story).
• Benjamin was a court painter for King George III. 
• Benjamin taught famous painters Gilbert Stuart (think famous portrait painter of George Washington) and John Trumbull (think Declaration of Independence) 

Interesting new vocabulary we learned from our reading journey through Benjamin West: Gifted Young Painter .

• Satchel
• Provost
• Ramshackle
• Aghast
• Daub
• Folly
• Hautboy
• Chortled
• Nape
• Comely

We finished the COFA biography today. As I read the last word of the book, a little perked up, interested:

"We have to find out more!"

Yes, we can. And so can you! Look up these painters in your favorite set of encyclopedia (yes, they still exist), explore Google images, and watch a few You Tube videos.

We:

• Analyzed several paintings from each of the artists, beginning with Benjamin West's mentioned in the COFA biography: William Penn's Treaty with the Indians and The Death of  General Wolfe. A discussion ensued regarding how artists depict history in their work and whether or not the history is accurate. 
• Learned of the friendship between Benjamin West and Benjamin Franklin and then studied the the significance of Benjamin Franklin Drawing Lighting from the Sky. A great lesson in history and art appreciation.

A good story sparks an interest.

Our little impromptu mini study sparked a new fire.

"Benjamin influenced many artists. Let's find out more about those artists."

• Charles Willson Peale
• Gilbert Stuart
• John Trumbull
• Thomas Sully
• Samuel F. B. Morse

A spark ignites an interest, which in turn lights a new fire.

More to do:

• Differentiate between portrait and self-portrait. Paint or draw your self-portrait.
• Create a time line of the American history occurring at the time Benjamin West and the other painters were painting. What events were taking place? Did the painters have anything in common?
• Talk about other events in American history happening about the same time. 
• If you had the opportunity to meet Benjamin West, Gilbert Stuart or John Turnbull, what questions would you ask them about their work or the time in which they lived? 
• Learn about the Quaker faith and how it is similar or different from the faith of your family.
• Read Barbara Brenner's The Boy Who Loved to Draw, biography of Benjamin West. If reading more than one book about Benjamin West, discuss how the books are similar or different. Compare facts in each work.

A spark ignites an interest, which in turn lights a new fire.

That's the ever giving blessing of learning.

Discovery Biographies: Living History with Living Books

Garrard Publishing Company's Discovery biographies have been some of our favorite reads, encouraging independent reading in newly fluent readers. These books are often the next choice after Step-Up books, also biographies.

Discovery biographies are historical adventures written for little learners at the mid-elementary level. The cover copy on one book states "Discovery Books have been tested by the Spache Readability Formula and edited so they can be read by children in grades 2-4". We found our later elementary learners also enjoy these books due to the engaging content and find much satisfaction in finishing a book in one day.

The books--we especially like the hardcovers--offer full page, three-color illustrations with larger font size. Garrard states "all facts are authentic for they have been carefully checked by leading sources for historical accuracy". This series has definitely opened another reading level of living books for us!

We have not read all the titles, choosing to save some titles for later learning. Also, note the varied covers. Nice to have visuals when shopping a used bookstore or garage sale.

Presidents

Title	Author
Ulysses S. Grant: Horseman and Fighter	Colonel Red Reeder
Abraham Lincoln: For the People	Anne Colver and Polly Anne Graff
Andrew Jackson: Pioneer and President	John Parlin
Thomas Jefferson: Author of Independence	Anne Colver and Polly Anne Graff
John F. Kennedy: New Frontiersman	Charles P. Graves
Franklin D. Roosevelt: Four Times President	Wyatt Blassingame
Theodore Roosevelt: Man of Action	James C. Beach
Harry S. Truman: People's President	David Collins
George Washington: Father of Freedom	Steward Graff

First Ladies

Title	Author
Abigail Adams: Dear Partner	Helen Stone Peterson
Mary Todd Lincoln: President's Wife	LaVere Anderson
Dolly Madison: Famous First Lady	Mary Richmond Davidson
Eleanor Roosevelt: First Lady of the World	Charles P. Graves
Martha Washington: First Lady of the Land	LaVere Anderson

Explorers, Navigators, Aviators, Adventurers

Title	Author
Amelia Earhart: Pioneer in the Sky	John Parlin
Henry Hudson: Captain of the Ice Bound Seas	Carl Carmer
Charles Lindbergh: Hero Pilot	David R. Collins

Men and Women of the Frontier

Title	Author
Buffalo Bill: Wild West Showman	Mary Richardson Davidson
Daniel Boone: Taming the Wilds	Katherine E. Wilkie
George Rogers Clark: Frontier Fighter	Adele deLeeuw
Davy Crockett: Hero of the Wild Frontier	Elizabeth Robards Mosely
Annie Oakley: The Shooting Star	Charles P. Graves
Jeb Smith: Trailblazer and Trapper	Frank Brown Latham

Inventors, Scientists, Medical Pioneers

Title	Author
Clara Barton: Soldier of Mercy	Mary Catherine Rose
Elizabeth Blackwell: Pioneer Woman Doctor	Jean Lee Latham
Alexander Graham Bell: Man of Sound	Elizabeth Rider Montgomery
George Washington Carver: Negro Scientist	Samuel and Beryl Epstein
Dorothea L. Dix: Hospital Founder	Mary Malone
Benjamin Franklin: Man of Ideas	Charles P. Graves
George W. Goethals: Panama Canal Engineer	Jean Lee Lathm
Florence Nightingale: War Nurse	Anne Colver and Polly Anne Graff
Eli Whitney: Great Inventor	Jean Lee Latham

Statesmen, Political Figures, Revolutionaries, War Heroes

Title	Author
Jane Addams: Pioneer of the Hull House	Helen Stone Peterson
Henry Clay: Leader in Congress	Helen Stone Peterson
Fredrick Douglass: Freedom Fighter	Lillie Patterson
David Glasgow Farragut: Our First Admiral	Jean Lee Latham
Francis Marion: Swamp Fox of the Carolinas	Elizabeth and Carl Carmer
Booker T. Washington: Leader of His People	Lillie Patterson

Authors, Artists, Entrepreneurs

Title	Author
Helen Keller: Toward the Light	Stewart and Polly Anne Graff
Francis Scott Key: Poet and Patriot	Lillie Patterson
Ernest Thompson Seton: Scout and Naturalist	Wyatt Blassingame
Booker T. Washington: Leader of His People	Lillie Patterson