Artistic Homeschool

 
Welcome to my first post on artistic homeschooling! After the success of my summer camp Kids, Crayons & Christ I've longed to develop a more creative homeschool for my own kids. I'm just beginning the journey, join me!

What if we could use art to teach every subject? 

This question lingers in my mind, wafting over my back-burner homeschool art lessons. Even though I'm an artist, I have so much to teach my four kids that art still ends up somewhere at the bottom.  After all, the core subjects-- reading and writing, math and science--must be covered first.  And, if we're honest, creativity takes work. I'm still new to homeschooling  (my oldest just finished first grade), and I'm now discovering  cross-curricular approaches like the dawn of a new day. ​Life is interwoven, right? Duh! Well, it seems obvious in living, but not in teaching, and--if you're like me-- you grew up with compartmentalized education. Shut this book, open that book. (I still can't do more than one thing at once well.) But God created the world fluid-- it ebbs and flows, rather than starts and stops. And math is in our reading and history is in our science and ... it's like you have several different facets of one subject rather than five subjects.  In short, art can help us approach education by seeing the big picture and making it fun.

So, toss the books and just do art projects?
I crave stability in ways that are admittedly unhealthy.  I depend on my workbooks and textbooks to provide that well-worn path to follow.  I'm at the beginning of a long road trip-- enough said.  The long and short of it is-- you decide.  Keep your curriculum, toss it and do art projects, or use a mix of both. All I'm suggesting is, instead of breezing the homeschool road doing a cool seventy with windows raised and doors locked, get out and walk. Even take a hike to the top of the mountain. If you know where the road is, it's great to explore a bit.  I'm compiling project ideas and tips for how to take these hikes along the way, so check back often or follow me on twitter @caroleruffin where I'll be posting updates. Also, for more homeschooling encouragement, check out What I'm Learning Now, my day to day journey of homeschooling and life. Jesse and I are in process, creating a wealth of curriculum so definitely check back for the side bar links.