Creative, that is.
The curriculum we use, Seton is very traditional. I love to check off the subjects after we finish our work each day in Phonics, Reading, English, Vocabulary, Spelling, Math, History, Science, Art, Music, and Religion.
However, art is my tough subject because it requires hauling out supplies, free time, and cleanup. Therefore, we are officially about 3 months behind in Art. I read on other mom's blogs about lots of creative projects that they do with their kids to learn and highlight their faith, but that is as far as I get. The reading about it part. I do teach the kids cooking and sewing, let them loose with art supplies and they do produce lots of creative things such as catapults, homemade cards, and lots of drawings and paintings. But, sitting down with one child to do a specific project? Perhaps I am lazy or perhaps I realize that the odds of any project being completed without a smaller sibling destroying it are almost nil.
The curriculum we use, Seton is very traditional. I love to check off the subjects after we finish our work each day in Phonics, Reading, English, Vocabulary, Spelling, Math, History, Science, Art, Music, and Religion.
However, art is my tough subject because it requires hauling out supplies, free time, and cleanup. Therefore, we are officially about 3 months behind in Art. I read on other mom's blogs about lots of creative projects that they do with their kids to learn and highlight their faith, but that is as far as I get. The reading about it part. I do teach the kids cooking and sewing, let them loose with art supplies and they do produce lots of creative things such as catapults, homemade cards, and lots of drawings and paintings. But, sitting down with one child to do a specific project? Perhaps I am lazy or perhaps I realize that the odds of any project being completed without a smaller sibling destroying it are almost nil.
Yesterday, Will had completed all of his requirements for his Parvuli Dei Cub Scout emblem except for making a banner that showed what he had learned. The babies were taking a long nap so we brainstormed, drew pictures on heat-n-bond paper, ironed them on fabrics, and stitched them onto an old sheet. It was a very creative and productive 2 hours, without a single fight, complaint, or whining episode. There is a photo transfer of Will in his Cub Scout uniform, images of the Sacred Heart, the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Holy Spirit, animals and plants God created, and things he is thankful for such as his family. It was a group effort and Will drew, placed, ironed, and sewed all the images himself. I am very proud of him for working so hard, of Mary for helping and keeping paper scraps away from baby Timmy, and of myself for suggesting it and seeing it through.
Maybe with such a good experience under out belts, we could try something else creative in our homeschooling like a 6 week unit study on The Middle Ages. Foods, crafts, building our own castle out of sugar cubes....
Then again, no. I know what would happen to those sugar cubes.
2 comments:
Same here. Art suffers because I fear the mess and I'm just not that creative. But my oldest is on his own trying to figure out drawing perspective, so I feel I HAVE to give him some formal lessons. I think I'll do a basic thing like his name in block letters and experiment with vanishing points in different places. That I can handle. After that, I'll have to ask my husband who is better in that area.
If it's not in the Seton art book it just doesn't get done at my house either (and even then I cringe if it's "messy"!)
Barbara (basbabbington at Ora)
prayingforgrace.blogspot
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