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Art Instruction for Home or School
Art is Important
As a former home school mom, I have found few products I would recommend as wholeheartedly as Art with a Purpose. When a product is high quality, easy to use, and does what it proposes to do, I declare that product a winner. Why am I so enthusiastic in recommending Art with a Purpose? Let me share my own experiences as a teacher using the curriculum.
First, the curriculum is compact and inexpensive. You need one Artpac for each student, one for the teacher to use as an example, and perhaps an extra in case someone's project is accidentally spoiled. The packs are not reproducible, but they are so affordable that there is no excuse for illegal copying. The other required materials are basics such as crayons, pencils, erasers, and glue or paste. Upper grades may use watercolor paints as well. A sheet of instructions for the projects is included in each pack, although there is also an optional teacher's guide for the curriculum.
Second, the curriculum is based on the assumption that every normal child can learn certain skills such as sketching, cutting, pasting, and coloring. Yes, some are more gifted than others, but everyone can and should learn to look at something, analyze the basic shapes it contains, and produce a recognizable sketch.
Art with a Purpose utilizes tracing as well as creating basic sketches out of circles, squares, ovals, etc. Coloring and shading techniques are taught at each grade level as developmentally appropriate.
Finally, because it is so simple to use and the projects look so nice, you will be sure to make time for art instruction. Everyone is busy, but Art with a Purpose makes it quick to set up, do a lesson, and clean up. There is no need to neglect art class when it can be done so well with such simple tools!
Artpacs are available for grades 1 through 8.