Friday, March 15, 2019

Art of the Middle Ages: An ARTistic Pursuits, Inc. Review

Art is a subject that I love to incorporate in theory, but resist more than I would like to admit.  It probably has something to do with the mess or my incredibly crafty daughter who never wants to quit!  Despite my hesitation, it is so important for your child's development and extremely satisfying to them when they have created something new.  Today we are talking about one of our favorites, ARTistic Pursuits Inc.  Last year we tried out the first volume, Building a Visual Vocabulary from their series  K-3rd Grade Level, Volumes 1-8. This time we explored Art of the Middle Ages, K-3 Vol. 3 which involved a lot of textile and paper work.  Miss Z is constantly making things out of paper and has a knack for working with her hands so this volume was a good fit for us.






What We Received:

We received 1 book, Art of the Middle Ages, Vol. 3, a DVD and a BluRay disc both containing the video lessons.  Just like in Volume 1, the book and the video lessons are complimentary, but the book does go into greater detail.  The book contains an overview of the Medieval World, tips for lesson prep, notes for a larger (non-home) group, supply lists and lots of visual examples both in history and student projects.  There are 18 lessons in the book and 6 video lessons.  It is not necessary to go in order because each lesson can stand alone. You can purchase a supply kit as well, but most supplies are household or available at Wal-Mart or Target.  

Some of the subjects covered are:

Art in Monasteries
Byzantine Mosaics
Gothic Panel Painting
Romanesque Altarpiece
Art on Fabric
Medieval Textiles & Tapestry
Art on Book Covers
Eastern Orthodox Iconography
Gothic Glass
Gothic Architecture

How We Used It

I introduced the book and the projects with reading some of the information at the beginning of each lesson.  After that we would watch a video of the project we were going to try.  Then we would gather up our supplies and restart the video, stopping when we needed to.  The first project we tried was the Straw Loom Weave, Lesson 10 - Video #4, which involved weaving yarn around straws to create a woven strap.  My daughter enjoyed this one more than my son, but she's very adept at working with her hands and this one required a lot of finger detail.  We also did some things with burlap and stitching with yarn from Lesson 8, Video #3.  






The next lesson we worked through was Paper Loom Weave Lesson 1, Video #1 where we learned to weave paper and then created a paper crown.  The crown had several steps and the kids got a little discourage at first, but we persevered. After this lesson my daughter was inspired to make everyone in the family a crown!











Another lesson we worked on was Panel Drawing, Lesson #5 and Video #2 that utilized Modge Podge, tissue paper and drawing.  This one was supposed to dry over night and then do some drawing, but while I wasn't looking they just couldn't wait and reworked to project to fit their impatience.



What We Thought

Since my kids are 5 and 8, many of these projects required my assistance and guidance.  The only complaint I heard was shock that the demonstrator on the video moved too fast, but I think they were referring to the time lapse more than anything.  It wasn't too fast for me, especially with the option to pause whenever needed.  Otherwise, they loved it and simply want to do art all day every day!  Instructions throughout each lesson were clear and explained or defined new words pertaining to art.

Overall, we enjoyed yet another volume in ARTistic Pursuits, Inc.'s K-3rd Grade Level, Volumes 1-8. One of the great things about these books is the history and context they provide.  You can focus on art by itself, but it certainly lends itself for a more comprehensive learning. Pulling a project out in order to highlight history is a great option to have and an alternative way to use these books..


Follow ARTistic Pursuits, Inc. on Social Media

Twitter: @ARTisticPursui1  
Instagram: @artisticpursuitsinc


As with every homeschool, your needs are different than mine.  Explore the other volumes in the series by reading through other reviews at the link below.  

Kindergarten to Third Grade Art following History in Chronological Order {ARTistic Pursuits Inc. Reviews}
Crew Disclaimer

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