Art Requirements for the Homeschool

Many parents find themselves at the end of the school year and realize that they forgot all about the need to cover art in their homeschool program. Others see it as a daunting class all year long and are unsure of the best way to provide art classes to their homeschooler.

Art is actually a requirement that allows a lot of freedom. In the elementary grades, you are not required to have a formal art curriculum–you are simply required to provide some form of art program that will expose your child to the various aspects of art.

Some choose to purchase an art course, easily available through homeschool curriculum warehouses like www.curriculumexpress.com; others choose to cover art in a more casual way.

Giving your child a variety of art experiences is actually fairly easy.

Some common art projects that our students have produced are listed below:

• Sketches of favorite cartoon characters, still life, landscapes, etc.
• Craft projects
• Free classes at a local craft store such as Michaels or AC Moore
• Building projects– free and low-cost classes available at Lowes, Home Depo or your local hardware store
• Study a specific artist–life, artistic method, etc.
• Pull out the paints and have fun!
• Sewing projects
• Cake decorating
• Greeting cards
• Stamping
• Scrapbooking
• Computer art

If you are enrolled in Bridgeway Academy, be sure to visit our members site for free on-line art classes.

Jessica L. Parnell is a homechool consultant and evaluator as well as the principal of Bridgeway Homeschool Academy, a fully accredited international homeschool academy that has been serving the homeschool community since 1989.