This semester, I am taking a Master's Course on the great works of Western Art and Music with Memoria College with Dr. Carol Reynolds. For a discussion assignment, I shared some art and music resources I have used with my own children, which can be seen below. Perhaps they will be useful in your schools or homeschools? (I linked to Amazon for convenience in some cases, but these resources can likely found at other retailers.)
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Birdcage Press Go Fish Art Cards (Egyptian, Renaissance, Van Gogh, Modern). These cards feature famous works of art and can be used in a variety of ways. I enjoy playing ‘Go Fish’ with my children with these cards: In order for you to obtain a match, the artist of the two cards must be the same, and you must say the correct name of the painting (which are listed by artist on each card). It really helps with artistic fluency, and each set also has a pair for styles of the time period (not just artists).
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Memoria Press Art Cards. Perhaps you have all seen these before, but this is my first year using them in my homeschool. In the past, I have purchased other art cards/postcards to use with my children, but I really love this collection.
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Mary Kohl’s Art Education Books. I have used several of these, but especially love Discovering Great Artists and Great American Artists. These two have brief summaries of timeless Western artists, and teach a step-by-step art lesson for children in the style, medium, or content of the great artist. All activities are graded for preparation and time, so the instruction knows what’s coming!
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Michelangelo for Kids (and others). This is a book in a series, including Leonardo da Vinci, Beethoven, and several scientists and writers. The books are about 100 pages long and include amazing biographical information, but are also full of color pictures and primary sources. They also include dozens of activities, experiments, recipes, and more. I leave these out on the coffee table and the children love paging through them as supplements to our regular curriculum.
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Classics for Kids Website. This website has so much content for teachers, and so much fun for children! There are music clips, extensive lesson plans, and my favorite: printable worksheets for kids, which I have used at a homeschool co-op.
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Classical Kids. I believe this resource was recently referred to by a classmate. I just discovered it last year and ordered it. I am currently working my way through it with my children. These are audio dramas that put a “story behind the story” of the music for several famous composers, and includes the composer’s music as a background to the story. It looks like the company has a lot more than just this set on their website, but I haven’t spent much time exploring yet!
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Kloria Art Books. This company is run by some friends of ours, and I have met a few of the artists! These are picture and board books for children featuring traditional hymns and classic (not comic) art.
Marie K. MacPherson is wife to Ryan, homeschooling mother to their six living children, and redeemed child of God. They make their home in Mankato, MN. She is a certified Classical Lutheran Educator from CCLE, author of Meditations on the Vocation of Motherhood (2018), and editor of Mothering Many: Sanity-Saving Strategies(2016). She is also the author of LFL’s booklets The Story of Baby Shalom (2017) and Teaching Children Chastity: Talking Points for Christian Parents (2020). She has a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Bethany Lutheran College, with Lutheran school certification and a specialty in communication arts and literature. Marie is an advocate for mothers, serving as a La Leche League Leader for over six years and a volunteer at a local pro-life pregnancy clinic. When she’s not caring for her own children, or the mothers of other children, Marie reads extensively, researching natural health, homeschooling, evangelism, marriage, and parenting. Read her contributions to Blest the House; The Hausvater Project; Sister, Daughter, Mother, Wife; and Lutherans for Life. Follow her blog at: www.intoyourhandsllc.com/blog.
