Experiencing Art: The Brave Writer Lifestyle

An important part of the Bravewriter Lifestyle is exposing our children to art. Once a week, at least, Tuna and I do something art-related. Many times, we make art. Sometimes, we watch an art documentary. Sometimes, we read about artists. Our art this week was incredible. We had the good fortune to visit the Neue Pinakothek in Munich (our third visit to Munich...well, fourth if you count the Justin Bieber concert). We saw many of the Masters: van Gogh, Monet, Cezanne, Manet, Degas, and more.

As we were walking up to the museum, I gave Tuna an assignment: Located Sunflowers by Vincent van Gogh. In doing this, I connected her with the artist and painting, which she'd never considered before today. I showed her the painting in a marquee outside of the museum, so she'd know what to look for. 

Tuna found Sunflowers on her own, about two-thirds of the way through the museum. She was impressed with the detail of the painting. It's so impressive up close. The brush strokes, the build-up of the paint to create the texture, the colors which are not seen until you're up close to the painting: Being there, seeing it up close, you gain an appreciation for the talent. 

We loved that van Gogh signed simply "Vincent" on the vase. 

Here is some of the art we viewed. The museum had some 22+ rooms, with adjacent side rooms as well. I've shared just the most recognizable paintings here:

detail in Plain near Auvers

Tuna looking through the paintings directory to find Sunflowers

Tuna was embarrassed by all the nudes in this room. 

We ended our trip with a visit to Cafe Rischart, a well-known bakery/cafe in old Marienplatz (directly across from the old rathaus - city hall). They're famous for their cakes. Tuna chose ice cream, though it was in the 30s outside. 

Waiting for the train to depart for home. Can't you see the culture newly absorbed? hehehehe

 I'm so glad we had the chance to go to this art museum. It's not everyday, not every family, that gets to see the Greats in person. Before we end our time here in Germany, we're going to the Louvre in Paris. That promises to be a life-changing experience. This one was, too. 

What's So Important About Art?

I remember making pottery ashtrays in elementary school. I remember wilted, dried apple witch heads. We made pinch pots and wove simple baskets and dipped candles and painted. Every week was a new lesson with a final product to show for it. 

Imagine my disappointment when my children went to public school and art class consisted of coloring in printed coloring sheets with Crayola crayons! Art was crap, plain and simple. It's one of the programs first to be cut when budgets tighten. 

Lucky for Bay, she's in high school, and those art programs are pretty terrific. Tuna, though, is in fifth grade, and if I were to put her in public school, she'd be coloring (she hates coloring) every week. 

creating a chalk pastel pumpkin, courtesy of a HodgePodge.me tutorial

What happened to placing importance on the fine arts? It is important to be exposed to the fine arts. Why? Here are a few reasons:

1. Making art boosts self-esteem. 
2. Art helps develop critical thinking. 
3. Art exposure and making art help encourage creative problem solving. 
4. Art is stress-reducing. 
5. It's just plain good for you!
6. It's fun and rewarding!

It's not hard to incorporate art into a homeschool environment. You don't have to be an artist to enjoy or teach art! You just have to have an open mind, a willingness to try new things, and some good directions. There are lots of ways to find art instruction online. 

Our art wall display for autumn, so far. 

Pinterest is full of ideas. If you're a visual person, seeing a thumbnail of a project might give you great ideas. Of course, clicking on it and opening will most often lead you to detailed instructions on how to complete the projects.

Hodge Podge has free (and paid) lessons in chalk pastels and acrylics that we have been enjoying. 

DickBlick.com has tons of project plans available free of charge. 

Haiku

We've been learning about China, Japan, and Korea this week, and we each composed a haiku, then illustrated them. I love how they turned out. Tuna, after this experience, thinks haiku is boring because it doesn't typically rhyme. Still, I think she did a great job writing one.

I like mine, too. Where's my gold star? 

A Lesson on Chalk Pastels

Tuna and I followed a tutorial layed out by HodgePodge to create medieval castles with chalk pastels. This was our first time using pastels, and this looked like an easy start. 

It's very messy, but it's fun, and it looks cool when it's done. HodgePodge has lots of tutorials for both chalk pastels and acrylics that are easy to follow if you're not artsy in that way. 

Along with some tutorials at DickBlick.com, some art museum trips, and lots of free art time, we will be using HodgePodge art tutorials to get a bit of art in our weeks this year. 

When we finished, Tuna made a Minecraft picture with the pastels. 

Rock Candy, Anime, and Dreams of Australia

The girls made rock candy. It took over a week for their crystals to grow to a reasonable size, and today, they took them out of the syrup  with admiration. 

One of Bay's passions is drawing, and she loves to draw anime. She practices a lot and is getting quite good!

And finally, our latest adventure. Bay wants to go visit Australia. We've got feelers out in the unschoolish world to find her a host family to stay with. We have to raise funds and work on legal requirements. If anyone has any advice or ideas, please share them with me. We can't do bake sales in Germany, so that is out. Bay tutors, but has just one client, and that brings in only $20 a month. I need ideas. If you're reading, no idea is too small. Please, I need input. :)