A Short List of Fine
Arts Resources
• Brookes, Mona. Drawing With
Children. New York: G. P. Put-
nam’s;Sons,;1996.
•;Kohl,;Mary;Ann;and;Kim;Solga.
Discovering Great Artists: Hands-On Art for Children in the Styles
of the Great Masters. Bellingham,
WA:;Bright;Ring;Press,;1997.
• Pogue, David and Scott Speck.
Classical Music for Dummies. New
York:;Hungry;Minds,;1997.
•;Schaeffer,;Francis.;How Should We
Then Live?: The Rise and Decline
of Western Thought and Culture.
Wheaton,;IL:;Crossway,;1976.
•;Strickland,;Carol.;The Annotated
Mona Lisa: A Crash Course in Art
History From Prehistoric to Post-Modern. Andrews McMeel Pub-
lishing,;2007.
•;Veith,;Gene;Edward,;and;Marvin
Olasky. State of the Arts: From
Bezalel to Mapplethorpe. Whea-
ton,;IL:;Crossway;Books,;1991.
and composers so that they can actively
shape the culture instead of passively receiving it. I hope that one of my children
or some of the students I have tutored
will go on to be artists, dancers, composers, or architects who will practice their
arts for God’s glory. Christians and home
educators should not neglect the fine
arts, because our souls yearn for truth,
goodness, and beauty.
“Give unto the Lord the glory due unto
his name; worship the Lord in the beauty
of holiness” (Psalm 29: 2).
Leigh A. Bortins is author of the recently
published book The Core: Teaching Your
Child the Foundations of Classical Education. In addition, Ms. Bortins is the
founder and CEO of Classical Conversations, Inc. and host of the weekly radio show,
Leigh! At Lunch. She lectures about the importance of home education nationwide. She
lives with her family in West End, North Carolina. To learn more, visit her website, www
. classicalconversations.com, or her blog,
www.1SmartMama.com.
The Classical Homeschooler
Amy Barr
How an Ancient
Italian Volcano
Changed America
Several years ago my husband and I visited all the usual places while giving our children a tour of Washington, D.C. We trekked
miles to see the major memorials. As
we walked, we chatted about American
history, political thought, Classical ide-
als, art, and architecture. While wait-
ing to see The National Archives, an
impromptu group of listeners formed
as we explained the neoclassical images
adorning the building. One eavesdrop-
per remarked, “I didn’t know this art
had;to;do;with;Greece;and;Rome!”
Thomas;Jefferson;was;more;than;ar-
chitect of our Declaration of Indepen-
dence; he also was fascinated by real
architecture as he imagined the con-
struction of our new nation.
1 He gave
Photographs courtesy of Amy Barr
considerable thought to crafting buildings to last for generations. Jefferson
could have recommended the flowery
architecture of European cathedrals or
the onion-bulb towers of Russia or even
the down-to-earth Colonial style. Instead, he dreamed up enough columns
and capitals to make Cicero himself feel
at home.
Our nation’s Founding Fathers drew
inspiration from the Classical world, but
what brought Roman ideals to the fore
in;the;late;1700s?;Two;factors;came;into
play.;First;was;Jefferson’s;brilliant;Clas-sical education. Second, I suggest, was
the unearthing of thousands of mysterious things in northern Italy that had remained hidden since the tragic eruption
of;Mt.;Vesuvius;in;A.D.;79.;The;discovery
