92;September-October;2014;•;Academic;Spotlight;
www.TheOldSchoolhouse.com
Research abounds extolling the beneficial impact of studying the arts on the growth and development of young;minds.;In;every;area,;from;math;and;science aptitude to language arts proficiency and character
development,;involvement;in;the;arts;offers;opportunities;to
apply;reading,;writing,;math,;and;critical;thinking;skills;crea-tively,;outside;the;context;of;the;“core”;subjects.;Your;home-school is the perfect setting for exploring art and music in
abundance!
There are many ways for children to experience art and music in addition to drawing or playing an instrument. Pursue
music;as;a;mathematical;language,;like;the;ancient;Greeks.;Ex-plore the art of the Renaissance periods of Europe and Harlem
to hone research skills and gain insight into the people and
cultures which produced both. Find examples of the Golden
Ratio;in;nature,;Da;Vinci’s;The Last Supper,;and;the;Taj;Mahal.
Then use it to create your own original art and architecture.
The possibilities for weaving art and music into your homeschool are endless!
Art and music can also be tools for helping children grasp
concepts difficult for them to comprehend in other contexts.
For example, reading music can help make fractions and
proportional math easier to understand. Art lessons in perspective are a great foundation for teaching about scale in
geometry.;Mixing;paints,;predicting;the;resulting;colors,;and
recording the results is a fun way to learn the steps of the
Scientific Method.
Whether you’re listening to an instrument being practiced
or;masterfully;played,;viewing;a;breathtaking;work;of;art;or
marveling;at;stick;fingers;drawn;in;finger;paint,;remember
that studying art and music ultimately teaches your child to
recognize;and;appreciate;the;endless;creativity;of;God.;Con-sider the resources on the next few pages for helping your children express themselves creatively through art and music in
your homeschool.
Artsology
www.artsology.com
Artsology Membership is a new initiative from Artsology.com
which offers lesson plans that integrate art works with essential
questions for discussion and hands-on activities. The artists
and specific art works chosen for study allow one to see and
learn;how;visual;art;can;reflect;upon;different;global;cultures,
aspects;of;history,;science,;music,;and;more. ;Additional;Mem-bership features include interviews with people working in the
arts,;a;collection;of;printable;art;games;and;activities,;and;our
“
Art;&;Jazz”;series,;which;includes;art;projects;based;on;spe-cific;jazz;compositions. ;Each;month,;additional;features;are
added,;and;Members;also;receive;“perks”;in;the;form;of;special
offers and discounts on other art-related services.
Artsology.com is also home to hundreds of free arts and music related games and investigations. The goal in this section
is;to;engage;children;with;art;in;a;fun;way,;acting;as;a;spring-board to further interaction and enjoyment of the arts.
“ Artsology.com has been rated as one of the top 15 art teaching
and learning web sites by our research team.”
– Tingting (Windy) Wang, Ph.D., Department of Art, Rowan
University.
Please;visit;http://www.artsology.com/artsology-member
ship.php for more information.
