Art History for All Ages: A Review of Have I Got a Story For You! Downloadable Art History Video Series (Renaissance)

 

I received a COMPLIMENTARY copy of this digital download from Timberdoodle in exchange for my honest opinion. I was not required to write a positive review, nor was I compensated in any other way. This post contains affiliate links. For more information, please see my Terms of Use and Disclosure Policy page. Thank you.

Are you looking to incorporate art history into your homeschool curriculum? We found Have I Got a Story For You! to be a wonderful way to introduce art history curriculum into our homeschool lessons without too much muss and fuss. And because Have I Got a Story For You! is designed to be used with children across multiple age ranges, I am able include both our children in the lessons. 

"Mrs. Beth and her animated drop of paint, Gasfy, will introduce your students/children to artists that influenced these art periods. Through creative storytelling and silly antics, Mrs. Beth and Gasfy make the artists and their masterpieces come alive."

About Have I Got a Story For You! 

There are four different art history curriculums from Have I Got a Story For You! available through Timberdoodle, including the Renaissance Series, the Baroque Series, the Impressionist Series, and the Post-Impressionist Series. We were able to review the Renaissance Series in our homeschool. 

The Renaissance Series includes:

• One introductory video, "Who Needs a Flea Collar?" 
• Five videos on da Vinci
• Four videos on Michelangelo
• Two videos on Raphael
• 12 lesson plans that align with the videos 
• "Name that Artist" PowerPoint Game
• Downloadable Flashcards (da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, instructions for the Flashcards, and Flashcards cover)

How We Used Have I Got a Story For You! in Our Homeschool 

I have introduced this art history curriculum into our daily routine a few days a week. We watched the video one day and worked on one of the suggested art activities. I then choose other activities in the lesson plan to do throughout the week. 

Our Thoughts

I remember taking an art history course in college to fulfill my art requirement. We studied ancient art from prehistory through Roman history. We spent a lot of time reading about the pieces, but I don't really remember a lot from the course itself. The things I remember the most are those which brought life to the art pieces, which included two field trips that students took on their own to local museums (without the teacher).

Have I Got a Story For You! art history course jumps to life with the powerful stories shared by Mrs. Beth and Gasfy. Even though our children are not seeing the Renaissance works in person, they are seeing a variety of pieces through the video lessons, and we have the opportunity to further research using the lesson plans. 

I also appreciate the fact that this course is not just about art history. There are also plenty of opportunities for our children to learn new art techniques and put those skills into practice. For example, one of the first activities we did was to draw pictures after we learned about perspective. 

Lesson Plans 

What do the lesson plans bring to this art history curriculum? They are a valuable part of this fun video series! 

• Great table of contents in the Lesson Plans PDF 
• Objectives included for each episode
• Multiple art and extracurricular activities to pick from (including group activities and activities for advanced students) 
• Vocabulary word list (great for spelling lists) 
• Critical thinking questions that could even be developed into essays
• References to the HiGASFY Pinterest board in the activities 

Art and Extracurricular Activities 

Just what types of activities can you find in this section of each plan? How can you incorporate these questions into your homeschool day? 

• For those students who want to practice art skills, there are multiple art activities, including drawing, painting, sculpting, and even creating a fresco! 
• Hands-on activities are included, such as creating a buckler, making paper airplanes, and more. 
• History-related research projects
• Geography 
• Science activities that ask your students to make their own play dough, make a slingshot, or examine the illnesses of the 15th century. 
• Writing activities that include critical thinking questions with each lesson.

Video Component 

One of the best parts of this particular art history curriculum are the videos with Mrs. Beth and Gasfy. They are delightful and engaging. The videos are clear and easy to watch. I previewed the first several ones before sharing with our children. I found that the second time I watched them, I picked up more information. I love homeschool curriculum that allows you to learn more the second time you go through it. 

Final Thoughts 

Our children are really enjoying this art history curriculum from Timberdoodle. They think Gasfy is just the cutest thing. I really appreciate that Mrs. Beth is introducing difficult topics (studying the Black Death is no easy task in elementary school) in an interesting way. Our children have been able to learn about the Renaissance time period while incorporating new art techniques into their repertoire. 

I would recommend Have I Got a Story for You! (Renaissance Series) for families who are both homeschooling and those who have children in public or private school. The work is fun and interesting while teaching art history. The lessons are easy to add into your regular homeschool schedule, or they would be perfect for a summer break where you want to continue schooling on the light side. Your children will learn more than they realize by watching the videos and completing activities you assign them. This is a very easy art history curriculum to make your own. 

Book Club: Book Review of The Time-Saving Mom

I received a COMPLIMENTARY copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion. I was not required to write a positive review, nor was I compensated in any other way. This post contains affiliate links. For more information, please see my Terms of Use and Disclosure Policy page. Thank you.

Everyone wants to be more productive during their day. How often do you turn off the lights at the end of the day and think: I wish I had time to clean the living room, fold the laundry, or take the car for maintenance today? (Or whatever tasks did not get checked off on your list.) Crystal Paine shares insight into how she manages her time to be more productive in The Time-Saving Mom: How to Juggle a Lot, Enjoy Your Life, and Accomplish What Matters Most. 

About the Book 

The Time-Saving Mom is a hardcover, 248-page book published by Bethany House. There are eleven chapters, including an introduction and an appendix of practical tools for the Time-Saving Mom. Those chapters are further subdivided into four steps: pray, prioritize, plan, and prep.

At the heart of The Time-Saving Mom are practical tips described with specific examples from Paine and followers of her website and Instagram account. The 4-Step Plan involves: 

1. Pray: Starting each day with prayer, recognizing how much she needs God each day. 
2. Prioritize: Looking at long-term goals and mapping them out using her 6 x 2 Priority System.
3. Plan: Paine uses a Google Calendar and a written to-do list to plan her days and weeks. 
4. Prep: Pain discusses putting together morning and evening routines that work. 

Sprinkled throughout the book are time-saving tips and quotes pulled out from the chapters, and each chapter ends with Two Truths for Time-Saving Moms and Time to Pray sections. So after reading the book, you can easily navigate each chapter to find just what you are looking for. 

About the Author

If you are not familiar with Crystal Paine, you can find out more about her at MoneySavingMom.com or in her other books: Say Goodbye to Survival Mode, Money-Making Mom, and Love-Centered Parenting. She also has a popular Instagram account (@themoneysavingmom) that I have been following for a while with a business account, and I now follow her with my blog's Instagram account. 

While reading The Time-Saving Mom, you will learn a little more about Paine's life as she shares about raising multiple children, including a medically fragile foster child, running her business, and staying active in her church and community. Paine really offers a unique perspective as a mom who is very busy.

My Thoughts 

I was very excited to read The Time-Saving Mom. After all, who doesn't want to save time? I also enjoy following Paine on Instagram and getting a look into her life and her family's life. And while I feel that this book is very well-written and well-organized, I don't think it is the right fit for me. I will be pulling a few tips from it for my own life, but at this season of my life, many of the tips are not practical. 

I also am concerned about relying so heavily upon an electronic calendar – especially the Google Calendar. I prefer pen-and-paper for numerous reasons. I do realize that many enjoy the ease of having their tasks and schedules online so they can share them with family, but that isn't for us. So while I won't be using the Google Calendar, the tip to "develop the habit of writing down everything that comes into your mind that you need to do or remember" (81) is a great one. I can do this in a notebook or a planner. 

Another piece of advice I liked was when Paine compared a schedule and a routine. "A routine, on the other hand, can seem more like a helpful personal assistant, there to serve you and provide a framework for your success. It helps you stay on track but doesn't cause you to feel stressed" (155). How many times have our to-do lists or schedules stressed us out? Too many for me to count, personally. 

And the biggest piece of advice I am taking away from The Time-Saving Mom? "Don't live hoping for the next season or trying to survive until that thing you're hoping for happens, or think, I'll finally be happy when..." (174). One of the things that often talked about while taking care of my mom during her final year with Alzheimer's was, "I'll have more time when this is all over." Do I actually have more time now that she has died? No, not really. I have new tasks ahead and problems to solve. All I did was exchange one set of responsibilities for another. As Paine said, "The only life we have to live is this one." 

If you are looking for a book to help you better organize your time, figure out your priorities, and be more productive, The Time-Saving Mom is one you should check out. It would be helpful for moms in a variety of seasons. I really believe that Paine wants you to succeed.