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. 

Studying the Art of the Middle Ages: A Review of Artistic Pursuits Inc.

Disclaimer: I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.

Like most homeschooling families, our family enjoys incorporating art into our other subjects. Artistic Pursuits Inc. makes that very easy to do with their four-year course for kindergarten and elementary students. It takes children through history as they produce a variety of works of art. In the first volume, students work on building their visual vocabulary (read our review here: Building Visual Vocabulary). Then you can either complete the volumes in chronological order or pick and choose which ones interest you and your children. We have reviewed both volumes 1 and 2 (Art of the Ancient review) so we decided to pick Art of the Middle Ages which is volume 3 to review this time.

Our children love learning about anything relating to knights and castles so this book was an excellent choice for our family to review! There are 18 lessons which cover a variety of art techniques. There is a combination of text lessons and video lessons to teach your children how to produce different artworks. No matter which type of lesson you are using, all of the materials are listed in the book.

The video lessons provide some background historical information presented by video host Ariel Holcomb. The video lesson then presents the art project and instructs how to complete the art project, step by step. You can choose to view the video lessons in order or select from the main screens. When the video lesson demonstrates how to create the art project, you will be watching an over the shoulder viewpoint as the art teacher, Brenda Ellis, works.

The text lessons vary in that they sometimes provide prep notes (which can be helpful if you are teaching the lessons to a large group of children outside a classroom setting). There is then historical information given and questions to answer such as "Can you name the bold colors used by the artist?" in the Christ in Majesty tapestry. After viewing real-world examples, the steps are laid out for how you and your children can create the art project yourselves. Photos of the work in progress are included as well as a photo of a finished product by a child.

Here you can see the historical information (surrounded by the tissue paper we used).

How Did We Use Art of the Middle Ages in Our Homeschool?

While we could very easily have used this alongside a history curriculum focusing upon the Middle Ages or a literature curriculum in which we read about the kings and courts of the past, I choose to work through the projects with our children based upon what materials we had and which ones they wanted to try out.

We completed the following projects:

• Paper Loom Weave: The kids completed both a basic weave and then the crown. I love that our children could complete this project more than once if they wanted to weave using different colors.  

• Art in Monasteries – Medieval Illumination: We used clip art and scrap paper rather than having our children draw pictures to add to their large letters. They also decided to choose letters based upon their gaming characters. 

• Art in Basilicas – Byzantine Mosaics: This fit in perfectly as we had been watching a program that shared the mosaics in the Christian churches like the Hagia Sophia. 

• Straw Loom Weave: I think I had more fun with this project than the kids. Maybe in a few years when they are older, they will want to try again. They had trouble with moving the yarn over and under the straws so our older son and I helped them complete their project. 

• Low-Relief: Our children had so much fun creating their own modified versions of shields. We used animals from the ocean as it is almost summer and then used modified materials. This project encouraged our son to want to read more about heraldry and what all the colors and symbols stood for in the Middle Ages. 

• Art in Windows: Gothic Glass was a very fun project as the kids got to pick and choose different color tissue paper to create the glass effect. 

I used the lessons from the Art of the Middle Ages as fun homeschooling lessons. We often like to incorporate arts and crafts into our week so these were perfect. I could share a bit of history about the topic with our children. We either watched the video lesson where historical information was shared or we read the text and answered the questions together. Then our children could have fun creating their art.

My Thoughts

I love that the book is hardcover with full-color, glossy pages. The quality of the book is fantastic and will be able to last through much referencing. There is also space to keep the discs in the front of the book.

I would love it if the video lessons had more detailed instructions that were either printed in the book or you could download. I like to read and re-read instructions rather than just listen or watch instructions. That is my personal learning style. So when we were watching the video lesson, I wrote down notes to reference for when we would be working on the projects. (I also had trouble playing the discs. We ended up having to play the Blu-ray disc in our gaming console as it would not work in the Blu-ray player. I also could not get the DVD disc to work.)

I like that you have the option to purchase the materials directly from Artistic Pursuits Inc. (with or without the book). However, you can make substitutions if necessary and your projects will be okay. For example, I thought we had Gesso which is one of the materials for the Low-Relief project but we didn't. So the kids painted the shield with white paint and then they painted the sections and the animal with regular paint. The shields still turned out really cool.

I would recommend the K-3 books from Artistic Pursuits Inc. as they are well made and provide many great art activities for your children. I love the incorporation of art history which I feel makes the curriculum even more versatile. I also like that we can go back and use the lessons again as our children grow more skilled and create new artwork.

Do You Want to Learn More?

Website – Facebook – Twitter – Instagram

Artistic Pursuits Inc. offers a great variety of curriculum for your homeschooling needs. Members of the Homeschool Review Crew had the opportunity to review items for PK-12 grades, so be sure to check out their reviews!

Do you have an artist taking their first steps? There is a 16-week summer series where children can learn to draw from observation. Check out the blog here: The Artist's First Steps.

If you are interested in the K-3 level books (like those we have reviewed previously), then perhaps you might want to take a look at the online courses. For example, for the Art of the Middle Ages, you will receive 18 lessons online which is perfect for international homeschooling families.  

T is for Trumbull (Blogging Through the Alphabet)

This post contains affiliate links. For more information, please see my Terms of Use and Disclosure Policy page. Thank you.

John Trumbull is an important early American artist best known for his portraits of leaders and events of the American Revolution. Born in Connecticut in 1756 to a prosperous family (his father, Jonathan Trumbull, was to be governor of Connecticut one day), he would graduate from Harvard College in 1773 and then join the Connecticut First Regiment. He served briefly as an officer and aide-de-camp for General Washington during the Revolutionary War. He would use these experiences to help him in painting important works of art for the Capitol Rotunda to depict events before, during, and after the Revolutionary War.

After resigning his commission in 1777, he traveled to England to study with Benjamin West, painter of history. He traveled through Europe visiting France, Germany, and the Low Countries studying art, painting and sketching places and portraits, and viewing artist collections. Trumbull returned to America in 1789 and traveled the East Coast, painting more historical portraits. He was friends with Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and other political figures of the day which helped aid him in art.

He held diplomatic posts from 1794 until 1804 and traveled back and forth between America and England. Trumbull returned to America again in 1817 and accepted a commission to paint the four large pieces for the Capitol Rotunda:

• Declaration of Independence
• Surrender of General Burgoyne
• Surrender of Lord Cornwallis
• General Washington Resigning His Commission to Congress

The paintings were installed in the Capitol Rotunda in 1826. 

Declaration of Independence 

The Declaration of Independence shows the events of June 28, 1776 when the first draft of the Declaration was presented to the Continental Congress in Philadelphia, PA. Thomas Jefferson, along with the other writers of the Declaration – John Adams, Roger Sherman, Robert Livingston, and Benjamin Franklin, present it to the president of the Congress, John Hancock. 

Trumbull did not set out to create a historically accurate painting but instead to paint one in which he could preserve the image of the founders including those who were not at the signing. Forty-seven individuals were depicted (42 of the 55 signers and 5 patriots) and these were chosen because he had reliable sources for their likenesses - either from real life or from portraits. 

Surrender of General Burgoyne 

In the Surrender of General Burgoyne, Trumbull depicts the events of October 17, 1777. The surrender of Burgoyne to General Horatio Gates took place after the Battle of Saratoga. This was a turning point in the history of the American Revolution because it was one of the factors that led France to joining the side of the Colonies.

The painting shows Gates refusing to accept Burgoyne's sword out of respect and directing him to the tent for refreshments. Atop the tent with refreshments was a large American flag. The weapons in the painting are sheathed or put aside and the cannon is silent.

Surrender of Lord Cornwallis 

In the Surrender of Lord Cornwallis, Trumbull painted General Benjamin Lincoln in the center between the French troops and American troops and accepting the sword of a British officer. General Washington is in the background because Cornwallis is not present for the surrender so the highest ranking official is not needed to accept the surrender.

General Washington Resigning His Commission to Congress

In the final painting for the Rotunda that Trumbull completed, he paints the scene of December 23, 1783 that took place in the Maryland State House in Annapolis, MD. General George Washington resigned his commission of the Continental Congress to the president of the Congress, Thomas Mifflin.

Other Paintings 

Trumbull painted many portraits over his lifetime. He would continue to paint but did fall on some hard times. He presented his art collection to Yale University for an annuity in 1831. He lived to be 87-years-old and died on November 10, 1843.

Note: Images are from WPClipart.com

Looking for more history-related posts? 

Read about Yorktown, the Declaration of Independence, or George Washington at A Mom's Quest to Teach.

Blogging Through the Alphabet Link Up 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

• Amanda @ Hopkins Homeschool
• Kirsten @ DoodleMom Homeschool
• Jennifer @ A Peace of Mind
• Kimberley @ Vintage Blue Suitcase
• Christine @ Lifes's Special Necessities
• Yvonne @ The Life We Build
• Dawn @ Schoolin' Swag
• Wendy @ Life on Chickadee Lane
• Lori @ At Home: where life happens
• Kristen @ A Mom's Quest to Teach

Reviewing ARTistic Pursuits, Inc.'s Art for Children

I received this complimentary product through the Homeschool Review Crew. 

Our family loves art. In fact, our teen has thought about a career in the arts, so we were very excited to review Art for Children, Building a Visual Vocabulary from ARTistic Pursuits, Inc. There are several volumes available in the ARTistic Pursuits Art Instruction Books with DVD and Blu-Ray series including the one we reviewed (Art for Children, Building a Visual Vocabulary). This provided a perfect opportunity to incorporate more formal art lessons into our homeschool day.

In the first lesson, our sons created drawings of two toys -
a mermaid and a knight using watercolor crayons.

Volume I is written with grades K-3 in mind and provides children with lessons that will build their visual vocabulary. It is suggested that students start with Volume 1 and then there are two options:

1. Follow history in chronological order through volumes 2-8 
2. Skip to any volume that features a historical period that interests you and your children

Art for Children, Building a Visual Vocabulary contains a total of 18 projects that your children can create by following along with 12 text lessons and 6 video lessons. The text lessons are laid out with a title, notes for preparation, materials necessary, information, and sometimes master works along with student examples. The video lessons include an overview from Ariel Holcomb and actual step-by-step instructions from Brenda Ellis.

In order to start our lessons, we needed to make some purchases:

• Watercolor crayon set (which none of the arts & craft stores near us carried so we needed to order online) 
• Oil pastel set (which was available in each of the arts & crafts stores) 
• Watercolor paper pad 

We had the other necessary materials since our teen is interested in art and taking an art class in high school. While I knew we would need some supplies, I wish the first lesson would have started with something that only required a pencil and paper as we needed to wait for the arrival of our supplies.

The book is quite beautiful. I would say it is itself a work of art. It is a sturdy, hardcover book that comes with plastic pockets on the front cover for the DVD and Blu-Ray discs. The pages are of great quality and thick. When we lay the book open for a lesson, Art for Children, Building a Visual Vocabulary lays flat with only a bit of pressure. 

Video Lessons 

The art instruction books contain both DVD and Blu-Ray discs so we were able to watch it on both our television and my laptop. The lessons are presented in an easy-to-follow and easy-to-remember format. In fact, each time we have worked with the watercolor crayons, our five-year-old son repeats the tips and instructions from the first video lesson. We are reminded to use the crayons gently, to not use too much water, to move the brush in one direction, and to clean up when we finished our project.

Looking through the book while waiting for the video lesson to start.

Lessons 

Personally, I love that each lesson stresses that our children's completed projects will be unique and look different from the sample projects. Often times, children can feel frustrated that their artwork does not resemble the sample but with this laid out clearly in the lessons, it provides an opportunity to talk about creativity and uniqueness.

Throughout Art for Children, Building a Visual Vocabulary, there are discussions of what the arts are, how to compose, and how to observe, texture, shape, and form. I would have liked to have seen a separate glossary with some of these terms – perhaps to accompany the well-laid out objectives in the back of the book. 

Our son using watercolor crayons to draw his birthday party complete with Minecraft guests.

In addition to completing projects with our five-year-old and three-year-old, our teen participated in some of the projects – as did my mother, my husband, and me. We all liked the video instruction and the text instruction. 

Creating our art projects using the Construction Paper: Cut Lesson and video # 3.

During the review process, we completed six of the 18 projects including: 

• Introductory lesson to watercolor crayons with the first video lesson 
• Artists Compose using watercolor crayons 
• Artists Imagine using watercolor crayons 
• Identify and Mix Colors with video lesson number 2 (my children wanted to watch this lesson multiple times!) 
• Construction Paper: Cut with video lesson number 3 where we saw how Brenda created a landscape with construction paper, scissors, and glue
• Introductory lesson to oil pastels with the fifth video lesson 

Our son's watercolor crayon drawing of our house, from Lesson Two.

Art for Children, Building a Visual Vocabulary introduces children to several artists and master artworks including:

• The Birthday (1915) by Chagall
• Flower Day (1925) by Rivera 
• The Sunflower (1906-1907) by Klimt



Our son's car drawing using oil pastels and following the
instructions from Lesson 11 and Video #5.

• Blue Dancers (1898) by Degas 

In the final lesson, children are taken through the steps to drawing a self-portrait using oil pastels. First you will take a look at Henry VIII by Holbein the Younger, answer several questions about the painting, and then they will draw their own portrait. I can't wait till we get to this lesson and to see how our children view themselves! 

Our five-year-old son and three-year-old daughter have both enjoyed completing the different art projects. In fact, our daughter has thanked me on more than one occasion for "doing art" with her.  

What I also like about Art for Children, Building a Visual Vocabulary is the fact that it is very easy for parents to supplement the art projects and lessons. With the artists included, parents can share other artwork for further examples as well as ask their children to read biographies of the artists. 

In addition to a glossary, I would love a transcript of the videos or a set of instructions to accompany them. As a someone who prefers to read instructions, it would help me be a better teacher for my children.  My only other criticism is that it was very difficult to navigate the Blue-Ray disc. I had difficulty seeing which video lesson was selected. I did not find it any easier to use the DVD with my laptop but I think that is a matter of the program I was trying to use to access the video lessons. 

Even with a few minor difficulties, I would still heartily recommend Art for Children, Building a Visual Vocabulary from the ARTistic Pursuits Art Instruction Books with DVD and Blu-Ray series. In the future, we will definitely be keeping an eye out for other works produced by ARTistic Pursuits, Inc. including Art of the Ancients and Art of the Middle Ages as we love history in our household! 

To learn more please visit: 

Website – Facebook – Twitter – ARTistic Pursuits Art Instruction Books with DVD and Blu-Ray

To read reviews from the rest of the Homeschool Review Crew, please visit: