Art Archives | Page 3 of 3 | Mercer Homeschooling

Teaching Art Beyond Kiddo Crafts

I have no talent or affection for kiddo crafts whatsoever. Not even a little. When I was pregnant with our first, my husband and I daydreamed about which things we looked forward to doing with and teaching the kids. “You get the crafts,” I said. But I do love art, all things art.

We use a classical approach to curriculum, with some Charlotte Mason thrown in. And both of those educational styles suggest putting great art in front of little eyes early on. So when it comes to art, there is the doing and then there is the appreciating. And at some point, for a great classical education, you’ve got to dive into both.

So what do you do when you have graduated from the popsicle stick and pom-pom stage? Here are a few of the things we do and how we keep it fun.Continue Reading

Our Preschool Homeschooling Curriculum

Sooooo, what are we doing for a preschool homeschooling curriculum? That is a darn good question. And the short answer is—I guess we’ll find out as the year progresses. But really, it’s not as fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants as that sounds. In fact, I think my plan might be a lot more helpful to you than a list of all the cool curricula I’ve bought.Continue Reading

Our Second Grade Homeschooling Curriculum

Time to unbox our second grade homeschooling curriculum! When I was a kid we got one big box delivered each summer from the Calvert Academy. I still remember the way it looked and smelled and how excited I was to open it (book nerd even then). It had everything inside for the school year—even the pencils.

I am grateful that there are A LOT more options now. But there is a downside to that as well. How do you ever choose what to spend hard-earned money on? Will it be easy to use? Is it going to take too much time? Will it be fun? Will it be effective? That’s why I share with you only what we use and love. I promise to never recommend something that we haven’t found to be effective and a good value for the money. And I will update this post as necessary throughout the year if we add to it or our opinions change.

Many of these choices are old favorites we are continuing from first grade. And some of them are new materials we are excited to try out. I will give a little explanation of why each of these made the cut.Continue Reading

Our First Grade Homeschooling Curriculum

Here is a run-down of our first-grade homeschooling curriculum. We loved it and had so much fun! The progress my daughter made far exceeded expectations and I definitely see the effectiveness of our long-term curriculum plan in action.

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