I have never been so sold out on a curriculum in the 15 years I have been homeschooling . It has been an amazing privilege to use this product and see the results it has inspired in my children.

Studying great works of art is a hallmark of Classical Education and the basis of Charlotte Mason's Fine Arts philosophy as well. To be able to introduce my children to great works of art, help them analyze and study them, then watch them internalize what they have learned and create their own works of art seemed just too good to be true. Well, this program is BETTER than I could ever have anticipated. Not only have Brenda & Dan taken their obvious talent and appreciation for art and made it accessible for all, they have produced a program that honestly inspires you to want to drop what you are doing and create! Most of the books in the program are written right to the student and virtually no prep time is required if you have your art supplies in a ready place, as Brenda suggests in her intro. This way there is no energy lost searching for supplies and you can go right from your discussions about art to starting in on one of the suggested activities.

The basic idea is to take a great work of art, discuss and study it, and then do a project inspired by the style, medium, element of design, or subject of the piece. But it goes far beyond just looking at pictures. Brenda has the ability to encourage and inspire students to believe that they really can follow their own interests and create amazing works of art, building their skills and strengthening their confidence at the
same time.

Artistic Pursuits is the first art program I have ever used that required no effort on my part to get my children to participate. There are no pre-required skills, and you can jump right in! AP involves the kids in the creative process and gives them choices in every lesson, so there is a constant state of interest and anticipation built right from the very first lesson. The day these books arrived in my house, my 18-year-old daughter who is an artist, got very excited. She kept telling me over and over that this program was going to change my son's whole attitiude towards art. I was a bit skeptical because he is a 9-year-old boy who never holds still. So imagine my delight as my daughter, my son, and even the 4-year-old spent the next three to four
hours creating! I was delighted and it was the first time my son has ever enjoyed this type of creative process. My daughter told me she wished she had that program when she was still in school and I can't say that I blame her.

I am not artistically inclined in the least bit, yet I was able to participate and enjoy the time we spent together that day. Any program that can bring an 18-year-old girl, a 9-year-old that majors in skateboarding, and a 4-year-old together for a whole afternoon is worth a good hard look. I did, and I will never look elsewhere. Artistic Pursuits covers everything I could ever want my children to experience in a fine arts program and it does it better than I ever dreamed possible.

Available in 4 levels and meeting the National Education Standards for visual arts, Artistic Pursuits is a non-consumable program incorporating fine art prints (actual prints included, not just printed on the pages of the text) with instruction and creativity. Suitable for all from Kindergarten to Senior High, AP has something for everyone and will be especially appreciated by those with large families. Simply purchase enough art supplies for your gang and you are set to go. One note on art
supplies though. If you possibly can, get them good art supplies. Trying to create with poor tools is a frustrating experience and can easily lead to feelings of defeat.

Brenda and Dan don't push their product choices on you but they do make excellent suggestions and provide color pictures of the product as well. I found this very helpful as soon as I entered the Art store and saw the choices before me. I was thankful for the descriptions and the pictures, it made the task much more enjoyable!
Artisitic Pursuits can provide you with all the materials you need to implement their program if you so choose. Their prices are fair and honestly comparable (I checked), and they have these really neat tote bags for each level to keep it all in. Very professional and much simpler than trying to gather it all yourself.

So let me tell you a little about each level so you can get a feel for the flow of the program. Level 1 K-3 features gorgeous fine art reproductions, most in color. This level, like the others has 2 books and each is jam packed full of fantastic lessons in drawing, paper craft, clay, even printmaking. Don't be mistaken and think this is just arts and crafts.

Artistic Pursuits will take you far, far beyond simple cutting and gluing and your kids
will never want to go back. These first books are thematically a little different than the following levels. Brenda has taken the time with this early level to talk about and show what artists do, and what they see. Taking these themes, she gently guides the students into an introduction of many different art media and materials and gives them practice in using those materials.

There is also an overview of Ancient art in this first level, examining everything from cave drawings to Gothic glass windows. Chalk, oil pastels, clay, paper and more will all make their appearance here. Practice in holding pencils and brushes, how to use
scissors, rulers, and glue. Even at this very early age art can be fulfilling and exciting. My daughter at 4 can't quite manage all the introduced projects but she won't wait and will not be left out.

There is so much beauty and care given in these lessons that I plan to have her alongside her older brother then when he moves to the next level I will go back
with her and revisit the projects she didn't do. I love that the division of the levels allows for so much flexibility because we all know fine motor skill ability can be very wide spread and has little to do with chronological age. In the first book of the K-3 level there are 24 units each being three pages in length. Page 1 introduces the topic and includes an exercise to foster that topic; imagination for example. You read and discuss and try things with your student on this first page. Page 2 introduces a print exemplifying the topic being discussed. These prints come on high quality paper and are in a separate envelope at the front of the book.

Before you begin any book, you will take these prints and glue them along their top edges, in the places indicated. When you have done this, you cover a few comprehension questions with the picture. Now while you and the students enjoy and discuss the print, you can lift it up and read one of the questions which you then pose to your student. This activity sharpens observation skills and sometimes helps them to look at a painting in a totally new way. This is also perfect for moms like me who may not know what sort of questions to ask of each picture.

Book 2 of K-3 contains mini bios or stories of the artists introduced and presents art pieces from late Gothic through the Renaissance to the 'Academy'. Discussion and projects form an integral part of this book as kids learn how the artist created the work in question then take a crack at trying the method or medium out for themselves.

You could so easily incorporate this program into any plan of study, organized curriculum, or total unschooling. It is so flexible and easy to implement that it will complement and enhance every child's education. My good friend who teaches 3rd through 5th grade at a public school took a look at Artistic Pursuits and said "the heck with the classroom, I am ordering a set for me and my son to do at home!" I have had similar reactions from everyone to whom I have shown this program, without exception.

Grades 4 through 12 are represented by three levels: 4-6;Junior High; and Senior High. Each level emphasizes a different era or genre of art but all involve the student's creative processes and develop observational skills. Each level has 2 books and each book has up to 16 units. Each of these units is based on an element of art or form of composition. Each unit has 4 lessons and each will result in an individually created work of art. Brenda has even included an optional grading system and explains how to use it if you choose. The art reproductions for these books are outstanding. Each one simply excites me to see another and see what Brenda and Dan have done with it.

The books for grades 4-6 focus on American Art and the first book teaches drawing based on the elements of art, space, Line & shape, texture, value, shape & form, etc. Book 2 teaches color theory and composition. This volume uses awesome water color pencils and shows the student how to use them. Each book has a page right up front that lists everything you will need in the way of materials. I've already addressed getting the materials so let me just say here that I never would have thought to introduce some of these things to my kids, never having used them myself.

My mother and mother-in-law are both artists and still I grew up not knowing how to draw, or even what to draw. Brenda has taken that stress away with these great books and I am confident that no matter the age or experience of your child, they will benefit from this program, even starting late in their school years. I fully plan to join my 16-year-old son this year and we are planning to start at the junior high level.

Junior High focuses on Art around the World in their appreciation lessons, and each book presents two different media with lots of projects to provide practice and eventually mastery. Senior High also presents different media to work with, although book 2 at this level covers watercolor only, since there are so many techniques and materials used with watercolors. Senior High emphasizes European Art in the appreciation lessons. This is the level that made my 18-year-old drool!

Wow, this is a truly amazing program. Artistic Pursuits includes and provides something for every person in my home school, from the 4 year old right up to my 40 something self! We are all so excited about this program that art will become a daily subject in our home rather that just something we pulled out every now and then.

I believe the home school community owes a thanks to Brenda and Dan for taking the time to pour their hearts and souls into this effort. A new generation of art appreciation will rise up from the users of this program. The Ellis' belief that every student can understand the concepts of art and enjoy the process of creativity shines throughout their program.

Absolutely outstanding! And just in case you missed my enthusiasm, I think EVERY home school should have Artistic Pursuits as part of their curriculum. It IS that good.