ArtAchieve Entire Level II REVIEW

Sam and his Korean Wedding Duck

We just love these reviews and the blessing they have been to our homeschool curriculum.  Today's review is on the Entire Level II from ArtAchieve.  We were blessed with the Entire Level II of this art curriculum.  The neat thing about this is that you can purchase individual lessons or entire bundles to suit your needs.  Also included are Cross-Curricular Connections that really enhance and add to the learning experience.  There are also links to additional resources.

Level II can be completed with very basic art supplies so no huge investment is necessary to achieve wonderful results.  The website for ArtAchieve offers free lessons for you to try to see how you like it. "ArtAchieve believes that anyone can learn to draw, and that learning to draw is an essential skill." There are 5 levels of lessons available and each lesson includes the following:

• A description of the lesson
• A list of supplies
• Suggested Cross-Curricular Connections
• Estimated time to complete the lesson

The Cross-Curricular Connections include:

• Geography
• Literature
• Science
• Writing
• Music
• Social studies
• Misc other topics

The Cross-Curricular Connections really enhance the lesson and allow you to easily stretch the subject to an entire week or more depending how in depth you wanted to go with the research.  I really like this aspect of the program. Again, a nice Charlotte Mason type approach.  There are direct links to the all of the subject matter he lists in this area.  I completed the Japanese Goldfish and here are some examples of the Connections:

• Social Studies - order a free DVD on Japanese American History, learn more about Japan
• Science - learn more about aquatic life and iron and steel
• Writing - study about Haiku poetry (no link here)
• Literature/Geography - links to books
• Art - link to a related art piece

The art lessons themselves are simple to complete with a video guide taking you step by step through the art piece.  The lessons are also available with a Power Point download version. There is an area for Tips for the Teachers that gives you some do's and don'ts for your student(s) and suggestions on evaluating the art pieces and dealing with mistakes. "The lessons can be used to fulfill some or all of the goals set by The National Standards for Art Education and National Standards for Visual Art."

Another neat feature of the program is that you are encouraged to upload your finished artwork to the website.  Kind of a cool feature that some kids might really enjoy, to see their artwork on the world wide web.

There are recommended ages for the different levels but of course each individual student may fall in a different category according to their skill level.  Generally Level I is recommended for ages 5 and up, Level II for ages 7 and up, Level III for ages 9 and up, Level IV for ages 10 and up, and Level V for those who have more extensive art skills. There are free lessons available to test where you might feel most comfortable.

The entire curriculum is available for a 1 year license at a 30% discount and an entire level can be purchased for a 25% discount.  Different bundles are available ($2-4 discount) or you can just purchase individual lessons.

I should have picked a different set for my son to complete because he was more about what he wanted to draw rather than the actual level (he likes to draw a lot and has a basic set of skills).  After completing my lesson I was pleasantly surprised as I am NOT an artist in ANY sense of the word.  I didn't think mine turned out too bad.

My Japanese Goldfish with motif embellishments

The beginning of the lesson had you complete a "practice sheet" to get your drawing flowing and mind set on the lines needed.  It was interesting.

My practice sheet

I would have to say that although the lessons are generally not very exciting per se, the skills acquired and the end result allow us to give this program a thumbs up and recommend it to those looking for an art program that gives you more than just art. You can really build a unit study on many, if not all, of the lessons due to the extra information provided in the Cross-Curricular Connections.

You can connect with ArtAchieve on FACEBOOK (@ArtAchieve), INSTAGRAM (@johnahofland), TWITTER (@ArtAchieve), PINTEREST (artachieve), and GOOGLE+ (ArtAchieve).

Please take some time to check out the other reviews on this level and three others at the link below.

My First Review

So here it is, my first review for the Schoolhouse Review Crew!  You can find them at www.SchoolhouseReviewCrew.com. This is a sample run but I am so excited to be considered.  I received a publication from The Old Schoolhouse Magazine for no charge for my honest review of the product.  I chose A Path Among Ancient Rocks: Everyday Easels Book 1.  It is a 5 to 10-day unit study using art to cover the subjects of art, bible, history, geography, english, math, science, physical education and health, home economics, and archaeology.  Whew, that's a mouthful!  How awesome is that, to have fun learning about art while covering those subjects!  It was a perfect fit for my 12 year old, 7th grade son who tends to thrive on curriculum like this. You can find similar studies like this one and many other homeschool curriculum, supplements and "all things homeschool" at their online shop at http://www.theoldschoolhouse.com/shop/.

The first study in the book was a 10-day unit study titled A Path Among Ancient Rocks about a painting by Theodore Rousseau.  There was a direct link to the artwork in the pdf file I downloaded. You cover 8 different subjects (art, bible, history and geography, english, math, science, physical education and health, and home economics) on days 1 through 8 and then have a notebooking activity on day 9 and an age appropriate art activity for day 10.  I love how the art activities are broken down by age.  The three age categories include Grades K-2, Grades 3-6 and Grades 7-12.  I felt that the questions in each subject were interesting and challenging enough for my 7th grader.  He really enjoys this type of study.  The work is not too intense and it allows enough variety and the ability to customize it for your needs.

The second study was about Acropolis of Ancient Greece.  It is a 5-day unit study teaching about the Acropolis while covering the subjects of art, archaeology/science, geography, history, and then an age appropriate art activity on day 5. The art activities really engage the student to dig deeper into the subject.  The type of activity depends on the age group of the student.  Sometimes it has more of an art element to it and sometimes it is more investigative and creative for the students to answer and complete certain tasks.

The third and final study in this book was about the Designs of Louis Comfort Tiffany.  It covers the subjects of art, science, english, history, and another age appropriate art activity. The art activity included an experiment that was very enjoyable.  I really like the links included in each of these studies.  It allows the student to explore other art works and dig deeper into the subject matter.

This entire book is a wonderful Charlotte Mason type resource and the diversity of the book kept the subject matter very interesting.  My son was able to complete the lesson without too much trouble (he really doesn't like to write) and it kept his interest in the subject matter. We learned a lot together as we explored the included links in each of the studies. I would definitely recommend this book, especially if you like Charlotte Mason curriculum. The amount of information learned in the studies is wonderful. The active links in the pdf file really help to engage the student and allow for much deeper learning of the subjects.

I will end this review with a wish of Happy Thanksgiving!  May your day be blessed and please feel free to comment or ask any questions.  It was a joy to be considered for this opportunity.