Homeschool Arts and Crafts

I homeschooled our son on a shoestring budget. His 3 public school experiences was rife with tensions because he was different and an easy target for bullies. So we brought him home to school in his 5th grade year. We were able to join a local monthly support group and I got involved in being educated to teach our son and other children, while our son had his social needs met by joining other families in co-op classes, field trips, and play time after school work for the day was completed. 

Later on, I was asked to join several panel discussions during the educational portion of our support group meetings. One topic involved time management and organizational skills. Now, mind you, I was diagnosed with ADD by Dr. Grace Ketterman when our son was of elementary school age and ADD people aren't known for their organization, but I was highly motivated to learn all I could about organizing myself, so I read everything I could lay my hands on at the time. 

One of my suggestions on my hand-out from the panel discussion was what I called a Bits, Bobs and Pieces Basket. It involved a rectangular laundry basket at my house then, but now almost all of my paper bits have ended up in transparent zip sandwich bags stuffed down into a metal 3 tier Ikea utility cart. I kept small containers of all sorts in the basket such pill bottles, cardboard tubes, construction paper, crayons, fabric scraps, felt, glitter, glue, paint brushes of all sizes, art postcards, potting soil, popsicle sticks, seeds & beads of all kinds, stickers, wire, woodies, and yarn. Sure came in handy when our son had art or science projects he was assigned to do for his school classes. 

So anyway, I'm compiling some of my educational arts and crafts posts together like I've done for the Church Craft  article and my Best Tips one. 

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Arts and Crafts Curriculum

Art Museum Field Trip (8/12/14) =

My husband's nephew is really into reptiles and Greek and Roman history and while he was up in the city visiting his grandparents this summer, we invited him to a day of museum and nature center field trip tours. He had never visited an art museum before, so we took him to the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art and spent several hours there. They have built onto the museum and have much more to go through then the last time we visited with our son back in our homeschooling days. If you decide to visit, be sure to grab a map at the door, because you can easily get lost in there! If you have ever visited a hospital and gotten lost, you will surely understand what I mean! *smile*

I was hoping to be inspired by all the great artwork because I had been invited to a shoebox card party. In the end, I made "happy mail" business-sized envelopes as sample/door prizes using one of Tim Holtz's techniques that he uses on his tags called "Wrinkle-free Distress." Sorry, I don't have a sample for you to see of the ones I made, since every one of them went home with new owners, but they were just like the tags using his second technique displayed in the video below. I also used similar stamps in black ink on the front and backs of the envelopes, then filled them with little goodies to use on cards. I believe everyone enjoyed theirs, 'cause I heard lots of oohs and ahs when they ripped them apart! *wink* It was almost like Christmas!

Tim Holtz's Wrinkle-free Distress Video

For your info, sometime ago, I posted a link list of Midwestern Art Museums. I haven't visited many of these, but thot I might throw it out there if you would be interested. I believe my hubby's nephew enjoyed himself and got lots of walking in. I poohed out after the art museum and the Mo. Conservation Discovery Center, so I sat in the car while they visited the Lakeside Nature Center. After all that walking, we were starving, so we went to a little Greek restaurant my hubby knows about and had some very good food. Afterwards he bought us a variety of heavenly baklava for dessert. All of it was so GOOD!

Button, Button (4/7/2010) = 

Recently, my hubbin and I visited a new Bass Pro shop and it was family day with lots of activities for children. I've made many of the crafts offered, but one caught my eye that I haven't done before and that's making buttons from deer antlers. 

Many years ago, before our son was born, we were members of a hunting and fishing club in the town we lived in at the time. They were big into historical reenactments too and I had a blast learning about the period items I could make like calico prairie dresses, shirts, and leather possible bags with beadwork. I felt my son for the first time when he kicked me in utero after several cannons went off at a rendevous. You know, boys and their toys! *smile*

This was a popular class - Christmas Cottage

Easy Peasy Tabs

Decorate a Journaling Jar

My First Signature Sewn Notebook

Paper Cutting Techniques

Sew placemats and other home décor for this Hospitality Unit Study

Paper Postcard Unit Study

Rainy Day Puzzle

Sewing patches to fabric from Scouting and Passport Programs

A Sunbonnet Card -- Laura Ingalls Wilder is a popular living history homeschool unit study.