This week our first week back from spring break so work was kept much lighter than usual as we all struggled to get back into the old familiar routine of school.

Religion

We did not do any work out of Faith and Life: Following Christ this week, and honestly, now I'm questioning my decision to begin using it so late in the year. Since I really love the curriculum, I may just save it for next year. The kids were quite busy this week with first communion preparation at church, athough that is still nearly a month away. I've been working like mad at decluttering the house (my goal for Lent), and so far, so good, though there's still an awful lot to do!

History

I kept history as simple as possible this week. The kids continued studying the American Revolution with BJU's American Republic and watched 3 episodes per day of Liberty's Kids. I think they've actually learned more from the DVD's than the textbook, but the textbook stresses them out pretty badly!

They were a bit behind in world history, so I had them read 28 pages per day from Horrible Histories: The Gorgeous Georgians and The Vile Victorians. This was essentially the entire book on the Georgians. In addition, they had reading from The Usborne History of Britain. This weekend we'll be watching a DVD that just arrived from Amazon UK: At Home with the Georgians, though I suspect this will appeal to me far more than it appeals to them! A review of the 3-part series can be found here: Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3.

Math

Math was as uneventful as ever. M's working on geometry and J finished up his unit on fractions. They're both pretty much done with their books, so I think I'm going to have them do Khan Academy math for the remainder of the year, maybe.

Language Arts

In Voyages in English grammar, the kids studied singular and plural possessive nouns, nouns showing joint and separate possession, appositives and appositive phrases. We did quite a bit of extra work on these since they both found them difficult. In writing, they worked on dictionary skills.

We did not learn any new terms from Figuratively Speaking this week. For literature, M continued reading The Doll People by Ann M. Martin and J continued reading Monkey: Folk Novel of China (a book that he insisted on). M is enjoying her book, while J is not.

Art

This week finally included some art since I've been busy planning art for next year (it will happen!). When the kids were little, we used to do art every day. At that time, I worked in the industry and trying out new products and coming up with projects was a part of my job. Both M and J miss those days, and really, so do I. So, my goal is to incorporate more art into our lives from here on out (although this week, it seemed to take over). :-)

Over spring break, we watched two excellent documentaries: Herb and Dorothy and The Art of the Steal, both of which provoked some great discussions. One of the things we learned from Herb and Dorothy was that you don't have to be wealthy to collect art. I guess that should be obvious, but I'd honestly never thought about it before. This prompted J and I to spend some time on Etsy looking at original art, and as a result, we purchased a sketch from Berkshires artist Thor Wickstrom (one of his paintings will be next) and an abstract floral painting from California artist Linda Monfort:


The art arrived this week and was absolutely fabulous in person...the painting, in particular, just screams spring, doesn't it?! Also, M and I have become addicted to playing Master Pieces: The Curator's Game on my iPad - it's a terrific way to learn to appreciate the details in art, as well as memorize famous paintings and their creators.

This week's primary art project was a Giuseppe Arcimboldo-inspired collage, borrowed from Do Art!. When I first found the project I fell in love with it, but couldn't quite fit into my plans for next year, so I decided to do it right away. It helped that I had stacks of garden catalogs that I needed to do something with, since I didn't want to pack them when we move this summer. In the end, however, we mostly used the Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds Catalog which had big glorious pictures.

We reviewed all of Arcimboldo's allegorical portraits (links below), discussed our favorites and learned what an allegory is. As the kids began work on their projects, they occasionally stopped to browse through Arcimboldo's gallery again for inspiration, this time using Art Authority on my iPad. We used a half-sheet of white posterboard for the head, mounted on a half-sheet of black posterboard, so the finished portraits were BIG!

To make the assignment more difficult, I decided that they should use only fruits, vegetables or flowers for their faces, rather than painting on eyes and a mouth. By the time the challenge of composing a face was resolved (this took 3 days), they were pretty much done with the project. The clothing was rather thrown together and it shows!. Overall though, I think they turned out pretty good and they were (initially, at least) a lot of fun.

Links:

• Giuseppe Arcimboldo: The Complete Works
• Slideshow of Arcimboldo's Work at YouTube
• Allegory of the Seasons and the Elements (Composite Heads) at Web Gallery of Art
• Composite and Reversible Heads at Web Gallery of Art

On Friday, we also attempted these ink creatures, though they weren't such a success. The kids enjoyed blowing the ink around far more than they enjoyed having to create something from their ink shapes.

Part One

*This page still needs a lot of fine-tuning!

Unit 4: A World of Art and Artists

• Additional Reading: The Visual Experience, Chapter 15: Interpretation: There Is More to It Than Meets the Eye, pp. 200-205
• Lesson 1: Mysteries of Long Ago
• Studio 1: Create a Cave Painting (Variation: Making Elemental Drawing Materials)
• Additional Reading: The Visual Experience, Chapter 18: Islands of Time I, pp. 244-246
• Lesson 2: Art of Ancient Egypt
• Studio 2: Design a Symbolic Throne
• Studio: Draw Like an Egyptian
• Additional Reading: The Visual Experience, Chapter 18: Islands of Time I (Egypt), pp. 246-249
• Lesson 3: Art of Ancient Greece
• Studio 3: Make an Olympic Poster
• Studio: Three Columns
• Additional Reading: The Visual Experience, Chapter 18: Islands of Time I (Greece), pp. 250-253
• Lesson 4: Art of Ancient Rome
• Studio 4: Design a Model with Arches
• Additional Reading: The Visual Experience, Chapter 18: Islands of Time I (Rome), pp. 254-258
• Lesson 5: Art in the Middle Ages
• Studio 5: Make an Illuminated Storybook
• Additional Reading: The Visual Experience, Chapter 18: Islands of Time I (The Middle Ages), pp. 259-265
• Meet the Artist: Diego Rivera
• Look and Compare: Faces of Motherhood
• Lesson 6: Architecture in the Americas
• Studio 6: Design a Mayan-Style Movie Theatre
• Lesson 7: The Art of Renaissance Europe
• Studio 7: Create a Renaissance-Style Portrait
• Additional Reading: The Visual Experience, Chapter 18: Islands of Time I (The Renaissance), pp. 266-273
• Lesson 8: Early Eastern Art
• Studio 8: Make a Banner
• Studio: Tie-Dye Shibori Vessel
• Additional Reading: The Visual Experience, Chapter 16: Non-Western Art, pp. 206-223
• India, pp. 206-211
• Southeast Asia, pp. 212-218
• Studio 16.1: A Watercolor Wash Landscape
• Studio: Cat Painting (China/Shen Quan), Usborne Art Treasury, pp. 56-59
• Japan, pp. 219-223
• Sea Print (Hokusai), Usborne Art Treasury, pp. 12-15
• Additional Reading:  The Visual Experience, Chapter 16: Non-Western Art II, pp. 224-243
• Islam, pp. 224-228
• Studio: Sparkly Tiles, Usborne Art Treasury, pp. 84-87
• Africa, pp. 230-233
• African Masks, Usborne Art Treasury, pp. 24-27
• Pre-Columbian, pp. 234-237
• North America, pp. 238-243
• Studio: Aztec Warriors
• Additional Reading: The Visual Experience, Chapter 19: Islands of Time II, pp. 274-305
• The 1600s and the Baroque Style, pp. 275-279
• The Enlightenment, Rococo, and Neoclassicism, pp. 279-281
• Romanticism, Realism, Impressionism, and Post Impressionism, pp. 283-288
• The Industrial Revolution; Architecture: Frame Construction, pp. 288-289
• Art of the First Half of the Twentieth Century (Fauvism, Expressionism, Cubism, Dadaism), pp. 290-297 (See projects below)
• Architecture of the First Half of the Twentieth Century, pp. 298-299
• Art of the Second Half of the Twentieth Century, pp. 300-302
• Studio: Splatter Painting (Pollack), Usborne Art Treasury, pp. 80-83
• Architecture of the Second Half of the Twentieth Century, p. 303
• Postscript: The Post-Modern Era, pp. 304-305
• Lesson 9: Modern Western Art
• Studio 9: Create an Abstract Collage
• Studio: Reptile Relief (Kandinsky), Dynamic Art Projects, pp. 29-30
• Lesson 10: Modern Global Art
• Studio 10: Create a Ceremonial Sculpture
• Exit Through the Gift Shop: Banksy/Street Art
• Portfolio Project: Create a Clay Vehicle Create a Free Form Vessel

Unit 5: Subjects and Styles Lesson

• Lesson 1: People as Subjects
• Studio 1: Create a Wire Sculpture
• Lesson 2: Proportion and Faces
• Studio 2: Draw a Self-Portrait
• Studio: Modigliani Inspired Self-Portraits (Stretched Proportions)
• Lesson 3: Animals as Subjects
• Studio 3: Make an Animal Vessel
• Lesson 4: Still Life as Subject
• Studio 4: Create a Cubist Still Life
• Studio: Still-Life Closeups (Cezanne), Drawing and Painting, pp. 20-21
• Studio: Artist's Studio (Vuillard), Discovering Great Artists, p. 55
• Lesson 5: Landscape as Subject
• Studio 5: Draw a Pointillist Seascape
• Meet the Artist: Miriam Schapiro Pablo Picasso
• Studio: Picasso-Inspired Soft Sculpture
• Studio: Picasso Masks
• Studio: Fractured Friend (Picasso), Discovering Great Artists, p. 70
• Studio: Clown Collage (Picasso), Usborne Art Treasury, pp. 20-25
• Look and Compare: Outdoor Sculpture
• Lesson 6: Impressionism
• Studio 6: Draw Like an Impressionist
• Studio: Mini "Monets"
• DVD: The Impressionists
• Lesson 7: Expressionism
• An Introduction to Fauvism: Matisse and Derain (video + art projects)
• Studio 7: Paint in Fauve Colors
• Studio: Paintings Like Stained Glass (Rouault), Drawing and Painting, pp. 46-47
• Lesson 8: Surrealism
• Studio 8: Create a Surrealist Painting
• Lesson 9: Pop Art
• Studio 9: Make a Pop Art Sculpture
• Studio: Comic Dots (Lichenstein), Discovering Great Artists, p. 102
• Abstract Expressionism Unit: Action Painting and Color Field (Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning, Mark Rothko and Helen Frankenthaler)
• Portfolio Project: Paint in Your Individual Style

Unit 6: Expression and Meaning

• Lesson 1: Murals Tell Stories
• Studio 1: Create a Mural for Your School
• Lesson 2: Mosaic Expression
• Studio 2: Design a Mosaic Mural
• Lesson 3: The Art of Assemblage
• Studio 3: Create a Combine Painting
• Studio: Assemblage Art
• Lesson 4: Expressive Points of View
• Studio 4: Create an Abstract Cityscape
• Meet the Artist: Georgia O'Keefe
• Studio: Close-Up Flower Painting (O'Keefe), Discovering Great Artists, p. 86
• Studio: Petal Collage (O'Keefe), Usborne Art Treasury, pp. 76-79
• Look and Compare: A Change of Styles
• Lesson 5: Expression Through Symbols
• Studio 5: Create a Totem
• Lesson 6: Maks for Expression
• Studio 6: Create a Papier-Mache Animal Mask (Variation: Mexican "Tona" Animal Masks)
• Lesson 7: Expression Through Humor
• Studio 7: Create a Caricature
• Lesson 8: The Art of Industrial Design
• Studio 8: Create a Model for a Prototype
• Lesson 9: Graphic Design as Expression
• Studio 9: Create a Poster Portfolio
• Studio: Even Poster (Toulouse-Lautrec), Discovering Great Artists, p. 52
• Project: Create a Found-Object Sculpture

• Additional Reading: The Visual Experience, Chapter 20: Criticism and Critics, pp. 308-311
• Additional Reading: The Visual Experience, Chapter 21: A Critical Method, pp. 312-323

This is a very rough draft of my plans for art next year, but I thought I'd go ahead and post them just in case someone finds them useful. First, I decided to go with a proper textbook for art, to help keep myself focused more than anything. After much deliberation, I chose Scott Foresman Art 6 as our spine (preview here) because it seemed to be the most appealing option, though it's ridiculously hard to find information about any of the art textbooks online.

After receiving the books, I also decided to order an inexpensive older (2nd edition) copy of The Visual Experience because, while it's more dry and textbook-like, it includes a lot of information that the Foresman book does not and will be helpful as a supplement. I'm going to try to use these books over the course of two years, and thus have added in a lot of extra art projects (and likely, will be adding many more).

My goal is that we'll do art at least 2-3 days per week, saving Friday as an "open studio" day to experiment with new techniques and/or finish up other projects. I'm also thinking of implementing a 15-20 minute period for sketching every day. Other supplements that we'll be using are included on the blog sidebar - books on technique are here, along with my supply list.

Introduction

• The Visual Experience, Chapter 1: Seeing, Wondering, Enjoying, pp. 3-9
• The Visual Experience, Chapter 2: When Is It Art?, pp. 10-17
• The Visual Experience, Chapter 3: Describing What You See, pp. 20-25

Unit 1: The Elements of Art

• Lesson 1: Line
• Studio 1: Create a Contour Drawing (Variation: Blind Contour Drawing)
• Hi-Res Matisse Drawings
• Additional Reading: The Visual Experience, Chapter 4: Line, pp. 26-39
• Studio 4.1: Varieties of Line
• Studio 4.2: Expressive Line Drawings
• Studio 4.3: Contour Lines
• Studio 4.4: Hatch and Crosshatch (Variation: Sketching and Hatching, Drawing and Painting, pp. 22-23)
• Studio 4.5: Lines Express Feelings
• Studio: Straight Line Design (Mondrian), Discovering Great Artists, p. 61
• Studio: One Line Designs (Klee), Discovering Great Artists, p. 62 (Variation: One-Line Drawing, Drawing and Painting, pp. 30-31) 
• Studio: Mixed Media Lines (Stella), Discovering Great Artists, p. 64
• Lesson 2: Shape
• Studio 2: Create with Shapes
• Studio: Seeing Shapes Still-Life (Cezanne), Discovering Great Artists, p. 48
• Studio: Painted Victorian Homes
• Additional Reading: The Visual Experience, Chapter 5: Shape, pp. 40-43 
• Studio 5.1: Reversible Drawings
• Studio 5.2: Reversible Patterns
• Lesson 3: Form
• Studio 3: Create Clay Forms
• Additional Reading: The Visual Experience, Chapter 5: Form, pp. 44-55
• Studio 5.3: Foreshortening
• Studio 5.4: Distance
• Studio 5.5: Sculpting without Seeing
• Lesson 4: Space
• Studio 4: Change Space with Shapes
• Studio: Graphite Embossing 
• Studio: Abstract Cityscape (Klee), Usborne Art Treasury, pp. 10-12
• Stusio: Painting Around the White (negative/positive space), Celebrate Your Creative Self, pp. 14-15
• Lesson 5: Space and Distance
• Studio 5: Draw with Perspective
• Studio: Simple Perspective with the Artist's Grid Canvas
• Additional Reading: The Visual Experience, Chapter 7: Space, pp. 74-91
• Studio 7.1: Depth in Collage
• Studio 7.2: Identifying One-Point Perspective
• Studio 7.3: Applying One-Point Perspective
• Studio 7.4: Identifying Two-Point Perspective
• Studio 7.5: Applying Two-Point Perspective
• Studio 7.6: A Landscape with Aerial Perspective
• Meet the Artist: Vincent van Gogh
• Van Gogh Resources
• Van Gogh: A Brush with Genius (Amazon Instant Video)
• Studio: Van Gogh Clay Plaque
• Studio: Painting Like Van Gogh, Drawing and Painting, pp. 48-49 
• Look and Compare: An Artist's Style
• Lesson 6: Value
• Studio 6: Create a Value Drawing
• Additional Reading: The Visual Experience, Chapter 6: Value, pp. 57-61
• Studio 6.1: Value Contrasts
• Lesson 7: Color
• Color Wheel Lesson Plan
• Studio 7: Paint with Warm and Cool Colors (Alternative: Warm/Cool Weaving Paintings)
• Additional Reading: The Visual Experience, Chapter 6: Color, pp. 62-69
• Studio 6.2: Related Colors
• Studio 6.3: Monochromatic Colors
• Studio 6.4: Mixing Dull and Bright Colors
• Studio 6.5: Matching Colors
• Studio 6.6: Warm and Cool Colors
• Studio: Color Contrast Circles (Kandinsky), Usborne Art Treasury, pp. 52-55
• Studio: Mean Green (Interpreting the Emotion of Color)
• Mark Rothko (Color as an instrument for conveying emotions)
• Studio: One Color Painting (Picasso), Discovering Great Artists, p. 69 (Variation: Analogous Arrangements, Drawing and Painting, pp. 56-57)
• Studio: Magic Squares (Klee; mixing intermediate colors), Drawing and Painting, pp. 50-51
• Studio: Surprising Colors (Gauguin), Discovering Great Artists, p. 51 
• Palettes of the Masters: Gauguin
• Playing with Color Theory
• Studio: Story Color Collage (Matisse), Discovering Great Artists, p. 58
• Lesson 8: Color and Colorists
• Studio 8: Paint in Complementary Colors
• Studio: Color Scramble
• Additional Reading: The Visual Experience, Chapter 6: Color, pp. 69-73
• (A fascinating look at the palettes of famous artists can be found here.)
• Lesson 9: Texture
• Studio 9: Create a Scene to Show Texture
• Studio: Texture Critters
• Studio: Watercolor Texture Casts
• Studio: Berthe Morisot: Texture Paints, Discovering Great Artists, p. 42 (We'll be doing a variation of this project, using Golden's Gel Mediums mixed with acrylics instead of tempera as suggested in the book)
• Studio: Painting on Textured Surfaces, Celebrate Your Creative Self, pp. 23-37
• Additional Reading: The Visual Experience, Chapter 8: Texture and Movement (Texture), pp. 92-97  
• Studio 8.1: Simulated Textures
• Studio 8.2: Textures in Clay
• Additional Reading: The Visual Experience, Chapter 8: Texture and Movement (Movement), pp. 98-107
• Studio 8.3: Suggesting Movement in Clay
• Studio 8.4: Movement in a Comic Strip
• Studio 8.5: Make a Storyboard
• Studio: Resist in Motion (Degas), Discovering Great Artists, p. 40 (See also: The Dancers and Degas)
• Portfolio Project: Paint a Colorful Landscape
• Additional Reading: The Visual Experience, Chapter 9: Analyzing What You See, pp. 110-115

Unit 2: The Principles of Design

• Additional Reading: The Visual Experience, Chapter 10: Design, pp. 116-122
• Quilted Work (Ringgold), Discovering Great Artists, p. 104
• Lesson 1: Balance
• Studio 1: Draw to Show Balance
• Additional Reading: The Visual Experience, Chapter 10: Balance, pp. 122-127
• Lesson 2: Emphasis
• Studio 2: Draw with Emphasis
• Lesson 3: Proportion
• Studio 3: Draw with Altered Proportions (Variation: All Out of Proportion, Drawing and Painting, pp. 26-27)
• Lesson 4: Pattern
• Studio 4: Show Pattern in Clothing
• Studio: Line, Pattern and Color Collage (Bearden), Drawing and Painting, pp. 28-29
• Studio: Patterned Interiors (Matisse), Drawing and Painting, pp. 54-55
• Studio: Crazy Quilt (Klimt), Dynamic Art Projects, pp. 98-99
• Meet the Artist: Henri Matisse
• Studio: Colorful Collage, Usborne Art Treasury, pp. 40-43
• Look and Compare: The Art of the Everyday
• Lesson 5: Rhythm
• Studio 5: Create Op Art
• Lesson 6: Unity
• Studio 6: Create a Unified Design
• Lesson 7: Variety
• Studio 7: Use Variety in a Drawing
• Portfolio Project: Paint a Still Life

Unit 3: Media and Methods

• Additional Reading: The Visual Experience, Chapter 11: Introduction to Media, pp. 130-133
• Lesson1: Drawing, pp. 108-109
• Studio 1: Create a Gesture Drawing
• Additional Reading: The Visual Experience, Chapter 12: Two-Dimensional Media, pp. 134-136
• Studio 12.1: Contrasts in Chalk Drawing
• Lesson 2: Painting
• Studio 2: Paint a Landmark
• Additional Reading: The Visual Experience, Chapter 12: Two-Dimensional Media, pp. 137-142
• Studio 12.2: Watercolor Washes (Variation: Oil Pastel Resist, Drawing and Painting, pp. 40-41)
• Studio 12.3: A Tempera Painting
• Studio: Paul Klee Landscape (watercolor techniques), Dynamic Art Projects, pp. 18-19
• Lesson 3: Printmaking
• Studio 3: Create a Relief Print
• Studio: Flexi-Cut Collagraph
• Studio: Papier Collé Printmaking (Georges Braque)
• Studio: Tempera Monoprint (Mary Cassatt), Discovering Great Artists, p. 44
• Additional Reading: The Visual Experience, Chapter 12: Two-Dimensional Media, pp. 143-149
• Studio 12.4: A Linoleum Block Print
• Studio 12.5: A One-Color Screen Print
• Lesson 4: Collage
• Studio 4: Make a Hobby Collage
• Studio: Gelly Bowls (Dimensional Acrylic Collage)
• Additional Reading: The Visual Experience, Chapter 12: Two-Dimensional Media, pp. 155-157
• Studio 12.6: A Unified Collage
• Studio: Muse of Chance Collage (Arp), Discovering Great Artists, p. 74
• Additional Reading: The Visual Experience, Chapter 13: Three-Dimensional Forms (Jewelry), pp. 177-179
• Additional Reading: The Visual Experience, Chapter 13: Three-Dimensional Forms (Soft Sculpture and Glass), pp. 182-185
• Studio: Soft Sculpture (Claes Oldenburg sculptures; The Visual Experience, Meet the Artist: Claes Oldenburg, p. 101)
• Studio 13.6: A Window Panel with Paper (Stained Glass)
• Lesson 5: Fiber Artworks
• Studio 5: Make a Fiber Weaving (Variation: Burlap Weaving)
• Additional Reading: The Visual Experience, Chapter 13: Three-Dimensional Forms (Woven Fiber Forms), pp. 179-181
• Meet the Artist: M.C. Escher
• Look and Compare: Arts and Crafts
• Lesson 6: Sculpture
• Studio 6: Create a Relief Sculpture
• Studio: Wireform Figure Sculpture
• Studio: Modern Figure Sculpture in the Style of Alberto Giacometti (Variation: Foil Figures, Usborne Art Treasury, pp. 64-67)
• Additional Reading: The Visual Experience, Chapter 13: Three-Dimensional Media (Sculpture), pp. 159-171
• Carving, pp. 160-161
• Studio 13.1: A Sculpture with Movement
• Studio: Carving Clay (Rodin), Discovering Great Artists, p. 50
• Casting, pp. 162-164
• Modeling, p. 165
• Coiling, p. 166
• Slab Building and Papier-Mache, p. 167
• Construction and Assemblage, p. 168-171
• Lesson 7: Architecture
• Studio 7: Create an Architectural Model
• Studio: Environmental House
• Studio: Box House Architect (Wright), Discovering Great Artists, p. 82
• Lesson 8: Pottery and Ceramics
• Studio 8: Make a Hand-Built Pottery Vessel
• Studio: Slab Vase (uses self-hardening clays)
• Additional Reading: The Visual Experience, Chapter 13: Three-Dimensional Media, pp. 175-176
• Lesson 9: Still Photography
• Studio 9: Make a Photomontage
• Additional Reading: The Visual Experience, Chapter 12: Two-Dimensional Media, pp. 150-153 (Film, Video and Computer Art)
• Portfolio Project: Tessellation Design (Variation: Vasarely Was a Colorful Fellow)
• Vasarely: The official artist website; includes many examples of his work.

Part Two

• Riverside Tru-Ray Construction Paper (in a variety of colors)
• Strathmore 140lb Watercolor Paper
• Sulphite 90lb Drawing Paper 
• Strathmore Visual Journal (one per student)
• Spectra Kolorfast Tissue Paper (in a variety of colors)
• Blick Studio Artists' Boards (for special projects)
• Prang and/or Crayola Tempera Paint (especially white, black, red, yellow, blue)
• Golden Heavy Body Acrylics: Principle Set of 6 Colors (or, Liquitex)
• White Acrylic Gesso
• Shiva Liquid Masque
• Sakura Cray-Pas Expressionist Oil Pastels
• Chalk Pastels
• 1/2" Flat Brush (one per student)
• 1" Flat Brush (one per student)
• No. 8 Round Brush (one per student)
• Watercolor Brushes (one set per student)
• Paint Tray
• Foam Brushes (a variety)
• General's Charcoal Pencil Drawing Kit No. 15 (one per student)
• Factis Erasers (1-2 per student)
• Tortillons
• Sharpie Chisel Tip Markers, Black
• Sculpture Wire
• Scratch-Foam Board (for printmaking projects)
• Brayer
• Palette Knife (one per student)
• Paint Scrapers
• Lyra Aquacolor Crayons
• Lyra Rembrandt Polycolor Color Pencils 
• Stabilo Point 88 Pens 
• Stabilo 68 Pens
• Tacky Glue 
• Mod Podge
• Scissors

• Sargent Glitter Glaze 
• Sargent Pearlescent Mixing Medium
• Glitter Tissue Paper
• Metallic and Pearlescent Pastels
• Blick Liquid Watercolors
• Liquitex Freestyle 3" Paddle Brush
• Lyra Graphite Crayons
• Caran d'Ache Neocolor I Metallic Artist Crayons
• Golden Acrylic Gel Mediums Sampler Set (or full-size products)
• Golden Absorbent Ground
• Black Acrylic Gesso
• Pearl-Ex Pigments
• Japanese Rice Paper
• Colored Masking Tape
• Sheffield Self-Hardening Clay
• Instant Papier-Maché

Books on Technique:

• Celebrate Your Creative Self: More Than 25 Exercises to Unleash the Artist Within by Mary Todd Beam
• Rethinking Acrylic: Radical Solutions For Exploiting The World's Most Versatile Medium by Patti Brady
• Acrylic Revolution: New Tricks and Techniques for Working with the World's Most Versatile Medium by Nancy Reyner
• Acrylic Innovation: Styles and Techniques Featuring 64 Visionary Artists by Nancy Reyner
• Drawing with Children by Mona Brooks
• Drawing Lab for Mixed-Media Artists: 52 Creative Exercises to Make Drawing Fun by Carla Sonheim
• Collage Lab: Experiments, Investigations, and Exploratory Projects by Bee Shay 
• The Pastel Book by Bill Creevy
• Magazines: Somerset Studio and Cloth Paper Scissors -- both are good for new mixed media techniques. 

• Matisse Biography
• Derain Biography
• The Fauves Web Tour from the National Gallery of Art
• artfactory has a nice overview of Fauvism
• Fauvism - an essay from the Metropolitan Museum of Art
• Fauvist Art: Part One, Part Two [Slideshow]
• Paris: The Luminous Years (PBS) is currently available to watch online and includes information about the Fauvists.

• Henri Matisse: Color and Light, from the National Gallery of Art (More on the Fauves new approach to color can be found in this article)
• Henri Matisse Unit
• Exploring Painting with the Fauves 
• Painting a Fauvist Self-Portrait (.PDF) from Scholastic Art
• Creating a Colorful Landscape (.PDF) from Scholastic Art

SEE: Introductory Poetry Terms

Poetry for Young People (Excellent series from Sterling Publishing)

• 1564-1616 William Shakespeare by David Scott Kastan
• 1757-1827 William Blake by John Maynard
• 1770-1850 William Wordsworth by Dr. Alan Liu
• 1807-1882 Henry Wadsworth Longfellow by Francis Schoonmaker
• 1809-1892 Alfred, Lord Tennyson by John Maynard
• 1809-1849 Edgar Allan Poe by Brad Bagert
• 1812-1888 Edward Lear by Edward Mendelson
• 1812-1889 Robert Browning by Eileen Gillooly
• 1819-1892 Walt Whitman by Jonathan Levin
• 1830-1886 Emily Dickinson by Francis Schoonmaker Bolin
• 1832-1898 Lewis Carroll by Edward Mendelson
• 1850-1894 Robert Louis Stevenson by Frances Schoonmaker
• 1865-1936 Rudyard Kipling by Eileen Gillooly
• 1865-1939 William Butler Yeats by Jonathan Allison
• 1874-1963 Robert Frost by Gary D. Schmidt
• 1878-1967 Carl Sandburg by Francis Schoonmaker Bolin
• 1879-1955 Wallace Stevens by John N. Serio
• 1883-1963 William Carlos Williams by Christopher MacGowan
• 1892-1950 Edna St. Vincent Millay by Francis Schoonmaker
• 1902-1967 Langston Hughes by David Roessel
• 1928-0000 Maya Angelou by Edwin Graves Wilson, Ph.D.

Poetry by Theme:

• Poetry for Young People: The Seasons by John N. Serio
• Poetry for Young People: Animal Poems by John Hollander
• Poetry for Young People: American Poetry by John Hollander

• A Kick in the Head: An Everyday Guide to Poetic Forms by Paul B. Janeczko, Chris Raschka

Writing Poetry

• Poetry Matters: Writing a Poem From the Inside Out by Ralph Fletcher
• Pizza, Pigs, and Poetry: How to Write a Poem by Jack Prelutsky

Teaching Poetry

• The Power of Poems: Teaching the Joy of Writing Poetry by Margriet Ruurs
• Poetry Lessons: Everything You Need by Kathy A. Perfect
• Poetry Writing Handbook: Definitions, Examples, Lessons by Greta Lipson and Judy Mitchell