The Charlotte Mason Subjects

I already wrote about the curriculum we'll be using for the 2010-11 school year, but there's a lot of subjects we cover without exactly using a set curriculum.  These are the subjects that are at the heart of a Charlotte Mason education.  These subjects include Nature Study, Artist/Picture Study, Composer Study, Hymn Study, Poetry Study, Shakespeare, and Handicrafts. 

I've come to realize that without a set plan, these subjects often get neglected and go by the wayside, so this year I'm being very deliberate about them.  I've divided ths school year into 6 six-week terms during which we'll have a focus topic in each subject.  I only plan on covering each subject once every two weeks, so it's really not a lot of time in each area.  Here's what this part of our school year will look like (The numbers indicate the term.)

Nature Study:
1.  Clouds
2.  Apple trees
3.  Rocks
4.  Ladybugs
5.  California Poppy
6.  Constellations
Resources:  Handbook of Nature Study, Southern California Nature Guide

Artists:
1.  Vincent Van Gogh
2.  Winslow Homer
3.  Georgia O'Keefe
4.  Michelangelo
5.  Ansel Adams
6.  Leonardo da Vinci
Resources:  Discovering Great Artists (Kohl), Art Projects for Kids,  Deep Space Sparkle

Composers:
1.  Mendelssohn
2.  Rossini
3.  Beethoven
4.  Handel
5.  Dvorak
6.  Copland
Resources:  Classics for Kids, CDs from the library

Hymns:
1.  My Father's World
2.  Amazing Grace
3.  O Little Town of Bethlehem
4.  The Lord is My Shepherd
5.  America the Beautiful
6.  A Mighty Fortress
Resources:  Hymns for a Kid's Heart, Vol. 1, Christmas Carols for Kid's Heart (Hymns for a Kid's Heart, Vol. 3)

Poets:
1 & 2.  Emily Dickinson
3 & 4.  Robert Frost
5 & 6.  Christina Rossetti
Resources:  Poetry for Young People: Emily Dickinson, Poetry for Young People: Robert Frost

Shakespeare:
1-6.  Romeo & Juliet
Resources:  Beautiful Stories From Shakespeare

Handicrafts/ Life Skills:
1.  Latch Hook
2.  Setting the table
3.  Embroidery
4.  Loading the dishwasher
5.  Photography
6.  Weeding

So how do I choose the topics?  It's pretty random.  Some of our nature study topics (clouds, rocks, and constellations) will align with our earth science curriculum this year.  Some of the artist (Michelangelo, da Vinci) are from the time periods we'll be studying in history.  Other than that, I simply choose topics that  I have resources for, or they sound fun and interesting.  I think the key is just having a plan.  Choosing something is better than choosing nothing! 

So how's your planning going?

Review: Masterpiece of the Month

 My latest review for Masterpiece of the Month is up at The Curriculum Choice.  Check it out!

Paul Klee Resources

Although they weren't very plentiful, here's what we did during our study of Paul Klee.

We had four of Klee's works on our art wall:

Miss Julie helped us create a Klee castle.

This project, a one-line drawing, came from Discovering Great Artists.

The real highlight of our Klee study was going to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and seeing some of his work in person.  To go to a real museum and see real art from a real artist that you've studied truly brings art education to another level and brings an excitement that little else can compare to.

Joan Miro Resources

Miro pictures that we studied on our art wall:

Books:

Miro (Famous Artists)

DVD:

(also available from Netflix)

Miro-inspired art projects:

I got a bit inspired, too!

Joan Miro Art Projects:

Miro line drawing

Miro pinch bowl

Joan Miro watercolor

Miro with crayon shavings

Degas

Edgar Degas was a great artist to explore while we also studied Tchaikovsky, the great ballet composer. Here's some resources we found helpful.


Books:

Bijou, Bonbon & Beau
Edgar Degas (Getting to Know the World's Greatest Artists)
Degas and the Dance: The Painter and the Petits Rats, Perfecting Their Art
Degas: The Painted Gesture (Art for Children)
Marie in Fourth Position
Dance Like a Butterfly: Adventures in Art

Art stickers:

Dover Sticker Book Degas

Art Supplies:

We finally broke out our pastels and had fun experimenting with them.

Field trip:
Read more about our trip to the Norton Simon Museum here.

And our art "wall":

Degas at the Norton Simon

The Norton Simon Museum is a great place to go to see the art of Edgar Degas.  There are more than 100 of the pieces in their collection, many of which are on permanent display. 

Gracie made a beeline toward this piece, "Little Dancer of 14 Years," which has been on our artist wall.  We also read a book inspired by this piece, so we feel we've come to know this little dancer and her pose quite well!

Another piece in the same gallery was "Dancers in the Rotunda at the Paris Opera."  A fellow Degas enthusiast pointed out that you can actually see Degas' fingerprints in the paint on this picture.  So amazing!  Can you see it?  Look closely on the dancer's legs and the skirt.

Well, there's nothing like being surrounded by the works of the great masters to inspire a little art creation!

And the finished product...

Since my husband isn't back at work until Wednesday, this was able to be a "just the two of us" trip, a very special treat, indeed!  My girl is turning into quite an art appreciator and I love our museum outings!

Artist Study: Piet Mondrian

Here's what we did during our Piet Mondrian unit study...


Put up Mondrian Wall

Watched Mondrian - From Naturalism to Abstraction

Colored using a Piet Mondrian inspired grid.

Spied some Modrian art in Squeaking of Art, The Mice Go to the Museum and Anna's Art Adventure

Began art lesson from Masterpiece of the Month by drawing grid lines with a yardstick,

tracing them with a glue and black paint mixture,
filling in spaces, and numbering the work. (Notice the tiny #1 at the top center?)
Used electrical tape (much quicker and less messy, yet no less inspired!) to create another Mondrianesque work of art:

Used primary colors to paint a picture of a flower, inspired by Mondrian's Amaryllis.Our own little Amaryllis was inspired to create all on her own as well!