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Online Art Lessons with Cross-Curricular Connections {ArtAchieve Level II Review)

May 1, 2017 by Emilee Evans

I, personally, enjoy art much like my daughter. Even my boys have been enjoying it more. It’s surely not because I come up with a bunch of great ideas, though! Last summer we had the opportunity to share our review of online art lessons from ArtAchieve. We really enjoyed it and were looking forward to moving on to the Entire Level II for this review! It offers a variety of great art lesson ideas from around the world!
ArtAchieve
ArtAchieve makes teaching art easy by offering online art lessons with detailed instructions available in both a Power Point and video format. Currently there are five levels available that are suitable for a variety of ages (including adults). It requires no background in teaching art so anyone can both take the lessons or “teach” them! What makes ArtAchieve even more unique, though, is that it goes beyond just teaching art to actually teaching culture as well. Plus, it breaks down resources to include Writing, Science, Exercise, Literature and more! One art lesson can break down into a whole day of learning through these various suggestions!
ArtAchieve lessons are accessed online through an internet based account. Once logged in to the account, you can access all of the lessons you have purchased. Lessons can be purchased individually or as a package. Each lesson has a drop down that shows the components which includes the video lesson, Power Point, a Warm-Up and a Printout. Plus, when you click on the individual lessons it brings up a page that features the Description, List of Supplies, Suggestions for Cross-Curricular Connections, and the Approximate Time for the lessons.
ArtAchieve Cross-Curricular Connections

Online Art Lessons – ArtAchieve Level II

My daughter (age 9) has been using ArtAchieve Level II online art lessons which we access easily through a laptop running Windows 10 and using the Google Chrome browser. I’ve even done a couple myself! Because the lessons don’t build upon each other, there is really no specific order that must be followed. So she has just been choosing the lessons that interest her most. She started with a cat, which was no surprise! Really there is no “wrong” place to start. I find the Lesson Description helps because you can see what medium is used (and therefore what supplies are needed). Plus you can see how long it is estimated to take and go from there! I find for us, personally, these are the main points we used to determine which lessons to do on particular days.
ArtAchieve Lesson Description
Because we had shared an ArtAchieve review in the past, I used the methods we found best for us last time. What I discovered was we weren’t really choosing between either the video lesson and Power Point. We use both for each lesson. For each lesson I play the video, and she follow along as instructed. We pause when necessary and refer to the Power Point during those times when she needs a still shot of the project. This works well for her!
The Power Point is mostly just the steps needed for the project. I definitely wouldn’t use it by itself, but it’s definitely great to use along with the video. Within the video is not only the steps for the project, but the cultural references and information are woven throughout the video. He talks about it as well as even showing things like flags and maps.
ArtAchieve Lesson

Warming Up

Although the lesson times vary per project, I have found they are pretty similar in length. The Warm-Up is usually fairly short. She completes a quick activity to help prepare her for the lesson. Plus I love that it also recommends way to relax to help prepare. This has just helped in general as she does sometimes have a hard time focusing. Plus these are skills she can use to prepare for any subject!
ArtAchieve Online Art Lessons Warmup

Lessons

The video lessons themselves are generally between 20-30 minutes. She does pause as needed to complete steps. So overall, the lessons for her take a total of around 45 minutes up to an hour at the most. That may seem like a lot for one art lesson, but it’s not *just* an art lesson. With all the other elements woven throughout she’s learning so much more! Generally, she does complete 1-2 lessons per week.

ArtAchieve Review

Online Art Lessons Art Achieve Review
Overall, I think ArtAchieve is a fantastic online art program. No art experience is necessary to use it. It can be accessed from wherever you are with internet access. The art and corresponding mini lessons within the art lessons are presented in a way that is easy to follow. Plus it’s fun and unique! It’s definitely a great fit for our homeschool.

Get Connected with ArtAchieve

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Other members of the Homeschool Review Crew reviewed the the various levels of ArtAchieve. See what they thought by clicking on the banner below!
Art Lessons Inspired From Around the World {ArtAchieve Reviews}
 
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Creating a Masterpiece Review

March 22, 2017 by Emilee Evans

Do you have children that love art? Do you have children that aren’t so fond of art? Is your family looking for something “more” in your homeschool art? I have a child that loves art, one that doesn’t like it at all, and one that’s indifferent (but still young). They all have completely different tastes and styles including how they learn. I was definitely intrigued by the Creating a Masterpiece art lessons!
For our Creating a Masterpiece Review we received the Monthly Plan. With the Monthly Plans families receive access to all projects available for a monthly fee of $39.99. This includes over 144 lessons as well as additional videos and tips. Additional options include an Annual Plan which includes everything included in the Monthly Plan, but families would have availability for an entire year. Families can also purchase individual levels which includes access to that specific level for one year.
Creating a Masterpiece Review
The Creating a Masterpiece lessons are all account based lessons available online. Lessons can be accessed from any device with internet access. Once logging in, we can access all of the lessons available. One of the things I thought was really neat is how it says “Roberts Family’s Art Studio” once we’re logged in.
We have been accessing our “Art Studio” using a laptop running Windows 10 and the Google Chrome browser. We have not experienced any issues or complications. The videos run smoothly and the Supply List PDFs have downloaded smoothly. Printing the Supply List is optional, of course, but I always like to have a list when I’m at the store! In addition to the Supply List, there are also Lesson Highlights, a High Resolution Image and even a gallery of Reference Art with each Lesson.
Creating a Masterpiece Review
I think probably the biggest question I had after logging in for the first time was “where do I start?” There are so many different options, and they are all so beautiful! As far as Level recommendations it’s noted children as young as age 5 (depending on maturity) can do the Beginners Lessons. I can honestly say my youngest son is not at that maturity level despite being almost 7. So I have been using this program with my oldest son (almost 11) and daughter (9). Although my oldest son struggles with art, my daughter has natural talent. So the question became “what can I do with them together?”
There were a couple of ways I saw to approach this. We could simply choose something from the Beginners lessons as they are designed to be fun and simple and go from there or we could choose a project based on the required materials. The Art Studio is divided by Level in the main area and a colored dot is pictured next to the name to indicate the primary medium used. Additionally, all of the available art mediums are listed on the left-hand side so if you have a preference, you can simply click on it and see what projects are available in that medium. So really, you could easily go both routes!
Although I was strongly leaning towards a Beginners project it was noted Level 1 is also a great place to start. The kids chose to start with a clown fish picture from Level 1. My son chose this because he thought it “looked” simple. My daughter chose it because it was a colored pencils project, which is her favorite art medium.
Creating a Masterpiece Review Fish
This particular project is divided into 3 Lessons which are further broken down into sub lessons. My daughter could probably sit and do the entire project in one sitting despite each lesson taking around an hour. Of course, my son obviously couldn’t (and we don’t really have that kind of time to carve out of our homeschool day), so we worked on completing one lesson per week. We divided up the sub lessons usually to be done on separate days.
So since Lesson 1 contained three sub lessons, we did art three days that first week. Although I would say completing the full lesson in one day is definitely feasible for most, breaking up into small parts really worked for us – particularly with my reluctant artist. I think it just felt so much less overwhelming for him. The project still was challenging for him overall, though, but the breaks in between was nice. So although spanning one picture out to three weeks seemed like a lot it was definitely a good pace for him.
Creating a Masterpiece Review Level 1
After browsing other projects – Level 1 and higher are generally presented in 3-7 full lessons, though Beginners can usually be completed in one lesson. I think the pace at which you go is definitely dependent on multiple factors: your child’s age and maturity level, ability, desire, attention span, etc. Of course, in my case this was mainly dependent on my oldest’s pace since I wanted them to do the lessons together. I have found they can do lessons together as our homeschool art, and I’ve given my daughter free reign to choose other projects she can do on her own. She simply lets me know which one, and I make sure we have (or go get) the supplies. There is just so much flexibility.

Creating a Masterpiece Review

Creating a Masterpiece
Overall, I definitely think Creating a Masterpiece is a unique art program. It goes beyond simple art projects into detailed, creative art projects. It’s all available online for easy access, lists projects by levels and materials, breaks down projects into multiple lessons that are then further broken down into sub lessons, offers a straight forward printout for materials and additional lesson notes.
Is it as “easy” as it seems? I would have to say “not really.” It does make it seem like just about everyone can do it. Although my oldest son’s biggest challenge has been his lack of interest, the shorter lessons made it easier for him to stay interested. Unfortunately, though, his fine motor challenges posed a bigger limitation despite his actual interest in doing the projects. So, he was ultimately still left feeling frustrated. I plan to try to browse more projects (particularly in the Beginners area) for him, but I was kind of disappointed for him, too. My daughter, of course, did very well which I would expect.
As with any art, I always encourage them no matter what. Art is beautiful even from different perspectives and abilities!

Connect with Creating a Masterpiece

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Members of the Homeschool Review Crew with children of multiple ages and abilities also had the opportunity to review Creating a Masterpiece. See what they thought by clicking on the button below!
Creating Beautiful Art at Home {Creating A Masterpiece Reviews}
 
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Online Art Lessons {ArtAchieve Review}

July 13, 2016 by Emilee Evans

Our kids have completely different feelings about art. Our daughter absolutely LOVES art and could draw all day long every day if given the opportunity. Our oldest son, though, really doesn’t like it much at all. His feelings are more because he feels like he can’t do it well, though. So I was definitely excited to receive the Entire Level I share an ArtAchieve review.
Art Lessons for Children ArtAchieve Review
ArtAchieve offers online Art lessons that comply with the U.S. National Standards for Art Education. There are five levels available that are suitable for a variety of ages (including adults). It requires no background in teaching art so anyone can both take the lessons or “teach” them! In addition to learning art, though, our kids have also been learning about various other topics related to the art lessons. We’ve really been having a lot of fun with it!
ArtAchieve lessons are accessed online through your account. You simply log in and view your list of lessons. It doesn’t require you to follow any specific order as the lessons don’t appear to build on themselves, so we kind of bounced around. Each lesson is presented in different ways: a video and PowerPoint. Plus, each lesson also includes a Warm-Up and a Printout.

ArtAcheive Review – Level I

We have been using ArtAchieve with our oldest two children (ages 10 and 8). Their love for learning art is also relevant to their current skill. Our daughter does very well with almost any art project whereas our son has challenges. I wasn’t sure we could work through this program together, but we have been. It has been working out great! Our daughter enjoys the challenge of learning new techniques, and our son is growing in his confidence. It’s really been a joy to watch!
ArtAchieve Review Online Art Lessons
When first accessing the lessons, I was sure it was ideal to choose either the video lesson or the PowerPoint. What I discovered, though, is it was actually best for us to use both! So for each lesson I play the video, and the kids follow along as instructed. We pause when necessary, and what I found was during those times, it is easier to refer to the PowerPoint slides than to continuously go back and forth through the video.
This method has really worked out well for us. The kids can see the still image of the step they are currently on. I think this has been easier for our son as well, in particular, because he likes to have that visual rather than watching the live action over and over again.
The lesson times really do seem to vary by lesson type and even by child. Our daughter does always seem to finish first. The Warmup is usually fairly short as they complete a quick activity to prepare them for the lesson. The video lessons themselves are generally between 20-30 minutes. So overall, I do find the lessons to take a total of around 45 minutes up to an hour. The best part, though, is the kids were enjoying this time and learning about other things as well!

ArtAchieve Review

Overall, I think ArtAchieve is a great art program. It’s easy to access online wherever you have internet access. It can work for a variety of ages and abilities, and it doesn’t require a background in teaching art. The art and corresponding mini lessons within the art lessons are presented in a way that is easy to follow. It has been great for both of our children!

Get Connected with ArtAchieve

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Google+ | Instagram
Other members of the Schoolhouse Review Crew reviewed the first three levels of ArtAchieve. See what they thought by clicking on the banner below!
Art Lessons for Children ArtAchieve Review
 
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Tempera Paint Without the Mess {Kwik Stix Review}

May 5, 2016 by Emilee Evans

If you have young children you know how messy art time can be. It can be particularly messy when paints are involved! What if your child(ren) could paint without the liquid paint and paint brushes? It seems too good to be true, but that is exactly what The Pencil Grip, Inc. offers with the Kwik Stix 12 pk.
Kwik Stix The Pencil Grip, Inc. Review
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.
Kwik Stix are a solid tempera paint in a mess-free, stick form. They can be used to paint and draw, and when finished, the lid just needs to be put back on. Three are no brushes to clean, no paint getting on clothes (or furniture, the floor, etc.), and they’re available in a variety of colors.
The Kwik Stix 12 pk includes a variety of colors. I’m not sure who was more excited – our daughter who couldn’t wait to use them or me because I wouldn’t have to scrub the table and floor afterwards. Unfortunately, due to our kids’ motor delays, being uncoordinated means paint ends up pretty much everywhere – even in random places I don’t expect! Our daughter in particular, though, loves to express herself through art, so I don’t want to limit her!
Kwik Stix Review Solid Tempera Paint
Aurora, of course, got them out right away and started making pictures. Her face lit up the whole time as she saw Kwik Stix as a form of paint coming through on her paper. She was equally surprised at how quickly it dries. 
Because of her fine motor challenges, getting paint everywhere isn’t the only obstacle. Holding and using a paint brush is equally challenging. So, although she loves making things with paint, it does take her a long time, which can also be frustrating due to her challenges with ADHD. So the Kwik Stix not only offer a mess-free solution, but they are also easier for her to use because they are thicker and easier to hold. She completed her first picture rather quickly!
Kwik Stix Review Painting
One thing I didn’t expect, though, is that are boys were excited to use them, too. Neither of them are opposed to art, but they both don’t like to do things they believe they can’t do well. Despite our best encouragement they tend to avoid art that is related to drawing, painting, etc. unless they have to do it. They are both generally more excited about hands-on art like making things with clay.
Seriously, though, how cool is it to paint with a stick? It is something new, and they were willing to give it a try! Because they are easier to use, there is less of the frustration that generally leads to their not wanting to do it anymore.

Kwik Stix Review

Overall, I would say the Kwik Stix are a big hit here in our house and have been a great addition to our homeschool art supplies! There is no fuss or mess, they are easier to hold and use, and they dry quickly, so the kids can move on to another color quickly.
The Pencil Grip Review
Additionally, we receive a sample which included a Pencil Grip. This is a very welcome tool in our house where holding pencils correctly is a challenge! In fact, neither my husband nor I hold it correctly as well, so anything that can offer help to teach the kids to hold the pencil correctly is a huge blessing! They really like this one because of the shape and texture, so they actually like to use it!

Get Connected with The Pencil Grip

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Kwik Stix can be purchased on Amazon.
Other members of the Schoolhouse Review Crew have shared their experiences with the Kwik Stix as well so be sure to check out what they thought by clicking on the banner below!
Kwik Stix The Pencil Grip, Inc. Review
 
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