Art Lessons: The Renaissance Part 1

We are now half way through a multi-week art lessons about the Renaissance. I really wanted Brandon & Sophia to learn and know about the Renaissance. When I was going to art school at CCS, the Renaissance was by far my favorite art history topic. And when Dea & I discussed about teaching the kids about that time frame and the amazing artists of that era, a bolt of lighting hit me…we will study and learn about the 4 great masters of the Renaissance: Leonardo Da Vinci, Raphael, Donatello, and Michelangelo…also known as the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. This blew the kid’s minds! They have learned about Contrapposto,

Sfumato,

and Da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man.

In the next few weeks we will be moving on to Raphael & Michelangelo, stand by for Part 2.

So... How do you like it?

That's pretty much the first question I get when my kids answer the awkward question: "What school do you go to?" They answer, "Uh..." and then the questions ensue: "How's it going so far? Do you like homeschooling? Are you going to continue?"

These days, I think that homeschooling is not all peaches and roses (as my FB pictures may suggest). Don't get me wrong, we are having a great time: long road trips, tons of field trips, etc. BUT, at least once a week, someone is in tears and I need a drink!

I get it - it's hard to be a homeschool student. There is nowhere to hide! No desk mate to copy off of, no place to get lost when you don't know the answer, no other students to blend into when the teacher has to move the class along. Every answer is corrected, every question analyzed, every test grade picked over, every piece of work made to be YOUR BEST work. It's good in the long run, but hard in the short term.

So, when people ask, "How's it going?", I'm trying to keep it real. This is hard - on all of us - and exciting, fun, rewarding, challenging... I just hope the benefits outweigh the hardships. And I think I know the answer.