Mention “art” and my girls are all ears. Like most kids, they love being creative. Art, however, is not my forte, and “creative” often means “mess” in my mind (something I shudder at). So reviewing Techie Homeschool Mom‘s online unit study on Famous Artists Vol. 1 was a no-brainer. They get to do art, and since it’s (mostly) online, I get to avoid the mess.
I received complimentary access to this court for this review; all opionions expressed remain my own. This post contains affiliate links; as an affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
When I told Sunshine she was going to do another unit study from Techie Homeschool Mom, her face lit up. She and Lily completed the online unit study on Ancient Egypt a couple years ago and really enjoyed it. They had just as much fun studying Famous Artists as Ancient Egypt.
Famous Artists Vol. 1 Online Unit Study
Famous Artists (Volume 1) Online Unit Study starts with the Renaissance and Leonardo Davinci, and covers artists and art movements until Surrealism and Salvador Dali. Students read articles and watch informative videos about each movement and master, then create their own artwork in that style. They also put together a digital presentation about what they’ve learned.
Sunshine and Lily usually did the course work together, then took turns working on their presentations using Emaze. This unit study was, hands-down, one of their favourite school subjects. I didn’t have to remind them to do art! They’d just sit down at the computer and get started.
We all learned a lot through this course. For example, I was familiar with the names of most of the artists they studied, but didn’t know much more about each person. I was fascinated to learn that Audubon’s wife actually supported him so he could spend time working on his book.
Lily (grade 4) says this unit study was fun because you get to learn about the artists, but you also get to write and see the artwork. She and Sunshine had fun picking their favourite paintings for each art movement. She’s always writing or doodling, so this course has allowed her to combine these interests and apply them to her learning.
Curated Online Resources
Techie Homeschool Mom creates her unit studies by carefully curating great material from the Internet. Sometimes, however, links change or resources disappear. In the Post-Impressionism lesson, one video wasn’t available.
We did a Google search for “post-impressionism” and “Cezanne.” As we looked through the links, trying to decide which one to read or watch (thank goodness Techie Homeschool Mom usually does this for me!), the girls recognized a website that’s frequently used in the unit studies. We went to that article and they read about the topic, then returned to the course.
These online unit studies are thus helping the girls to recognize good online resources. The Internet is a wealth of information, but not all information online is equal. I don’t want to have to wade through all the videos and articles about famous artists to find ones that are interesting and applicable for the girls.
Practical Skills and Hands-on Learning
For this unit study, the girls have been using an online tool called Emaze to create digital presentations. Techie Homeschool Mom provided them with a template to use for their own presentations. They’ve had a lot of fun making this template their own and building on it for each artist they’ve studied.
Here’s Sunshine’s digital presentation:
These presentations involve searching for good images, writing content based on what they’ve learned, and doing some graphic design to make it all look nice. When they finish each section, I’ve checked their work and discussed spelling, grammar, and proper citations with them.
Here’s Lily’s online presentation:
(Emaze has been a bit glitchy on us, so if the presentation doesn’t appear, I apologize.)
Why I Like Techie Homeschool Mom’s Online Unit Studies
Online Unit Studies integrate multiple subjects. In Famous Artists (Volume 1), the girls have learned about history, art movements, art techniques, science, presentations, and more.
Online Unit Studies are also great for homeschooling children of multiple ages. Both Sunshine and Lily (grade 5 and 4) have worked on this project together. Jade (grade 1) has watched many of the videos with them and done some of the art projects, though she’s not doing a digital presentation.
The Unit Studies are designed for children mid-elementary to middle school age who can read and navigate the Internet on their own. If your children are younger, they may need the help of a parent or older sibling.
Online Unit Studies are great for homeschooling on-the-go or with limited space. Students access websites and videos and complete digital projects. With the easy-to-use e-course format, no additional books and print resources are needed. Just gather supplies for hands-on projects and register for online tools.
For this course, we’ve been able to use paper and paints we have around the house, though we’ve also gotten a few extra art supplies (like chalk pastels) for some projects.
Online Unit Studies are self-paced. Students decide when to start and when to finish. I’ve asked the girls to work on this together, but otherwise they are the ones who decide when to do it and how far to go in the course each day. After enrolling, you have unlimited access to this course for as long as you like—across any and all devices you own. (We’ve been using our desktop computer; I haven’t tried other devices.)
How long do Online Unit Studies take? That all depends on your child and the pace of learning at your home. Each module takes 2-3 hours to complete. Take a look at the Course Contents to see how many lessons are in this Online Unit Study.
More about Techie Homeschool Mom
To find out more about Techie Homeschool Mom’s other online courses, read the CREW reviews.
You can also find Techie Homeschool Mom on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, and Instagram. Beth, the homeschool teacher behind Techie Homeschool Mom, is tech geek who enjoys sharing her love of learning with others. She originally created her online unit studies for her daughters and then realized they would be helpful to other homeschoolers too.
As homeschooling parents, our goal is that our girls will live full lives, that they would know how to love God and others well and much, that they would always enjoy learning and they would know the best ways to learn and grow in their passions and interests. ~ Beth Napoli
Have you tried any of Techie Homeschool Mom’s online unit studies? Are your children interested in famous artists or artwork?
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