Homeschool Art

In our home, art has always played an integral part in our learning. In many ways, art enhances daily life, even in the most passive experiences. When we take the time to focus on art, learning through and about the arts, it enriches the studying experience, bringing topics “to life” while absorbing information.

How to incorporate art in your homeschool routine? Well, obviously seeking out art museums or exhibits is a great way to start if you haven’t already brought your kids to experience them.

Indigenous art + artifacts at the Mayborn Museum

Many museums offer community days or educational days for free or discounted admission. A lot of the museums we’ve been to also offer activities for kids to dive a bit deeper into the exhibits. One museum offered my children a scavenger hunt, where they had to find specific pieces of art, whether that be a sculpture, painting or drawing and they had to check it off.

Another museum we visited gave the children clipboards with paper and a small bag of art supplies, encouraging them to find an art piece to study and create their own version. These experiences allowed my children to focus more on the art and challenged them to really study the exhibits. Call ahead to find out if the museum you are venturing to offers these activities, and if not, plan ahead and create a scavenger hunt or bring along your own clipboard and supplies.

Original art sketches for films at the Harry Ransom Center

Don’t limit your outings and experiences solely to “Art Museums” either. Many museums that are focused on history, literature and even science also incorporate a lot of art in their exhibits.

Seek out other types of art where they may have live demos, like glassblowing. This was such a fun and memorable experience. Some places, like Salado Glassworks, offer seasonal hands-on opportunities as well so you can get a more in-depth experience and make a keepsake piece of art.

I’ve found many nature and garden centers also incorporate a lot of annual art exhibits and installations in the cooler months when the plants tend to be dormant. We love to do an annual trip to the Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center where they have artists create fun art structures to admire and interact with.

Art can be found in so many unexpected places as well. To expand on artistic abilities at home, we have our children journal about their field trip outing or experience. This typically leads them to further investigate and research a topic they found interesting, thus expanding their understanding and knowledge.

Art can be used in daily learning at home as well. My children have always done best with hands-on and more visual activities.

I highly recommend books from Usborne. They are visually appealing, and the activity books are amazing for hands-on, out-of-the-box learning. We have used many math and science books from them that incorporated art projects in the lessons.

History projects that have an art activity of some sort has also helped my children retain more information and encouraged them to dive deeper and seek out more information on the subject.