Grab a slice of apple pie, some warm socks, bury your homeschooler in a pile of leaves or enjoy these fantastic fall art lessons together! Have we got a fall bucket list for you!
“Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.” – F. Scott Fitzgerald
Fantastic Fall Art Lessons For Kids
Fall speaks to each of us in different ways. When we lived in Florida we were only aware it was “fall” because Pumpkin Spice arrived at Starbucks. However in Colorado, the air just feels and smells crisp, the trees change colors, and we start baking an indecent amount of banana bread. If you live in an area that experiences the four seasons or none at all incorporate these Fall Art Lessons.
Homeschool pro tip: laminate special creations and give as Christmas gifts to grandparents.
Are you ready for Roasting Marshmallowsand all the dessert joy? I was a Girl Scout for ten years. So I’m definitely the resident S’Mores maker in our home. Every marshmallow turns out perfectly golden brown. But my boys still loved letting them catch on fire.
I’ve only made S’Mores with graham crackers, marshmallows, and chocolate bars. Until we moved to Colorado and one camping angel offered the mind blowing suggestion of switching out chocolate bars for Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. Oh. My. S’More. Campfire Game Changer!! Switch up your chocolate bar of choice, I’ve heard Kit Kats are the perfect shape, but we’ve yet to try them. October is National Fire Safety Month. It’s a great time to go over fire safety in your home.
We always loved cutting out construction paper fall leaves, taping them to windows, and adding little gratitude comments all season. I wish I would have added some adorable fall animals among the leaves. If you’re observing the birds, rabbits, squirrels, and chipmunks busy in your yard maybe decorate a Fall Wall in your homeschool room with chalk animals!
We loved Nana’s Deer in the Fall Clubhouse. We decided to make our own cartoonish deer with big sweet “puppy dog” eyes.
Homeschool Pro Tip: during these more enjoyable fall days try your chalk tutorials outside on your sidewalks and driveways. DO NOT use chalk pastels on concrete. Stick to cheap sidewalk chalk!
More Fall Homeschool Art Fun
You will also have fun with these fall art lessons:
Don’t forget! Members can create a Fall Fun Bucket List! Personally, I’m hoping to drink as much apple cider and enjoy those S’Mores. Check and check. Happy Fall Y’all !
Stef started homeschooling her boys in 2008. She quickly adopted a hands-on learning homeschool style and graduated her oldest tactile learner in 2021. Stef started the Hands-On Learning column in Homeschooling Today magazine. The Laytons currently reside in the foothills of Colorado where Stef also teaches yoga. The family loves to hike trails, stand-up paddle board, and chase sunsets. Stef shares travel and homeschool tips on IG at @LaytonAdventures.
Make your homeschool a little more beautiful with literature, art and nature study! Explore the beloved picture book, Miss Rumphius, with Sarah, Nana and Tricia. What a FUN way to kick off your homeschool year!
Make Your Homeschool a Little More Beautiful – A Free Event!
YOU are invited to the replay of this event!
Sign Up For Access to the Replay and For Your Free Resources
When you sign up you will receive:
Access to the replay of the event through August 3, 2022
Members receive access for as long as you are a member (Read Aloud Revival, You ARE an ARTiST Clubhouse and Homeschool Nature Study)
Your Read Aloud Revival Family Book Club Guide on Miss Rumphius
A Homeschool Nature Study lupine Outdoor Hour Challenge
Please note: A replay will only be available to those who sign up. Be sure to fill out the form, below!
What is included in Make Your Homeschool a Little More Beautiful Event?
A fun Miss Rumphius literary ‘hunt’ with Sarah Mackenzie of Read Aloud Revival
A peek at Sarah’s NEW picture book, A Little More Beautiful
Find out ALL about Sarah’s NEW A Little More Beautiful book HERE!
construction paper (Nana suggests white construction paper for this lesson)
baby wipes or damp paper towel for easy clean up
For your nature study time with Tricia, have your lupine download on hand.
Remember to sign up, above!
Share On Social Media!
Be sure to share your Make Your Homeschool A Little More Beautiful time on social media and tag @readaloudrevival@outdoorhourchallenge and @chalkpastelart – We can’t wait to see you participating and to see your paintings!
And please invite your friends! Share this post with them!
What a FUN way to incorporate literature, art and nature into your homeschool routine!
To infinity and beyond with these Free Buzz Lightyear activities perfect for your summer space camp!
Space Camp For Fun Summer Learning
With summer upon us, many parents are looking for summer camps for their children as a way for them to have fun, explore, and extend their learning. But summer camps can be costly, and not every child wants to travel or be away from home for an extended period.
Did you know that You ARE An Artist Clubhouse members can enjoy space camp anytime from the comforts of their own home?
What’s more, you can learn How To Create An Affordable Space Camp At Home This Summer with just a few easy steps! Most traditional art camps may cost $200-$250. But with the You ARE An Artist Clubhouse membership, your entire family can enjoy a full year of over 700+ art lessons and companion workbooks with planners, book recommendations, fast facts, biographies, and overviews for the same investment! Plus, you can access all of the lessons at your convenience!
Choose the day or week you want to host your summer camp. There are so many space art lessons to choose from:
Solar System
Space Exploration
Solar Eclipse
and Moon Missions art courses
You’ll need a starter set of chalk pastels, a pack of construction paper, and Nana’s video art lessons! Add in some fun planet-shaped sugar cookies, cake pops, or cake to make this space camp even more memorable!
Then, enjoy Nana’s FREE Buzz Lightyear chalk pastel lessonyou will find at the end of this post! We even had a furry four-legged visitor join us, and I think he wanted to explore space too! Socks jumped up in my daughter’s lap and stayed there as she drew her version of Buzz Lightyear.
Follow along with the I Drew It Then I Knew It Solar System Course and Companion Workbook. If you introduce your students to the solar system for the first time, the companion workbook is perfect for learning about the individual planets. But even kids who have studied the solar system before will learn something new!
I Drew It Then I Knew It Solar System Art Course
Solar System
Earth
Mars
Venus
Uranus
Saturn
Jupiter
The Plutoids
Neptune
Solar Eclipse
Mercury
Buzz Lightyear Activities
We had a load of fun with Nana’s FREE Buzz Lightyear lesson. My daughter’s creativity shone through with her “Fairy Bummblee Buzz,” space dolphin, moon, Saturn, and space shark… Let those artists choose how, what colors, and anything else they want to add. Why? Because as Nana always says, “You ARE the artist!”
So remember, there is no right or wrong way to do space summer camp. Do what works best for your family. Let your kids choose which lessons they want to create and follow their lead. You’ll be surprised at how much learning and fun can happen when creativity flows, and I think Buzz Lightyear agrees!
To infinity and beyond!
Free Buzz Light Year Art Lesson
Suggested supplies: white construction paper. Blue, red and light green chalk pastels. (Our favorites are here.) Baby wipes or a slightly damp paper towel for easy clean up.
Nana would love to see your Buzz Lightyear paintings. Please tag us on social media @chalkpastelart or send a photo via the chat box here on the website – so we can cheer you on to infinity and beyond!
Erin is a writer, blogger, and homeschooler to two intense kids. Her blog is filled with information to help you explore a child led education while making meaningful connections with your children. Discover favorite read alouds, seasonal books, games, art projects, hands-on activities, and learn to just breathe through the ups and downs of life. She loves nature, farm life, good books, knitting, new pens, and hot coffee. Erin is a contributing writer for Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers. Her work has also been featured on Simple Homeschool and Book Shark.
A really fun way to bring the Bible to life in your homeschool is with these Bible crafts for kids. You can build memories, pass on your faith to your children and create hands on art projects that are meaningful and fun!
Teaching Children About The Bible Should Be Fun
There are so many benefits to taking an art-based approach to learning about the Bible. Whether you are teaching Bible in your homeschool as a daily or weekly lesson, or perhaps you are creating a church-at-home experience for your family, you will love how effective it is to add art along with your Biblical teachings.
Art can open the door to learning and add depth to an understanding of the Bible. Listening to a Bible story while creating a Bible craft with art is a really fun way to help remember something you are learning.
Bible Crafts For Kids: Everything You Need To Get Started
Did you know you can craft Bible Art with Nana? Yes! Learning with art is simple because all you need to get started is a starter set of chalk pastels, construction paper and our video art lessons. Having baby wipes or a slightly damp paper towel is recommended for easy clean up.
In addition, our You ARE an ARTiST Clubhouse members enjoy an accompanying I Drew It Then I Knew It companion guide for each of the set of art lessons listed below! Each guide includes an overview of each Bible topic with the Bible reference, a list of books and extension ideas like tea time, unit studies and art shows.
“God left us a book filled with incredible stories to share with our children, so why not go all out? I want my children to hear the amazing things God has done, and it leave an impression on them for life, just as it did for me.” Enjoy How to Plan an Awesome Home Bible Study for Kids by Courtney.
Creation
Garden of Eden
Noah’s Ark
Joseph’s Coat of Many Colors
Parting the Red Sea
Ark of the Covenant
David and Goliath
Esther
Daniel in the Lion’s Den
Jonah and the Whale – with more, exclusive lessons for members
Free Bible Craft for Kids – Sample Old Testament Bible Story Art Lesson
For a fun way to incorporate Bible crafts for kids, give this sample lesson from Nana’s Bible Stories series a try!
Suggested supplies: yellow or other light colored construction paper. Starter set of chalk pastels. Baby wipes or slightly damp paper towel for easy clean up.
“Yes, reading straight from the Bible with our family is fantastic! But it doesn’t hurt to add resources that visually stimulate our children. Visuals are excellent teaching tools for children of all learning styles. It also doesn’t hurt to tie in hands-on experiences that will help them never to forget. We can help bring the Bible to life as they hear the retellings.
I Stand at the Door and Knock and more lessons for Clubhouse members.
Disciples of Christ Art Lessons with Nana
Homeschooling is such a unique privilege for Christian families, and it is such a sweet blessing to pass along the Word of God to our children. We have, as parents, an incredible opportunity to mold our children into disciples for Jesus, and educating at home is a powerful tool for that. And what better way to experience personal discipleship with our children at home than to study the Disciples of Christ.
We have also included Biographies of the Disciples and 5 Fast Facts for them all in our I Drew It Then I Knew It New Testament Companion Guide for your family to enjoy. Inside the Companion Guide, you can plan your studies with our art planners and use our book recommendation list to get started.
A Simple Start in Hebrew Video Art Lessons with Nana and her Grandson
A Simple Start In Hebrew: Learn seven basic Hebrew words with A Simple Start in Hebrew Video Art Lessons. Why would you want to learn Hebrew? Because many Biblical words have roots in the Hebrew culture. With You ARE an ARTiST Clubhouse membership, you will get the Companion Guide to these art lessons packed with Aleph-Bet chart, word studies, traceable letter printables, and much more.
Day
Peace (Full Moon)
Faith
Prayer
Hallelujah
Commandment
Israel
Easter Art Lessons – Draw Your Way Through the Resurrection Story
You can use these art lessons in your homeschool to draw through the Resurrection story and to teach the Easter story in a colorful and memorable way.
These are all accompanied by a Companion Guide too! So you will get the book list, planners, overviews, fast facts, and more.
Palm Branch
The Lord’s Supper
Crown of Thorns
Calvary’s Crosses
Easter Cross
The Stone Rolled Away
Easter Eggs
Easter Lily
Church Stained Glass Window
Jesus and the Sheep
Christmas Bible Crafts for Kids – Draw Your Way to the Birth of Jesus
Add these Advent art activities to your Christmas Homeschool plans! You can draw your way through the story of Christmas from the angels announcing Messiah’s birth to the manger scene. Draw Your Way Through the Story of Christmas by Courtney.
Inspiring Art And Music Activities For Additional Learning
In addition to Nana’s Bible crafts for kids, her online hymn video art lessons are a wonderful way to celebrate these rich songs of the Christian faith.
Growing a love of art at You ARE an ARTiST is a multi-generational passion! Tricia is Nana’s daughter and a mama of five children. Nana shared the fun of her first chalk pastel art lessons with her grandchildren around Tricia’s kitchen table. Homeschooling since 2000, Tricia has seen the fruits of home education with three homeschool grads so far!She shares the art and heart of homeschooling at Your Best Homeschool and is author of the book, Help! I’m Homeschooling! She and her husband, Steve, are also owners of sister sites Homeschool Nature Study and The Curriculum Choice.
Learn how to draw an Olympic Torch with chalk pastels and Nana’s homeschool art lesson for The Winter or Summer Games! There are so many art lessons ready for you the celebrate The Games in a hands on way in your homeschool.
How to Draw an Olympic Torch with Chalk Pastels
You can enjoy this sample lesson, The Torch. This is one of the many lessons for both summer and winter games included in The Games Clubhouse Edition in the You ARE an ARTiST Complete Clubhouse.
Suggested supplies: white construction paper. Blue, light blue, black, white, red, orange, yellow chalk pastels.
Share your art! Draw an Olympic Torch with Chalk Pastels with Nana’s art lesson and please tag us on social media. You can tag @chalkpastelart on Instagram and use the hashtag #youareanartist – we can’t wait to see!
More Homeschool Learning with The Games
Celebrate The Games with Chalk Pastel Art Ideas – From ancient Greece and the Roman coliseum to the modern games and all the sports competitions, this is a great opportunity to build a homeschool unit study around The Games. Plus, chalk pastels are a fun addition to your Olympic learning.
Paint The Games medals or a medal ceremony!
You ARE an ARTiST Complete Clubhouse members have access to ALL of Nana’s art lessons for The Games for both summer and winter sports! Plus, artist clubhouse members enjoy a wonderful I Drew It Then I Knew It The Games companion curriculum workbook with Fun Facts, a printable medal tracker and more!
Enjoy the upcoming Games by using these art lessons to connect kids to the historic and symbolic nature of the world’s greatest competition!
Growing a love of art at You ARE an ARTiST is a multi-generational passion! Tricia is Nana’s daughter and a mama of five children. Nana shared her first chalk pastel art lessons with her grandchildren around Tricia’s kitchen table. Homeschooling since 2000, Tricia has seen the fruits of home education with three homeschool grads so far!She shares the art and heart of homeschooling at Hodgepodgemom and is author of the book, Help! I’m Homeschooling! She and her husband, Steve, are also owners of Homeschool Nature Study and The Curriculum Choice.
If there is one thing the pandemic taught us, it’s that you don’t necessarily need to leave your home to have access to things. There are so many resources you can use to enrich your homeschooling, right online! Virtual Art Museum Field Trips are one of those things!
Why Virtual Field Trips Are So Valuable
Besides the fact we already mentioned, you don’t have to leave your home. There are some other great reasons why virtual field trips are so valuable to homeschoolers.
Easier on mom – As a homeschooling mom it can be taxing to organize outings for and with all your children. And stressful to navigate public places with, especially ones where they may need to be quiet and orderly!
Cost effective – No gas used, no museum tickets to purchase, no lunches to buy while you are out.
Vastly increased field trip options – With virtual field trip you have access to museums around the globe, not just in your local area or where you can travel to easily.
You are not limited by ages – I used to have a hard time taking my older children to things because I always had to have the little in tow.
Virtual Art Museum Field Trips To Take In Your Homeschool
I have to say, as I did research for this topic I was truly astounded at the amount of virtual art museum field trip resources there are!
Two HUGE “Catch All’ Sites For Virtual Field Trips
I feel as though these two sites I am going to mention need a special place here in this list. Why? Because each one houses SO MANY museums and art works right in one place. So if you are looking for a place to start, I suggest one of these sites.
Google Arts & Culture Art Expeditions– I can’t believe all that is housed in the Art Expeditions (virtual field trips that explore the creative world, from painting to literature and performing arts)! Explore masterpieces and artists through the ages, get to know the movements, learn more about iconic writers and their stories in the Page turners section, tour museums around the world and so much more!
The Art Institute of Chicago – They put 44,000+ works of art online for you to view in high resolution! The museum also includes a bibliography, exhibition history, notes on provenance, audio and video histories and descriptions, and educational resources like teacher manuals, lesson plans, and exams.
23 Art Museums with Virtual Resources For Your Homeschool
The British Museum and Google Cultural Institute teamed up to create one of our favorite interactive projects: The Museum of the World. The British Museum’s digital art collection lets users travel through time while seeing how each historical piece in their collection connects with others.
The Frick Collection – Located in the Henry Clay Frick House (New York City, New York), the Frick Collection houses the art collection of industrialist Henry Clay Frick. The collection features some of the best-known paintings by major European artists like Bellini, Rembrandt, Vermeer, as well as numerous works of sculpture and porcelain. The entire museum can be viewed virtually.
Frida Kahlo Museum – Also known as La Casa Azúl (the Blue House) and located in Mexico City. In Google Street view style you can take a virtual tour of the museum both inside and out.
The Georgie O’Keeffe Museum – Located in Sante Fe, New Mexico. dedicated to the artistic legacy of Georgia O’Keeffe and her work on American Modernism. The museum website offers creative activities, stories, and education about Georgia O’Keeffe’s life, along with six virtual exhibits available through Google Arts and Culture: Georgia O’Keeffe, Modernism, Oil Paint, Canvas, American Modernism, United States.
The J. Paul Getty Museum – Located in Los Angeles, California. The collection of the J. Paul Getty Museum comprises Greek, Roman, and Etruscan art from the Neolithic to Late Antiquity; European art—including illuminated manuscripts, paintings, drawings, sculpture, and decorative arts—from the Middle Ages to the early twentieth century; and international photography from its inception to the present day.
Guggenheim – Featuring over 1,700 artworks by more than 625 artists, the Collection Online presents a searchable database of selected artworks from the Guggenheim’s permanent collection of approximately 8,000 artworks. There are also Virtual Group Tours with an actual guide, as well as printable activities for kids. (Google Arts & Culture also has an awesome section on the Guggenheim!)
The Hermitage Museum Located in Saint Petersburg, Russia. The second-largest and eighth-most visited art museum in the world. The Hermitage has over 60,000 pieces of artwork on display, including works like the Peacock Clock by James Cox, Madonna Litta by Leonardo Da Vinci, and works by Rembrandt, Michelangelo, and Antonio Canova. The online touris extremely comprehensive and allows you to virtually walk through all 6 buildings in the main complex, treasure galley, and 9 different exhibition projects.
High Museum of Art – Located in Atlanta, Georgia. It offers over 15,000 works of art in its collection and is the leading art museum in the southeastern U.S. The museum focuses on 19th- and 20th-century American art, historic and contemporary decorative arts and design, European paintings, modern and contemporary art, photography, folk and self-taught art, and African art. The museum’s partnership with Google Arts and Culture offers 4 online exhibits for viewing: Bill Traylor’s Drawings of People, Animals, and Events; How Iris van Herpen Transformed Fashion; Incredible, Innovative, and Unexpected Contemporary Furniture Designs; Photos From the Civil Rights Movement
La Galleria Nazionale – Located in Rome, Italy, displays about 1,100 paintings and sculptures of the 19th and 20th centuries — the largest collection in Italy. It features work from famous Italian artists like Giacomo Balla, Umberto Boccioni, Alberto Burri, and foreign artists like Cézanne, Monet, Pollock, Rodin, and Van Gogh. It has teamed up with Google to offer 16 different virtual exhibits for online viewing.
The Louvre – The world’s largest museum. Explore the The Body in Movement, Founding Myths: From Hercules to Darth Vader, and much more through their 360-degree viewing feature. They also have a Louvre for Kids with easier wording and engaging cartoon like navigation, kids can view and learn about the art at the gallery.
The Met – Located in NYC, The Met has many of it’s exhibitions online. You can view photos of the pieces, read background information, and some even have video tours! The Met also developed #MetKids for, with, and by kids—but parents and teachers can have just as much fun using it. It has features like a fun and highly interactive map, a “time machine” search function, informational and how-to videos, and so much more.
The Museo Nacional del Prado located in Madrid Spain, is considered to have one of the greatest collections of European art in the world and offers guests the single largest collection of Spanish art. The collection currently comprises around 8,200 drawings, 7,600 paintings, 4,800 prints, and 1,000 sculptures. Well known works include Las Meninas by Diego Velázquez, The Third of May 1808 by Francisco De Goya, and The Garden of Earthly Delights by Hieronymus Bosch. The museum’s online gallery allows you to get a close look at over 10,000 different pieces of art.
The National Gallery – Located in London. Click and scroll your way around with their three interactive virtual tour options. 1 showcasing 18 different rooms in the museum, 1 showcasing the Sainsbury Wing, and a Google Virtual tour. The National Gallery has hundreds of paintings in its collection ready to be viewed online, many of which are from the Renaissance period.
Museum of Modern Art – Founded in 1929, the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in midtown Manhattan was the first museum devoted to the modern era. Through Google Arta & Culture you can view 129 artworks from MoMA’s collection.
Musée d’Orsay – Instantly transport to the middle of Paris with the Musée d’Orsay and their online tours and art collection. Here you can explore art history with the largest collection of impressionist and post-impressionist masterpieces from renowned artists such as Monet, Renoir, Van Gogh, and many more.
Rijksmuseum – located in Amsterdam the Rijkmuseum showcases the masterworks from the Dutch Golden Age, including works from Vermeer and Rembrandt. Google offers a 3D virtual museum tourthrough Street View, where you can zoom in on every tiny detail of each work of art, and listen to stories about 18 masterpieces
San Diego Museum of Art – 360-degree scans of your favorite galleries, zoom in to see art details, and read full label text in both English and Spanish. they also offer FREE docent tours through Zoom.
The Tate Modern – Check out this video tour of their famous Andy Warhol exhibit. Museum curators Gregor Muir and Fiontán Moran talk in-depth about Andy Warhol and his work through the lens of the immigrant story, his LGBTQ identity, and more.
The Van Gogh Museum – home to the largest collection of van Gogh pieces in the world. The museum, virtual tours, ebook “stories,” and online collection dive into the life of van Gogh and the inspiration behind his art. Moreover, we think teachers everywhere will appreciate how big a fan he was of reading books!
The Vatican Museums – You can finally say you’ve seen the Sistine Chapel thanks to this online program! And, you can also virtually visit the Raphael Rooms, the Chiaramonti Museum, and more historic sites through these virtual tours.
Tips For Making The Most Of Your Virtual Art Museum Field Trip
Learn more about the a specific artist or artist style/time period
Recreate a work of art or style – don’t think you can do this, then try using a coloring book like Art Masterpieces to Color, or one of Dover Masterworks coloring books for different artists.
The Famous Artists Series: The You ARE An Artist Clubhouse Membership offers 47 famous artists video lessons for your homeschool including:
Vermeer
Michelangelo
da Vinci
Warhol
Monet
Rockwell
Rembrandt
Lichtenstein
Audubon
Beatrix Potter
… and a new one added about once a month!
The Famous Artists series is exclusive to the You ARE an Artist Complete Clubhouse. There is so much to learn about art, artists, and art history! The Famous Artist series is the perfect way to introduce these master artists and their works to your kids!
Not only can you make the snowman just like you’d like him, you can design your background, plus – decide what your snowman will paint! Nana’s How to draw a painting snowman with chalk pastels is perfect for your cozy, winter homeschool art time.
Snowman Paints!
Painting with chalk pastels is such a wonderful activity for the whole family to enjoy around the homeschool table. If you have never painted with Nana before, we invite you to grab her FREE set of Get Started in Chalk Pastel Art Video Art Lessons. All it takes is 1, 2, 3! A starter set of chalk pastels, construction paper and Nana’s art lessons.
Free Art Lesson: How To Draw a Snowman for Your Winter Homeschool
Enjoy this early art lesson Nana shared with her grandchildren around Tricia’s kitchen table and recorded for you!
Suggested supplies: white or light blue construction paper. Black, red, purple, green, yellow and blue chalk pastels. Pictured: Our favorite chalk pastels and chalk pastels drawer storage.
See how Nana’s grandchildren painted their snowmen here.
Growing a love of art at You ARE an ARTiST is a multi-generational passion! Tricia is Nana’s daughter and a mama of five children. Nana shared her first chalk pastel art lessons with her grandchildren around Tricia’s kitchen table. Homeschooling since 2000, Tricia has seen the fruits of home education with three homeschool grads so far!She shares the art and heart of homeschooling at Hodgepodge and is author of the book, Help! I’m Homeschooling! She and her husband, Steve, are also owners of The Curriculum Choice.
Here you will find everything you need for a famous artist Eric Carle homeschool study. “Eric Carle is acclaimed and beloved as the creator of brilliantly illustrated and designed picture books children. His best known book, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, has eaten it’s way into the hearts of millions of children all over the world and has been translated into 66 languages and sold over 50 million copies. Since The Very Hungry Caterpillar was was published in 1969, Eric Carle has illustrated more than 70 books. This includes many best sellers which he wrote. More than 152 million copies of his books have sold around the world!” – Nana
“And the child in me was joyfully coming to life.”
Eric Carle
Listen to Nana’s Artist Eric Carle Homeschool Study
Read Nana’s Famous Artist Eric Carle Podcast TRANSCRIPT HERE.
An Overview of Our Eric Carle Homeschool Study
1:29 The Very Hungry Caterpillar
2:20 Eric Carle’s early life and WWII
4:30 The influence of Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse and modern painters
5:25 Advertising career
5:40 Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?
6:34 The hidden story of The Very Hungry Caterpillar
7:20 The thousands of letters Eric Carle received from children
“The child I am helping might just be me.”
Eric Carle, about responding to children’s letters
When you think of Eric Carle, you may first think of him as an author, but he was an incredible artist. He wrote and illustrated over 70 children’s books. Carle was born in New York (June 25, 1929) but moved to Germany as a young child. While in Germany, he attended a prestigious art school and thus began his career in art and design. He moved back to New York as an adult and began working in graphic design and advertising.
I knew even as a child that, when I grew up, I would be an artist of some kind.
-Eric Carle
It was not until 1967 that he published his first book, Brown Bear, Brown Bear, which he did in collaboration with Bill Martin Jr. In 1968, he wrote and illustrated 1, 2, 3 to the Zoo. He quickly followed that with his most famous book, The Very Hungry Caterpillar.
In addition to his many books, he created The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art to showcase national and international picture book art. Other museums also have exhibits dedicated to Eric Carle’s illustrations.
In May of 2021, Eric Carle died and left behind two grown children and a legacy in books and art that children worldwide will love for many years to come.
The Very Hungry Caterpillar is his most famous book, but my son loved “Slowly, Slowly, Slowly,” said the Sloth so much that we both had all the words memorized. We own over a dozen Eric Carle books and have borrowed others from the library.
Eric Carle’s books are well known and loved by children and adults alike. They tell fun and silly stories with stunning illustrations.
Many of them are also educational and teach numbers, shapes, letters, or other early concepts.
“When I was a small boy, my father would take me on walks across meadows and through woods… in my books, I honor my father by writing about small living things.”
-Eric Carle
Eric Carle mainly wrote for younger children, but he wrote a book of short stories about his own life: Flora and Tiger, for older children.
I try to express the essence of my stories and ideals very clearly, using simple shapes.
-Eric Carle
Carle had an engaging style for his illustrations. He loved rich colors and created all of his images using collages. He would paint the colors onto large sheets of paper and then hand cut the pieces to put together to create the illustrations.
This unique style makes his illustrations easy to identify and gives the pictures a fun, playful style.
Eric Carle Homeschool Art Lessons
There are so many delightful ways to include art lessons in your homeschool study of artist Eric Carle. Children tend to love his passion for color and his fun animals.
Color Wheel Homeschool Art Lessonin the Style of Eric Carle
First, Eric Carle has a book titled, Hello, Red Fox. This book helps students learn about and understand the color wheel and complementary colors. It would be an excellent book to pair with Nana’s Color Wheel lesson that honor’s Eric Carle. (This lesson would be easy enough for younger students and still teach older students a lot about colors.)
Second, what better way to combine artist study, literature, and art than to do projects based on the main concepts in some of Carle’s most beloved picture books.
For example, you could read A House for Hermit Crab and then try this fun Hermit Crab lesson.
There are many other great pairings from the You Are an Artist Membership courses. You could pick your favorite or do a whole series, including:
For older students, you could even have them try their hand at writing their own short picture books complete with illustrations. They could use the chalk pastel lessons and Eric Carle illustrations as inspiration to help them get started.
Additional Eric Carle Resources
You can visit the Eric Carle website to find out more about his life, see a list of all of his books, and read fascinating answers to some of his more frequently asked questions. There are also some free downloadable games and activities to go along with many of his books.
Another great resource is the thirty-minute video, Eric Carle, Picture Writer. Our family was able to watch the video for free using Hoopla. (Hoopla is a free service offered through many public libraries that allows you to borrow digital materials.)
Additional Resources for Studying Famous Artists in Your Homeschool
Nana’s Eric Carle lesson is a part of our Famous Artists Series. We offer 47 famous artists video lessons for your homeschool including:
Dawn is a passionate follower of Jesus, wife to Chris, and homeschool mom of four. In her spare time she loves to read, hike, and write on her blog Schoolin’ Swag. She enjoys reviewing curriculum and helping moms find the right fit for their family.
Just in time for fall, these fun and engaging art projects are perfect for your homeschool! Take a look at all the different options available as you create your own homeschool pumpkin themed study.
Nana’s Fall pumpkin chalk pastel art lessons for all ages are always a favorite – including It’s The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown art lesson.
Pumpkin Art Lessons To Use In Your Fall Unit Studies
In addition to the fun of Charlie Brown, you may also incorporate these You ARE an Artist lessons into your homeschool study.
Welcome fall with Nana’s pumpkin chalk pastel art or acrylic pumpkin art lessons!
Might we suggest adding The Pumpkin Patch Parable to your Fall studies? This sweet book is a perfect addition to your pumpkin study and goes perfectly with Nana’s pumpkin patch art lesson and all of her pumpkin chalk pastel art lessons.
Why Chalk Pastels Work So Well In Homeschool Art
A note on chalk pastels:Pastels are an easy, forgiving medium. Fun for children and adults alike! Details on the pastels and paper we use, how and where to purchase are in Our Favorite Chalk Pastels. A simple set is very affordable. Nana also teaches acrylic lessons.
The practical aspects of a mess:Pastels are blessedly messy. We always have baby wipes close by to wipe hands. We wear something we don’t mind getting stained or don a smock.
So, paint your Pumpkin Chalk Pastel Art and be sure to share with us! Simply tag @chalkpastelart on social media, use the #YouAREanArtist hashtag, or upload a photo to the ChalkPastel.com Facebook page!
It’s time to paint some apples, don’t you agree? Nana has several homeschool lessons featuring apples for you to enjoy. We are pointing to Apple Chalk Pastel Art Lessons for homeschool so you can easily add them to your fun, fall studies and read aloud times!
How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World Homeschool Art Lesson
Do you love to read the favorite book, How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World in your homeschool? We read it every year! One year we asked Nana to teach us an art lesson to match How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World. You can enjoy it too!
Please note: if you are already on our email list, you will not be added again. Thank you!
Nana’s Apple Pie Recipe for Your Apple Homeschool Studies
You can make Nana’s apple pie recipe! It is perfect for an afternoon tea time or any time. Download a printable version (with Nana’s beautiful illustrations) for free! Click Nana’s Apple Pie Recipe.
Growing a love of art at You ARE an ARTiST is a multi-generational passion! Tricia is Nana’s daughter and a mama of five children. Nana shared her first chalk pastel art lessons with her grandchildren around Tricia’s kitchen table. Homeschooling since 2000, Tricia has seen the fruits of home education with three homeschool grads so far!She shares the art and heart of homeschooling at Hodgepodge and is author of the book, Help! I’m Homeschooling! She and her husband, Steve, are also owners of The Curriculum Choice.
