Are you doing a Mark Twain literature study in your homeschool? If you are reading any of Mark Twain’s books then be sure to check out Nana’s Mark Twain video art lesson!
Books By Mark Twain For Kids
Humor is mankind’s greatest blessing.
Mark Twain
Mark Twainis considered one of the most significant figures in American literature. His real name was Samuel Langhorne Clemons, and he was born in Florida, Missouri in 1835 when Halley’s comet came through. Did you know Mark Twain died in 1910, just one day after Halley’s comet came its closest to Earth? It’s also interesting to think about the fact that he was alive during the Civil War.
During his life, he worked at a newspaper owned by his brother, and later as a steamboat pilot on the Mississippi river. The Mississippi, therefore, became an integral part of many of Twain’s writings. Many people believe that Samuel Clemons took up his pseudonym “Mark Twain” from a term meaning safe depth by the crewman of the steamboats.
Don’t let schooling interfere with your education.
Mark Twain
Mark Twain did not shy away from challenging the roles of race and class in America. He wrote many books, and older children and teens tend to enjoy them. Though you know your child best, I’d recommend ages 14 and up can read the originals, but the abridged versions for ages 10-13. There are themes of violence and racism in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, so you’ll want to judge for yourself what your child is ready for.
A list of his books geared toward older kids are:
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
The Prince and the Pauper
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court
Mark Twain Homeschool Study
My mother had a great deal of trouble with me, but I think she enjoyed it.
Mark Twain
Nana brings Mark Twain literature studies to life with her Mark Twain video art lesson! All you’ll need is a piece of white copy paper and a starter set of chalk pastels to recreate this famous and witty American novelist while Nana shares her knowledge about Mark Twain!
Mark Twain, also known as the greatest humorist and author America has ever produced!
Christmas literature – including The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, A Christmas Carol, If You Take a Mouse to the Movies, Charlie Brown, The Polar Express, and more!
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.
This collection of fun skeletal system activities for kids includes online lessons, fun facts, and hands-on projects.
Them bones, them bones, them dry bones! Kids love to know about “them bones!” Don’t we all want to know more about what holds us up?
But first, a skeleton joke (because starting learning with a laugh always helps!):
Why are skeletons so calm? Because nothing gets under their skin.
If trying to teach science gets under your skin, you are not alone! I can’t tell you how many times my homeschool friends tell me I am so lucky to be married to a science teacher so he can handle all the science classes. Well, the truth is, you don’t need to know everything to inspire your children’s learning. You just need some great resources. When it comes to the intricate skeletal system, Nana has a video art lesson just for drawing “them bones!”
Hands-On Learning Activities In Your Homeschool
Although there are 206 bones in the adult human skeleton, it is not hard to learn the major bones in our bodies. For one, so many bones come in pairs or multiples!
For another, Nana’s video art lessons make drawing and labeling a human skeleton fun and engaging. We especially loved switching to black paper for this lesson, which made the finished drawing more striking.
Another skeleton joke:
Why did the skeleton have to goto church to play music? They don’t have any organs!
Although a skeleton has no organs, there are chalk pastel lessons on some of the organs in our body! (more on that down below!) But in the human skeleton lesson, there are no organs at all, just good, strong bones.
As with every chalk pastel lesson we use in our homeschool, I adore how the boys never tire of this type of learning. Using art to learn is such an interactive teaching strategy.
As kids draw the hip bones connected to the thigh bones, and so on, they are involving
their ears (listening to Nana),
their eyes (watching her draw and then copying),
their hands (drawing),
and the part of the brain that creates mirror images, because the skeleton has many mirrored shapes!
Using all the senses like this increases comprehension. Kids will retain this learning longer, because so many senses were at work in creating a picture they can label and study!
Hands on learning in your homeschool really is the way to make learning about the human body fun, relaxed, and keep all the information in their lovely round skulls (which is a single large bone! Fun Fact: the skull has one moveable part, which is the mandible).
Learning About The Skeletal System
But why learn about the human body anyway? Adding human anatomy study into your homeschool is so important for giving kids a deeper understanding of their own bodies.
When kids learn how intricately the skeleton is designed (there is only ONE bone that is not connected to another bone!), they will develop a sense of wonder at their own body!
Learning to appreciate the design of the human skeleton will help kids want to take care of their bodies. They need to know why it’s important to eat foods that feed their bones, or how exercise can strengthen their bones. Perhaps those teens will even want to practice good posture, so they can keep their bones functioning properly!
Plus, human anatomy is part of a well-rounded science education. In science, we learn about the far reaches of space, and the creatures of the deep sea, or how the water cycles works. Yet we live and move in these amazing bodies every second of the day, so we should definitely spend a good amount of time learning the science of how our body works!
After all, without our amazing skeleton, we couldn’t draw with chalk pastels, kick a soccer ball, or play musical instruments!
What’s a skeleton’s favorite musical instrument? The trom-bone.
Skeletal System Activities For Kids
I’ve done a number of skeleton lessons and activities with my kids over the years. We’ve built skeletons out of Q-tips, drawn diagrams of the inside layers of bones, and done experiments to see what chemicals can soften bones (chicken bones, that is!).
But this was our first time drawing a human skeleton with Nana. This art lesson was perfect for both my fifth grader and seventh grader. I love how students in various grades can adapt this lesson to their level.
For instance, my fifth grader drew the entire skeleton and then labeled a portion of the skeleton. Younger students might find they need a little extra time to write all those bone names down. That is okay! You can take as much time as you need once the lesson is done to learn the names of each bone. We can either go back and label the rest of the skeleton, or maybe focus on learning just the portion he labeled.
My seventh grader labeled the entire skeleton right after completing the drawing. This is the beauty of whole family learning with chalk pastel lessons: each student can work to their ability level, and the whole family comes away learning more about the skeleton no matter what!
I appreciated how Nana’s chalk pastel skeleton lesson covers both the visual aspect of learning about the skeleton (because it’s just FUN to know how to draw a cool skeleton!), as well as the vocabulary element.
Naming parts of a skeleton is great for building vocabulary. It’s useful know body part names, so you can speak articulately when visiting the doctor. I like how Nana sometimes adds in the “laymen’s term” for some of the bones, discussing the patella as also being called the “kneecap.”
Besides drawing a human skeleton, you can learn so much more about the human body with Nana’s other anatomy lessons.
This colorful lesson teaches kids the three main sections of the human ear. The ear is so intricate and students will learn how beautifully our ear is designed.
Simple to draw, this lesson shows kids all the layers of the tooth. We loved how the tooth is diagrammed in vivid colors to show all the parts of the tooth and gums! Nana’s humor really comes through in this lesson as she discusses each part of the tooth. Maybe it will inspire more dental hygiene as well!
This intricate lesson doesn’t shy away from detail. Young students will draw a beautiful human heart kids can admire and show off! All the parts are labeled, and this lesson would make a wonderful jumping off point for further study.
The eye looks so simple, but has so many parts we cannot see! Nana helps students draw both the outside of the eye and the inner workings of the eye. Plus, students can color their eye to match their own eye color.
Each of these human anatomy lessons involves a good amount of labeling, just like scientists do! These lessons could work at any point in your human anatomy studies: They are perfect for a starting point for study. Spend your unit studying more about each part you labeled.
Another way you could include these lessons is by having students complete their drawings in a science journal (because labeling a diagram is key to scientific research!).
Or, make these lessons a final capstone to a unit on human anatomy. Let students use their drawing to explain what they have learned about human anatomy.
More Resources For Hands-On Science In Your Homeschool
In addition to the human skeleton lesson, the boys also completed the Advances in Medicine lesson. This lesson has kids draw another skeleton, but with extra fun details on the skeleton, and Nana includes some historical references in the lesson.
Hands on Science doesn’t stop with the human body! Nana has already created delightful lessons on cells, bacterium, as well as many other science topics.
For STEAM studies, paint pictures of famous inventors, and study their lives and inventions from telephones to electricity, steam engines and airplanes.
There is science in everything we see and do! And here’s another skeleton joke for you:
Why didn’t the skeleton go to the scary movie? He didn’t have the guts!
Sometimes, designing a program of science study for our kids feels like a scary movie. But learning about science is NOT scary at all with these wonderful chalk pastel art lessons to support your studies, and the delightful and energetic Nana leading your children through learning with art.
Don’t be afraid to blend art and science for a colorful hands-on experience for everyone. The human skeleton and our anatomy is a wonderful place to begin.
Fill your homeschool with hands-on learning in every subject with a You ARE an Artist Clubhouse membership. This way you’ll have full access to all the video art lessons all the time! No matter what topic you’re studying, be it history, science, music, or literature, you can find a coordinating lesson to engage your learners. Plus, You ARE an Artist is always adding in valuable curriculum workbooks to give you fast facts, lesson planners, and more for your homeschool.
Julie is a teacher, writer and homeschool mom. Her blog Happy Strong Home shares encouragement for cherishing children, enjoying motherhood, and growing strong families. Discover homeschool resources, natural living tips, and family activity ideas. Julie has been featured on Million Praying Moms, The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, and the Melissa and Doug blog. She offers writing workshops and a “homeschool neighborhood” community to support parents in their homeschool adventures. Find Julie on Instagram to be the first to know when new workshops and community events are available.
The holidays are a beautiful time of year, and the perfect time to change up the homeschool schedule or enjoy a lighter seasonal study. Make memories with these December art activities for homeschooling!
Homeschooling Through The Holidays
In this season, we might turn cookie exchanges into science and math lessons. We spend more time with grandma and grandpa listening for a history lesson one will never find in a textbook. Or maybe we laminate maps for the car ride to Aunt Alice’s house and knock out geography on the way. That’s the beauty of homeschooling! We can enjoy a slower pace, more cookies, and feel reassured our children are always learning. And reminding Jake to say “thank you” after he opens the crochet socks he was certain was an Xbox … well, that falls into a new subject we like to call Etiquette.
December Art Activities Perfect For Holiday Homeschooling
Enjoy this ultimate list of Christmas Homeschool Art Lessons! Christmas homeschooling allows us to focus on the real reason for the season. And you can do that in so many ways. We will give many resources to choose from and help you customize your perfect Christmas school day, week, or month.
Christmas Book to Movie Homeschool Activities Your Kids Will Love! by Erin – Check out this festive list of Christmas books made into movies – with Christmas activities your kids will love! Now your kids can re-create their favorite book characters and movie scenes with chalk pastels! Like Kevin from Home Alone, the Grinch and more!
A Merry Christmas Hymns Study for Your Homeschool – Whether you homeschool as normal through December, add in Christmas activities, or trade all your homeschool curriculum for ‘Christmas School,’ a Christmas hymns study can be an enjoyable part of your school day. It is a beautiful opportunity for the family to learn and worship together with December art activities for homeschooling.
Draw Your Way Through the Story of Christmas – 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.
If You Take a Mouse to the Movies: Hands on Homeschooling – When the nights turn chilly and darker, there are fewer places to go outdoors as a family. We usually see the return of “Family Movie Night” on Fridays in the fall and winter as a result. Our family loves watching movies based on books. Add a few hands-on homeschool activities, and everyone is ready for both learning and fun.
Free Christmas Lessons! Christmas Tree for the Animals
Speaking of December art activities for homeschooling… Sign up to enjoy these Christmas lessons any time during the holiday season. Includes nature study with our sister site Homeschool Nature Study, an art lesson with Nana, a craft plus a hymn and composer study too! SIGN UP HERE!
Celebrate December Word Weavers with Literature Art Lessons
Grab your pens and journals along with chalk supplies as we celebrate these writers, poets, and creative story tellers. We believe in thePower of Adding Art to Literature Studies!
December 9, 1608 British poet John Milton was born in London. He is best known for Paradise Lost.
December 10, 1830 Poet Emily Dickinson was born in Massachusetts. Over 2,000 poems were discovered after her death in 1886 and gradually published starting in 1890. My favorite is Hope.
December 10,1851 American librarian Melvil Dewey was born in Adams Center, New York. He created the Dewey Decimal System.
December 12 1821 French author Gustave Flaubert was born in France. He is best known for the novel Madame Bovary.
December 19, 1732 – Benjamin Franklin first published Poor Richard’s Almanac containing weather predictions, humor, proverbs and epigrams.
December 30 1865 British writer Rudyard Kipling was born in Bombay, India. He wrote The Jungle Book.
December Artists and Animators
December 2, 1859 French painter Georges Seuratwas born in Paris. He was a leader in the neo-impressionist movement of the late 19th Century.
December 3, 1755 American portrait painter Charles Stuart was born in Rhode Island. He is best known for his portraits of George Washington, James Madison, James Monroe, and Thomas Jefferson.
December 5, 1901 Walt Disney was born in Chicago, Illinois.
December 23, 1888 – Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh cut off his left ear during a fit of depression.
December Musicians, Composers, and Singers
December 5, 1791 – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart died a pauper at age 35 in Vienna, Austria. He had created over 600 works.
December 8 1980 Former Beatles musician John Lennon was assassinated in New York City.
December 13 1835 American clergyman and composer Phillips Brooks was born in Boston, Massachusetts. He is best known for the Christmas Carol,O Little Town of Bethlehem.
December 25, 1642 Isaac Newton was born in Woolsthorpe, Lincolnshire, England.
December 31, 1879 – Thomas Edison provided the first public demonstration of his electric incandescent lamp at his laboratory in Menlo Park, New Jersey.
December Historical Events & Leaders
December 1 1955, the modern American civil rights movement occurred as Rosa Parks was arrested in Montgomery, Alabama, for refusing to give up her seat to a white man and move to the back section of a municipal bus.
December 2, 1804 – Napoleon Bonaparte was crowned Emperor of France by Pope Pius VII in Paris. One year later, 1805 – Napoleon defeated Russia and Austria in the Battle of Austerlitz.
December 6, 1865 – The 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified abolishing slavery.
December 7 1941 The U.S. Naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, was attacked by nearly 200 Japanese aircraft. One day later the United States and Britain declared war on Japan. We have combined many history and art lessons for the Your Modern History Buff.
December 16, 1773 – The Boston Tea Party occurred as colonial activists disguised as Mohawk Indians boarded British ships anchored in Boston Harbor and dumped 342 containers of expensive tea into the water.
December 20, 1860 – South Carolina became the first state to secede from the Union in a prelude to the American Civil War.
December 21, 1879 Soviet Russia leader Josef Stalin was born in the village of Gori in Georgia, Russia.
December 25, 1066 – William the Conqueror was crowned King of England after he had invaded England from France.
December 25, 1776 – During the American Revolution, George Washington took 2,400 of his men across the Delaware River.
December Space Study: It’s Out Of This World!
December 14, 1502 French physician Nostradamus was born in St. Remy, Provence, France. He made astrological predictions believed by many to tell the future.
Nana predicts you will love learning about astronomy alongside painting the cosmos with chalk pastels!
December 14, 1962 – The Mariner II space probe sent back information from the planet Venus, the first information ever received from another planet.
December 27, 1571 German astronomer Johannes Kepler was born in Wurttemberg, Germany. He is considered the father of astronomy.
December Science: The Human Body
December 21, 1846 – Anesthesia was used for the first time in Britain during an operation at University College Hospital in London performed by Robert Liston who amputated a leg.
December 25, 1821 American nurse and philanthropist Clara Barton was born in Oxford, Massachusetts.
December 27, 1822 French chemist-bacteriologist Louis Pasteur was born in Dole, France. He developed the pasteurization process to kill harmful bacteria.
How did it get so late so soon? Its night before its afternoon. December is here before its June. My goodness how the time has flewn. How did it get so late so soon? ~ Dr. Seuss
December 18th-26th, Hanukkah. Jewish celebration commemorating the rededication during the second century B.C. of the Second Temple in Jerusalem, when Jews had risen up against their Greek-Syrian oppressors in the Maccabean Revolt.
December25th, Christmas. The day Christians celebrate the Birth of Christ.
December 26th Boxing Day. In Great Britain, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand servants, tradespeople, and the poor were presented with gifts. Today it is known as a shopping and sporting events day.
December 26th- Jan 1st, Kwanza. African American families celebrate a harvest festival. Kwanzaa means “first fruit” in Swahili.
Homeschool mama, I encourage you to enjoy this season. It’s your holiday too! Find a family to serve, a cause to donate to, but most importantly a sweet child to cuddle up with before a fireplace. Take it from one who has graduated a homeschooler – the time does fly and boy do I miss reading The Grinch aloud. Enjoy the movie marathon, the Gingerbread House construction, Elmer Fudd’s Blue Christmas on repeat. I promise you’ll get back to filling in the homeschool blanks all too soon because sweet friend – you’re not “falling behind”.
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.
Enjoy a simple, joyful and stress-free Christmas event for the whole family. With art, nature and music plus a nature craft for your Christmas homeschool, you can make memories and have fun together.
Though we would like to, as homeschool moms, we can’t fit in all the holiday homeschooling fun. This Christmas homeschool event, however, gives you an easy way to say yes! And all you need is just a bit of time set aside and a few inexpensive supplies.
It’s all done for you! Sit back and enjoy the fun!
A Christmas Tree for the Animals – An Event for the Whole Family!
Sign up to receive the replay
Activities included in this Joyful Art, Nature and Music for Your Christmas Homeschool Event
Access to attend live and to the replay of the event – relax and enjoy on your schedule
How to create and decorate an outdoor Christmas tree for the animals with Amy of Homeschool Nature Study
A Christmas craft! Make an ornament for your outdoor tree (edible for the animals) with Victoria of Homeschool Nature Study
A hands on art lesson with Nana of You ARE an ARTiST – with a FUN Christmas tree with the animals theme!
A downloadable nature study, hymn study AND composer study to accompany the live event!
construction paper (Nana suggests white construction paper for this lesson)
baby wipes or damp paper towel for easy clean up
Craft supplies detailed at sign up.
Share On Social Media!
Be sure to share photos of your Christmas Tree With the Animals Art, Nature and Music time on social media and tag @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!
Art, Nature, Hymns & More Membership Bundle
TWO homeschool memberships at a discount price! Add the beauty of art lessons AND nature study to your homeschool with this family-style bundle!
Self-paced and live art lessons AND nature studies
Online membership calendars for both – enjoy a daily art lesson prompt AND a daily nature study prompt
Downloadable and printable guides and resources
Oh so many bonuses!
The Your Best Homeschool Ultimate Membership
You will have the resources to make beautiful memories with your children. Just open and go! It’s JOY!
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 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.
Enjoy these beautiful, simple and no stress activities as you are homeschooling through the holidays. Our Christmas Tree Study for kids includes not only nature study but a nature craft, Christmas hymn and composer study and an art lesson with Nana too!
The Reality Of Holiday Homeschooling
When we are homeschooling through the holidays, we can change things up, take our time, incorporate favorite traditions and make lovely memories together as a family. Many families choose to set aside this time for Christmas School. These weeks can lead up to and create a special focus on the birth of Christ.
Just how? You can choose read alouds that point to Jesus and do hands on art lessons to draw your way through the Christmas story. Pick a nature study hunt for red and green and study a traditional hymn about the reason for the season. We always like to make Nana’s Christmas cookies! Have a sweet tea time. Watch Christmas movies!
Another way to homeschool through the holidays is with this special event around a Christmas tree study!
A Christmas Tree for the Animals Event: Here’s How to Be Ready
When: LIVE premiere Wednesday, November 16th at noon ET
Where: Right here on this page!
How: Sign up to participate via the form, below
Can’t attend live? No worries! Sign up and you will have access to the replay of the event
What’s Included in Christmas Tree For the Animals Event?
When the event is live, you will enjoy (you will also have access to the replay):
Decorating an Outdoor Christmas Tree for the Animals with Amy Law of Homeschool Nature Study
construction paper (Nana suggests white construction paper for this lesson)
baby wipes or damp paper towel for easy clean up
Details on supplies for the craft portion included with sign up.
Christmas Tree Animals Study
It is so much fun to decorate an outdoor tree just for the animals! For even more animals studies, you can also enjoy an art lesson on forest animals and birds – here at You ARE an ARTiST and a nature study at Homeschool Nature Study.
Here are some ideas for your Christmas Tree Animals study with an art and nature focus:
Trees are a delight to study any time of year! Enjoy these additional ideas for a tree nature study or for winter nature study you can easily do indoors or outdoors.
Paint a winter frosty leaf in chalk pastels with Nana!
Nana’s Frosty Leaf is part of the Winter art lessons series in the You ARE an ARTiST Clubhouse. Suggested supplies: dark blue construction paper, starter set of chalk pastels and slightly damp paper towel or baby wipes for easy clean up.
In Homeschool Nature Study membership, you can also find a study of the Hemlock Tree in the Autumn course and Evergreens in My Yard study and journal page in the Trees course. Each season includes a new tree study.
Besides your fun homeschool nature craft that Victoria will lead you in this event, you might also enjoy these hands-on activities for Christmas
Nature Crafts course – Victoria leads you in a brand new nature craft each month at Homeschool Nature Study. As you head into winter, you might especially love creating an ice craft!
Nana’s course, The Gift of Art, is perfect for allowing your kids to make gifts for others on a dime. Nana shares easy ideas for kids of all ages to make a gift to give that they will be proud of. Letting your children handmake a gift for someone is affordable and allows them to express their creativity. Not only that, your kids can gift items that showcase their artistic progress.
Additional Resources For Christmas In Your Homeschool
Continue your lovely Christmas school with even more resources to create memories this year.
Draw Your Way Through the Story of Christmas – 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.
The Ultimate List of Christmas Homeschool Art Lessons – Enjoy this ultimate list of Christmas Homeschool Art Lessons! Christmas homeschooling allows us to focus on the real reason for the season. And you can do that in so many ways. We will give many resources to choose from and help you customize your perfect Christmas school day, week, or month.
Christmas Book to Movie Homeschool Activities Your Kids Will Love! by Erin – Check out this festive list of Christmas books made into movies – with homeschool activities your kids will love! Now your kids can re-create their favorite book characters and movie scenes with chalk pastels! Like Kevin from Home Alone, the Grinch and more!
A Merry Christmas Hymns Study for Your Homeschool – Whether you homeschool as normal through December, add in Christmas activities, or trade all your homeschool curriculum for ‘Christmas School,’ a Christmas hymns study can be an enjoyable part of your school day. It is a beautiful opportunity for the family to learn and worship together.
The Nutcracker: A Holiday Homeschool Unit Study – Celebrate the Christmas season and enjoy the famous ballet with Nana’s Nutcracker video art lessons. Nana has a Nutcracker ballet lesson added to the collection just for members. Plus Clubhouse members get to enjoy a Nutcracker-themed special event and a companion Nutcracker curriculum!
Winter Solstice Art Activities for Your Homeschool – Celebrate the winter solstice with your kids with chalk pastels winter themed art! They are easy and fun for the whole family. A perfect addition to your winter homeschooling!
As Courtney shared in her Biblical homeschool post, “we hope that this gives you lots of inspiration for your Christmas school plans this year! Remember, you don’t have to do it all this year. Advent is all about preparing our hearts and dwelling in His perfect peace. Christmas school is an opportunity not only for creativity and education but for making lasting memories together.”
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 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.
Did you know that history doesn’t have to be boring? That’s right; you can bring fun activities for history class into your homeschool with these chalk pastel lessons.
Bring History To Life With Engaging Activities
Adding hands-on activities to any history lesson creates an immersive and engaging learning environment. This means that kids comprehend and thus retain more of their learning. Art can bring any textbook to life or enhance living history books with a multi-sensory approach! You’ll need a simple set of chalk pastels, a pack of construction paper, and Nana’s video art lessons! Then watch the learning begin.
Fun Activities For History Class In Your Homeschool
We’ve covered many different timelines over the years, and our You ARE An Artist Complete Clubhouse Membership ensures that there is almost always a corresponding art lesson. My kids have loved painting the pyramids of Giza, medieval castles, mapping the Louisiana Purchase, and so much more!
You, too, can expand your history studies with Nana’s chalk pastel homeschool art lessons because art is the perfect way to encourage hands-on learning and exploration through historical timelines. Engage your children with color, lines, and form as they recreate these periods of the past. Did you know Nana has courses for:
My son is also obsessed with World War II and Modern History. I’m so grateful that Nana has video art lessons to help explore this time period as well:
You ARE an ARTiST Complete Clubhouse Members also enjoy:
Queen Elizabeth II
Winston Churchill
Big Ben and other World + American Landmarks
Presidents series
Famous Artists and Composers continuing series
Literature continuing series
Maps continuing series
Fun Activities For Science, Literature, and More In Your Homeschool
Nana has loads of homeschool science resources to keep the learning going beyond history. When you have a You ARE an Artist Clubhouse Membership; you’ll have access to over 800 video art lessons. Or you can find all the science and literature lessons in the I Drew It Then I Knew It series!
Christmas literature – including The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, A Christmas Carol, If You Take a Mouse to the Movies, Charlie Brown, The Polar Express, and more!
Fun Activities For History Class In Your Homeschool
No matter what period of history your homeschool is immersed in, there are fun activities for history class to be enjoyed. Let Nana take you on a trek through the timelines of Ancient through to Modern times and everything in between!
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.
As November rolls around my mind immediately wanders to my long Thanksgiving grocery list. Every homeschool lesson feels like it revolves around pilgrims, Native Americans, turkey, and gratitude. Maybe you’ve created enough Tom the Turkey disguises every November he is now officially missing in action. Grab your chalk pastels, maps, some hot chocolate, your favorite stories, and find new inspiration with these November learning activities!
Before your eyes glaze over with the joy of second third helpings of stuffing – who is counting? – there are many interesting historical dates besides the Mayflower, mapping opportunities other than Massachusetts, and writer’s birthdays to celebrate in the month of November.
November Exploration and Geography Study
100 years before the Pilgrims stepped on the Mayflower these navigators and discoveries were being documented. Grab a map and chalk these continents.
November 8, 1519 – Cortes conqueredMexico. After landing on the Yucatan Peninsula in April, Cortes and his troops had marched into the interior of Mexico to the Aztec capital and captured Aztec Emperor Montezuma.
November 19, 1493 – Puerto Ricowas discovered by Columbus during his second voyage to the New World.
November 22, 1497 – Portuguese navigator Vasco Da Gama became the first to sail round the Cape of Good Hope, while searching for a sea route to India.
November 28, 1520 – Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan passed through the strait (of Magellan) located at the southern tip of South America, thus crossing from the Atlantic Ocean into the Pacific.
November for Religious Freedoms
November 10th 1483 – Reformation founder Martin Luther was born in Eisleben, Saxony. You don’t need any nails to add more Bible Crafts for Kids into your morning quiet time!
November in the Early Modern Era
November 3, 1534 – King Henry VIII became Supreme Head of the Church of England following the passage of the Act of Supremacy by Parliament.
November 17, 1558 – Queen Elizabeth I ascended the throne of England at the age of 25, reigning until 1603 when she was 69.
November 19th 1600 – Charles I, King of Scotland and England was born. He ruled from 1625-49.
November 5th 1605 – Guy Fawkes Day in Britain, for the anniversary of the failed “Gunpowder Plot” to blow up the Houses of Parliament and King James I.
November 8th 1656 Astronomer and mathematician Edmund Halley was born in London. He sighted the Great Comet of 1682 (known now as Halley’s Comet) and foretold its reappearance in 1758.
Houston to Nana, can you hear us Nana? Draw your own comet and astronomy learning with Space Art Lessons.
November 26th 1694: – French author and philosopher Voltaire was born in Paris (as Francois-Marie Arouet). He was an advocate of human rights who published the Philosophical Letters in 1734. Other writings include; Zadig, The Century of Louis XIV, The Russian Empire under Peter the Great, The Philosophical Dictionary, and Essay on Morals.
November 26, 1607- Harvard College founder John Harvard was born in London.
November 1, 1700 – Charles II of Spain died and was succeeded by Philip V, resulting in the War of Spanish Succession.
November in Modern History
November 2 1734 – American frontiersman Daniel Boone was born in Berks County, near Reading, Pennsylvania.
Daniel Boone’s birthday and Mapping Skills this month inspires us to learn more about early American history and the changes of the Unites States map. It’s also a great time to read about Lewis & Clark as well as the Oregon Trail.
November 10, 1775 – The U.S. Marine Corps was established as part of the U.S. Navy. It became a separate unit on July 11, 1789. We celebrate Veteran’s Day on November 11th.
November 17 1789Photography inventor Louis Daguerre was born in Cormeilles, near Paris. In 1839 he announced his daguerreotype process, the first practical photographic process that produced lasting pictures.
November 17 1790 – German mathematician August Mobius was born in Schulpforte, Germany. He worked in the area of analytic geometry.
November 18th 1786– German composer Carl Maria von Weber was born in Eutin, Germany. He founded the German romantic style of music. Best known for his operas including Der Freischutz.
November 21, 1783 – The first free balloon flight took place in Paris as Jean Francois Pilatre de Rozier and Marquis Francois Laurent d’Arlandes ascended in a Montgolfier hot air balloon. The flight lasted 25 minutes and carried them nearly six miles at a height of about 300 feet over Paris.
November 22, 1718 – Blackbeard the pirate was killed off the coast of North Carolina after a prosperous “career”.
Aaron Copland’s Lincoln Portrait and Abraham Lincoln’s Thanksgiving Proclamation with Nana in You ARE an ARTiST Complete Clubhouse membership. Thankful for Art!
November 6th Birthdays: 1854: American conductor John Philip Sousa known for his rousing marches including: The Stars and Stripes Forever, Semper Fidelis, and El Capitan, was born in Washington, D.C.
1860:Polish composer, pianist and patriot, Ignace Paderewski was born in Kurylowka, Podolia, Poland.
1861: James Naismith, who invented the game of basketball, was born in Almonte, Ontario, Canada.
Are you homeschooling an athlete? Add the Games Clubhouse to your art lessons!
November 7th 1867 – Polish chemist Marie Curie was born in Warsaw, Poland. In 1903, she and her husband received the Nobel Prize for physics for their discovery of the element Radium.
November 8, 1895 – X-rays (electromagnetic rays) were discovered by Wilhelm Roentgen at the University of Wuerzburg in Germany.
November 12th 1840 – French sculptor Auguste Rodin was born in Paris. Best known for his statues St. John the Baptist Preaching, Eve, The Age of Bronze and The Thinker.
November 14th, 1840 – Claude Monet was born in Rue Laffitte, Paris, France. Monet was the initiator and leading painter of the Impressionist style.
November 17, 1800– The U.S. Congress met for the first time in the new capital at Washington, D.C. President John Adams then became the first occupant of the Executive Mansion, later renamed the White House.
November 19, 1863 – President Abraham Lincolndelivered the 2 minute Gettysburg Address during ceremonies dedicating 17 acres of the Gettysburg Battlefield as a National Cemetery.
November 18th Birthdays:
1836 Sir William Gilbert was born in London. He wrote the verses for the famed Gilbert and Sullivan comic operas which poked fun at the British establishment. Among their operas; H.M.S. Pinafore, The Pirates of Penzance, Iolanthe, The Mikado and The Yeoman of the Guard.
1860 – Polish pianist Ignacy Jan Paderewski was born in Kurylowka in southwestern Russia. He achieved world fame for his interpretations of Schubert and Chopin.
November 20th 1889 – American astronomer Edwin Hubble was born in Marshfield, Missouri. He pioneered the concept of an expanding universe. The Hubble Space Telescope was named in his honor. Sketch the Hubble Telescope in the Space Exploration Clubhouse!
November 26, 1832 – The first horse-drawn streetcar carried passengers in New York City along Fourth Avenue between Prince Street and 14th Street.
November 26th 1832– American physician and women’s rights leader, Mary Edwards Walker was born in Oswego, New York. She was the first female surgeon in U.S. Army, serving during the Civil War. She was captured and spent four months in a Confederate prison. In 1865, she became the first and only woman ever to receive the Medal of Honor.
November 1874 Birthday – Winston Churchill was born in Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire, England. His inspirational speeches, combined with his political skills and military strategy carried Britain through the war, and helped the Allies overcome the Nazi onslaught and defeat Hitler. This great British statesman found a source of delight and a relief from the stress of his career. He proudly painted in oils and pastel chalks, producing over 550 paintings, helping him to hone his powers of observation, memory and visual acuity.
November in the 1900’s
November 4, 1922 British archaeologist Howard Carter and his workmen discover a step leading to the tomb of King Tutankhamen in the Valley of the Kings in Egypt.
November 7, 1944 – President Franklin D. Rooseveltwas elected to an unprecedented fourth term, defeating Thomas E. Dewey. Roosevelt died less than a year later on April 12, 1945.
November 7, 1990 – Mary Robinson became Ireland’s first female president.
November 7, 1918 – Christian evangelist Billy Graham was born near Charlotte, North Carolina.
November 7 1922Pioneering heart surgeon Christiaan Barnard was born in Beaufort West, Cape of Good Hope Province, South Africa. He headed the surgical team that achieved the first-ever human heart transplant in 1967.
Learn more about anatomy with Nana’s Heart Diagram
November 9, 1989 – The Berlin Wall was opened up after standing for 28 years as a symbol of the Cold War. The 27.9 mile wall had been constructed in 1961.
November 10, 1928 – Hirohito was crowned Emperor ofJapan. He was Imperial Japan’s Emperor during World War II.
November 13, 1927 – The Holland Tunnel was opened to traffic. The tunnel runs under the Hudson River between New York City and Jersey City and was the first underwater tunnel built in the U.S.
November 13, 1956 – The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that racial segregation on public buses was unconstitutional.
November 14th 1900 – American composer Aaron Copland was born in Brooklyn, New York. He created a quintessential American music style in his ballets, film scores, and orchestral works including Fanfare for the Common Man, Rodeo, and Appalachian Spring for which he won a Pulitzer Prize.
November 19-20, 1990 –The Cold War came to an end during a summit in Paris as leaders of NATO and the Warsaw Pact signed a Treaty on Conventional Forces in Europe.
November 22 1913 – British composer Benjamin Britten was born in Lowestoft, Suffolk, England. Best known for his operas including Peter Grimes, A Ceremony of Carols, and War Requiem.
November 29, 1929 – American explorer Richard Byrd and Bernt Balchen completed the first airplane flight to the South Pole.Paint a Map of Antarctica.
November Writers’ Birthdays
November is packed full of wonderful authors’ birthdays. We believe in the Power of Adding Art to Literature Studies. November 8 1847 – Dracula author Bram Stoker was born in Dublin, Ireland.
November 11th 1821 – Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoyevsky was born in Moscow. Best known for The Brothers Karamazov, Crime and Punishment and The Idiot.
November 13th 1850 – Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson was born in Edinburgh, Scotland. Best known for Treasure Island, Kidnapped and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Create a Treasure Island masterpiece from the Talk Like a Pirate Day post.
November 28th 1757 – British artist and poet William Blake was born in London.
November 29th 1832 – Little Women author Louisa May Alcott was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Is Little Women a favorite read in your home? Read this Little Women Unit Study for Your Homeschool . November 29th 1898 – British author C.S. Lewis was born in Belfast, Ireland (as Clive Staples Lewis). He wrote books on Christian teachings including The Pilgrim’s Regress, The Problem of Pain, Miracles, and The Screwtape Letters.
I am in my mid 40’s and I’ll never forget my third grade teacher reading the Narnia books to class every morning. I loved reading the books to my boys. Add art to these lovely stories with The Chronicles of Narnia: A Homeschool Art Adventure.
November 30th 1835 – American author Samuel Clemens (1835-1910) was born in Florida, Missouri. He wrote books under the pen name Mark Twain including The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and The Prince and the Pauper.
November 7th 1900 – Gone with the Wind author Margaret Mitchell was born in Atlanta, Georgia.
Additional Seasonal Art Activities and November Learning Activities
Are we at the mashed potatoes and gravy part yet?!? Here are a few awesome Thanksgiving art tutorials you can share with the kiddos while you peel potatoes and stuff the bird. What a fun way to share Chalk Pastel Art with visiting relatives this holiday.
Norman Rockwell Thanksgiving– How would you like to visit with famous artist Norman Rockwell, known as “America’s Artist” while he paints one of his most iconic scenes from the “Four Freedoms” series: Freedom from Want! Yep, you will sit at a festive Thanksgiving table, set with the best china, the best dinner guests and have a happy time? Come on, that turkey leg looks like it is all yours!
Thanksgiving Hymn Favorites: Learning Activities for Your Homeschool – A season of thankfulness and gratitude would not be complete without sharing thanks to God for all of our blessings. One of our favorite ways to celebrate during this time of Thanksgiving is with hymn studies. Many songs help us to remember our gifts and sing our gratitude to God. Here, I’ve included Thanksgiving hymn favorites for you to enjoy, along with learning activities for your homeschool.
Thanksgiving Day Parade – Nana has a really fun way to paint your favorite, giant Thanksgiving float in her Thanksgiving Clubhouse series.
The Ultimate Guide to Fun Thanksgiving Activities for Your Homeschool – Enjoy this ultimate guide to fun Thanksgiving activities for your homeschool with wonderful homeschool tools for celebrating Thanksgiving and teaching gratitude. Includes art activities, history, Thanksgiving recipes and more!
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.
Hey, did you hear? Nana has a homeschool science ear diagram activity! This activity is a perfect way to learn the inner workings of the human ear while being creative and a bit messy with chalk pastels.
Learning About Human Anatomy Made Easy: Diagram the Ear
I love incorporating art into our homeschool studies! It gives us a tactile way to explore information, and for my kinesthetic learner, it helps solidify what he’s learning. This year my high schooler is studying biology. And wouldn’t you know it, Nana has chalk pastels that fit with his course of study! Colorful diagrams are a perfect way to help my teen visualize what he’s learning in a hands-on way.
Diagram The Ear With This Homeschool Study
Nana’s online video art lessons provide you with all the information you need to create a vibrant diagram. This week my son learned about the inner workings of the ear! All we needed was a pack of construction paper and a starter set of chalk pastels as Nana took us step-by-step on how to draw the outer ear, middle ear, and inner ear. Then she proceeded to show us how to label each part of the ear diagram correctly.
I love that I could pair Nana’s chalk pastel with our biology textbook! Chalk pastels can be a wonderful compliment to any homeschool curriculum.
Additional Resources For Science In your Homeschool
No matter what your kiddo may be studying, Nana has a corresponding lesson that can solidify the knowledge in a hands-on way. And I, for one, love the colorful diagrams that pair so beautifully with our homeschool lessons.
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.
Your resident ornithologist will love this homeschool bird study with Nana’s bird art lessons! There are so many ways to combine a homeschool bird study with art. Maybe a seasonal study, the Great Backyard Bird Count, nature study and more. You can have an I Drew It Then I Knew It homeschool science lesson.
Homeschool Bird Study With I Drew It Then I Knew It Science
Enjoy this fun fall blue jay to paint with Nana’s video art lesson!
Suggested supplies: brown construction paper. Blue, black, white, orange, yellow, brown and red chalk pastels.
Enjoy this simple nature study for your homeschool with Project Feederwatch! This activity helps you learn more about local birds in a way that is fun and beneficial to your community.
This homeschool bird study for different learning styles is a wonderful example of how nature study can benefit any child. It allows you to provide a variety of experiences to tap into their natural learning style and complete a bird study all along the way!
You ARE AN Artist Clubhouse Membership for Your Homeschool Lessons
With You ARE an ARTiST Complete Clubhouse membership, you can do several bird lessons per week leading up to the Great Backyard Bird Count! You can even do a little mini-study on each bird as you go. With the chalk pastel You ARE An Artist Clubhouse Membership you’ll have access to 700+ art lessons including these:
So, paint your fall bird with your homeschool study 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!
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.
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.
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 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.
Are your kids excited about Halloween homeschooling? Maybe you don’t do spooky but still want to incorporate some delightful festivities for the season. Look no further than Nana’s chalk pastel art activities for learning fun!
Halloween Homeschooling
You can make Halloween a day, week, or month to remember with an assortment of chalk pastel video art lessons. All you’ll need is a starter set of chalk pastels, a pack of construction paper, and You ARE An Artist Clubhouse Membership!
Set the table with some favorite treats, a pot of tea, and a few candles (if you don’t have little kids), and you are on your way to a delightful Halloween homeschooling chalk pastel teatime! Your children could even dress up in old costumes if they wanted to!
Fun, Not Scary Art Activities For Halloween
Halloween doesn’t have to be spooky unless you want it to be. For me and my kiddos, we chose lessons that still gave off a Halloween/fall vibe without being scary.
Here are a few of the lessons we chose for our not-so-spooky teatime:
Colorful Spider Web (Backyard Nature) – because spider webs are synonymous with Halloween!
New Bat Study at Homeschool Nature Study: Bats Homeschool Nature Study: Mammals (members have an Outdoor Hour Challenge on Bats and Echolocation/Sense of Hearing)
More Fall Activities For Your Homeschool
We had loads of fun sipping tea, and eating lemon cake and cupcakes. The colors of chalk swirl together to create beautiful masterpieces that are unique to each child. Even my teenager joined in with our fun!
Did you know you can add more fall activities and art to your homeschool with these fun teatime ideas:
Make Halloween homeschooling a fun and festive time of year with these non-spooky chalk pastel lessons! Remember to add in your favorite treats and let your children be as creative as they want. As Nana always says, “You ARE an ARTIST!” Plus, anytime is a great time for art!
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.
