Archives

March is Kite Month

Mar7

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“Go fly a kite!” what a great idea since windy March days are great ways to spend an afternoon watching  objects flying and floating in the sky.

The history of the kite: The Chinese were the first to build kites over 2,000 years ago and were made from materials readily available from the silk worm: silk for the material,  string made from the silk as well, and bamboo for the frame, which was lightweight. Kites have been used for various reasons: military reconnaissance, enjoyment, as well as sending messages of love to one another.

The popularity of kites is worldwide and enjoyed by people of all ages. The picture above is actually from Cyprus! Did you know there are International Kite Flying Contests held all over the world? There are many YouTube videos that you can see from across the globe and I have one here for you to see from Jakarta, Indonesia. Here is an evening event of Chinese lanterns being released by thousands of participants. CLICK HERE

How about trying your hand at making a kite? I am sure your children will enjoy getting out and enjoying a beautiful spring day with you. WikiHow has 4 different ways to make a kite. They are inexpensive to make, and most things you have on hand. Your project can be counted as art for your school day too. 🙂

 

Google Photos: A Free Google App

Feb15

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Click! Click! My fingers were busy taking pictures on my cell phone of a junior high event that I attended this weekend. The yearbook staff asked me to capture some of the highlights to share since I was a part of the festivities.

Now, what do I do with the pictures? Google has a free app called Google Photos.  It is an online image organizer and viewer. In addition, it also allows you to edit pictures with several basic functions such as, color enhancement, red eye reduction, and cropping. Other features include slide shows, printing, and image timelines. You can also share your photos with others, be it friends or family, near and far.

I think this app would be great if you wanted to create a memory book of an event or if you are in a co-op and wanted to create a yearbook for your students. If you have a student who is interested in photography you could create a class for high school credit by using this app and also guidelines from one of these sources:

4-H Photography This is a requirement page for the merit badge and in no way obligates you to join the organization.

Boy Scout Photography Badge  This is a requirement page for the merit badge and in no way obligates you to join the organization.

I love this quote and wanted to share it with you. Have a great week!

~Lisa

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Mess-free Art Activities

Oct26

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Art seems to be the one activity that gets put off because it can be so messy! I share those sentiments, but perhaps I can provide you with some ways to have your child(ren) do art without causing a huge mess.

Paint squish bags- Put in a sandwich bag two different colors of paint. Close and seal with masking tape. Allow your child to squish it and mix the colors. Little ones love this activity!

Pringles Can Painter- Line an empty Pringles can with a piece of white paper. Put paint on a golf ball and the put it into the can. Roll the can around several times. Take out the ball and wipe off the excess paint. Add another color to the golf ball and repeat the process. Take out the paper and enjoy the design that has been created.

Stamp Art- Stamps can be fun to use and will not be messy if you put the stamps and paper inside a tray.

Pipe Cleaners make great 3-D pictures or models. Your child can make their design and then either glue them on to construction paper or stand them upright to make a free standing model.

Online Art Lesson

May18

I am all about getting help in areas that I don’t feel confident in teaching or don’t have expertise. Art is one of the biggies that I needed help. Never mind that I come from a family of artists! 🙂

One of the homeschool moms that I know just sent me a recommendation for a website that teaches you how to use chalk pastels and acrylics. I have been told that the more you practice, the better you will become…

Hodgepodge has over 100 free lessons to try. Her ideas are simple and clear. This gives hope to even someone like me who has two left thumbs. Why not look into it and see what you think? I’d love to have you post a picture of your creations…

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Here are Daneale’s and her family’s art projects. They look great! Thank you for letting me share your artwork.

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Culture and Community

Aug25

images-1Today I have asked James Kenniv to share about his thoughts on the area of Fine Arts. He is a musician, teacher and homeschool dad. Welcome, James and thank you for sharing about the subject. 🙂

Culture and Community

The area of Fine Arts and its intersection with homeschooling can strike fear into the hearts of parents. Often the Fine Arts represent that which we call “culture” and we are not quite sure how to deal with this topic. Theologian H. Richard Niebuhr, in his book Christ and Culture, discusses five basic ways we as Christians relate to culture. We are either against culture, of culture, above culture, in tension with culture, or transformers of culture. Without going into detail on each of these positions I will place myself firmly in the last camp of transforming (or creating) culture and urge all believers to do the same.

Since the creation of culture is often about pursuing truth and beauty we as Christians should see the immediate advantage that our world view brings to the table. After all, if we believe that “all truth is God’s truth” as was postulated by Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, and Calvin, then we are simply forth-telling what we believe. Non-believers do not have that point of reference as a place to start. Along with the truth that has been entrusted to us comes the responsibility to present that truth in the most compelling way possible to the rest of the world.

Culture does not happen in a bubble, but rather in the context of relationships with others, or in community. Intentional community formed around areas of the Arts are wonderful ways to transform our often disturbing culture into something once again beautiful and uplifting. Take piano lessons, join a theatre group, sing in a choir, play in an orchestra, perform in a 50’s cover band (!). Dance, write, play, perform, create! One sure way to keep the darkness from taking over our world is to shine our light brighter than ever.

One opportunity for those in the Cincinnati area is to join the Greater Cincinnati Community Choirs. This Fall my wife and I are offering three choirs to all that are interested in community and culture. The three choirs are Intervals, for those in fourth through seventh grades; Dynamics, for those in eighth through twelfth grades; and Tonality for adults. We will be performing new music written by local writers in a modern classical style. Our goal is to glorify God as a community of believers with our music. We intend to be excellent in our pursuits and intentional in our purposes. For more information you can visit our website at gccchoirs.com. Our season begins September 22nd and registration is open now.

Whether you come and sing with us, study an instrument, attend a concert, write a poem, or dance a ballet I encourage you to transform our current culture into that which is beautiful and full of truth for the sake of Christ.

Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders , making the most of the opportunity (Colossians 4:5 NASB).

James Kenniv

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James Kenniv is a composer, arranger, musician, and singer. He and his wife Kristen live in Lebanon, OH where they homeschool their seven children. In addition to leading the Greater Cincinnati Community Choirs, James teaches private music lessons at his home studio on piano, percussion, theory/composition and audio recording. You can contact him at jkenn4@mac.com.