October 27, 2015

Famous Artists: Books, Activities, and Crafts {Poppins Book Nook}

I have been so busy with school, that it's been challenging for me to stay on top of the Poppins Book Nook themes each month. I just haven't been able to work the last few themes into our school stuff...and this one is not any different. But for the theme of Artists, I have put together a collection of books and linked up activities relating to this subject to introduce your children to the wild world of Art from my own list of favorite artists and books!
Exploring Famous Artists: Books, Activities, and Crafts

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Art is something that we love to do here in the house, but it's something that I just sort of work in with crafts relating to various subjects we are learning. My mother-in-law is an art major and a great resource for me when I'm stuck on ideas. We believe that art is important to life and it's a great way to express oneself. I've tried to showcase different artist styles in a casual way as we come across them...especially through books!

Here are books and activities that I have put together to give you some ideas for exploring the world of art with your own family!

by Christina Bjork
Illustrated by Lena Anderson

Linnea has been in Paris. And she has visited the painter Claude Monet's garden! She even stood on the same little Japanese bridge that Monet painted so often in his pictures. In Paris, Linnea got to see many of the real paintings. Now she can understand what it means to be called an Impressionist, and she knows a lot about Monet's life in the pink house where he lived with his eight children.~Amazon

I love love love this book! Monet is definitely my favorite artist as his style just resonates with me. I have enjoyed introducing the boys to his work with this book. The illustrations are gorgeous and show places in Paris that inspired much of Monet's work. It is very easy to use this book to encourage your child to make their own watercolor or oil paintings. 

Other books about Claude Monet for further reading:


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The Boy Who Bit Picasso
by Anthony Penrose

Tony was a boy with a special friend—a world-famous artist by the name of Pablo Picasso. Tony and his parents entertained Picasso at their home in England, and they went to visit Picasso and his family in France, too. Tony, when a child, really did bite Picasso. And Picasso bit him back! ~ Amazon

Another fun and clever introduction to a famous author is through this fun book about Pablo Picasso. This book is filled with information about Picasso's personal life as well as over 60 illustrations, including artworks by Picasso! Picasso is someone that children enjoy studying because of his range of style.

Here is a list of activities to help explore the world of Picasso:
*Picasso Cubist Paper Bag Puppet
*Pablo Picasso Word Search
*Picasso Face Art Project
*Pablo Picasso (Getting to Know the World's Greatest Artists) by Mike Venezia

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van Gogh and the Sunflowers
by Laurence Anholt

Young Camille befriends a strange visitor to his small town, and one day he brings this man a gift of bright, beautiful sunflowers. The man is the artist Vincent van Gogh, and the sunflowers quickly become the subject of a magnificent painting. This is a title in Anholt's Artists Books for Children series, in which author and illustrator Laurence Anholt recalls memorable and sometimes amusing moments when the lives of the artists were touched by children. Anholt's fine illustrations appear on every page and include reproductions of works by the artists. ~Amazon

Vincent van Gogh is another one of my favorite artists...well sometimes. LOL. I admit that there are certain of his masterpieces that I prefer over others. I think my most absolute favorite is his Starry Night. There is just something about it that is almost magical! I really enjoy sharing his work with my boys and looking at all his strokes he's used to create them.

Here are some ideas to exploring van Gogh with your children:

*Vincent van Gogh Study for Kids ($)
*Recreate the Starry Night materpiece for Kids
*Starry Night Printable Book and Art
*30 Coloring Pages related to Vincent van Gogh
*Vincent van Gogh (Getting to Know the World's Greatest Artists) by Mike Venezia

I will also add that for your older children, there is a great episode of Doctor Who that goes back into the time of Vincent van Gogh and his personal life and paintings. It's a fun way to add a bit of Art History in.

Do you like notebooking? You can create a notebook page for any artists you learn about using this great set of free artist notebooking pages from homeschoolshare.com.

I also strongly suggest you check out my friend Anna of Where My Treasure Is and read her wonderful post about incorporating art history in a Charlotte Mason style into your home...for all ages!

Did you know that I have reviewed three products with a focus on art history? If you want to double up art history with the actual creation of art, I recommend you check out my posts listed here:

*ARTistic Pursuits: The Way They See It (Preschool)
*ARTistic Pursuits: Early Elementary K-3 Book 1: Introduction to Visual Arts
*Ms. Woods Wild Art Adventures: Rainforest

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Are you ready to see what the rest of the Poppins Book Nook Book Club has for you to explore? Here is our list of contributors so you can check out the books and activities they have put together for you!

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