Review: Home Art Studio Kindergarten Level

 

Colorful Hands project

Home Art Studio is a DVD art lesson program.  I got this for Joelle as a Christmas present, and she is over halfway through the program now.  I've seen enough of it now to know that we love it!  The DVD teaches 18 projects, in a step by step approach. 

The art teacher does a project for each session, talking through the whole process.  The DVD says it will teach kids how to identify and draw different kinds of lines, create patterns through repetition, and draw different types of shapes. 

 

I've done a few of lessons with my daughter, just for fun.  Overall, they are easy enough to follow along with (especially now that she knows how to press the pause and play buttons) that she is able to do them all on her own once I get the supplies set up for her. 

 



Painting a page to use for her happy sun project

Happy Sun

One of my concerns was that the DVD would have projects that were too dictated.  I've read a lot about creativity and how cookie cutter crafts are not always helpful.  But, the way the teacher on the DVD approaches the projects is perfect in leaving room for creativity.  Every lesson so far has been mostly about teaching artistic skills, such as tearing, tracing and cutting, drawing shapes, using different types of paint strokes, etc.

There is a lot of choice left in how the project is created.  I appreciate how the teacher often comments about how hers is going to look different than the students since everyone has their own style.  She is encouraging creativity throughout the lessons.

For my daughter, this program has been really good for her in the area of building her confidence.  She will often see what the teacher is doing and say that she doesn't think she can do that.  Or, she will look at her own attempt and say she doesn't like it.  I try to encourage her to just keep going and remind her that her own creations are unique.  She is sometimes quick to give up if a skill seems really hard, but this program has helped her to keep going and to realize that she is capable of doing these things.  She is always happy with the finished product and proud of her work.

Something else I have loved about this program is that it includes educational information that relates to the craft.  For instance, one of the projects is making a picture of an owl.  Right before that lesson, there was a video that showed a real owl and an owl keeper talking about owls.  In the sunflower lesson, the teacher shows a painting of sunflowers by Van Gough and talks about his life while she is working on the project.  The student is encouraged to make their own sunflower picture just like the famous artist Van Gough.  I think it is great that there are so many educational aspects to this program.  Even in the process of doing art, my daughter is learning many other things.


Completed sunflowers in imitation of Van Gough

 We are very satisfied with this program and I recommend it to anyone.  My daughter gets excited when its time for her art lesson every Monday (during nap time for her brother).  Its been a great program, and I will likely purchase the first grade DVD when we are done with this one.  What a fun way to do art!

Check out Home Art Studio here http://www.officialhomeartstudio.com/