Spears Art Studio

I choose to give this product 5 out of 5 Gold Teacher’s Stars!

I am not an artist.  In fact, I can barely even draw stick figures.  The kids in my church class have been known to question what exactly my stick figures were…I’m so not kidding.  Anyway, when I received my copy of Spears Art Studio K-8 Christian Art Curriculum, you can only imagine the trepidation I felt at the prospect of having to teach and review an art curriculum.

Now, I should preface this by saying that I enjoy art, it is just that I am not very good in creating art.  My son on the other hand, adores art and LOVES to create art masterpieces.  When we began homeschooling, art was one of my greatest concerns, since I am not adept.  So last year, we used the curriculum in the K-12 program for his grade.  This year, we were trying to figure out what exactly we were going to do, as I believe that art is important, but I just really lack the skills to do more than say, “:Here is some paper and supplies.  Draw or paint…something.”

I nervously opened the CD-ROM and placed it into my computer to see just what I was in for with this review.  I was so pleasantly surprised at the quality of the information that was provided.  The instructions were simple to follow and I began to feel confident in my ability to administer an art curriculum for the first time ever.  In fact, a day or two later, I announced boldly and with confidence that I was going to begin teaching art to my son in our homeschool.  My own mother, bless her heart, laughed at me and asked just how I planned to do that with my limited skills.  With a grin, I showed her my new best art friend…The Spears Art Studio.

Here is a little about the program from the Spears Art Studio site:

Spears Art Studio Christian art curricula are written for homeschool, independent study, and private Christian schools. All curricula relate the Word of God and art history/appreciation to the specific theme and each art activity within that theme. Students learn many techniques in art production and grow in their ability for expression and appreciation of art. Each level builds toward the next level in brain and motor skills and are appropriate for grade and age levels. All curricula are adaptable to any study schedule. The K-8 curriculum uses many items that students already have and some items normally found in the home and gives a wealth of activity choices.

The format of Spears Art Studio K-8 Christian Art Curriculum,
A Teacher’s Manual© 2008
consists of a main theme (seasonal and holiday recognition included)
for each instructional week of the school year,
with one or more activities for each grade level based on that main theme,
addressing art elements, art principles, design elements, etc.
• expanded Scripture integration
• color format and color illustrations (on CD-Rom in PDF)
• fuller development of themes
• Scripture connections
• core curriculum connections
• 269 art activities (many new and revised)
• 137 patterns and posters
• 498 instructional pages
• analyzed for National Visual Art Standards and TEKS
(Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills)

One of the things that we like best about this curriculum is that it is Christian based.  We love how it envelops our values and that is important to us in our family.  One of the many reasons we began to homeschool was so that we could emphasis the importance of Christianity and the values therein in our home.  This curriculum meets that criteria and we feel good knowing that we are adding Bible Scripture to our study of art.

If you are filled with trepidation at the thought of adding art to your studies, or even if you are an accomplished artist already, I highly recommend Spears Art Studio.  It is becoming an important part of our curriculum studies and we are looking forward to utilizing the High School Studies when we get there in our homeschool.  And at only $39.95 for a complete program that encompasses all age levels from K-8, it is also an outstanding economical choice.