Homeschooling during Covid? Don’t forget about Art.

Across America, the simmer of anxiety parents have felt all summer is coming to a rolling boil. Many of us have received surveys from school with nothing but bad choices.

We’re being asked to choose between our children’s education and their safety (not to mention the safety of all the teachers and staff). This is not a fair decision, so many of us are keeping our kids home—homeschooling, at least for this year.

Homeschooling During Covid

Even though it’s the right decision for your family, now you probably have more questions than answers.

• What do my kids need to learn this year? 📝
• How do I teach them? 🤷‍♀️
• Where am I going to find the hours to work and teach? ⏰
• What if they fall behind? 😬
• Am I going to be able to do this? 😳
• Where do I find a curriculum? 📚
• Is every day going to be a battle? ⚔️
• Are we going to live in our pajamas? 🛌

I know what’s it’s like to be on that roller coaster with so many decisions to make and no clear answers. I’ve been an educator for over 20 years, but when I decided to homeschool my girls for a year before they started public school, there were a lot of sleepless nights. I wanted to get everything right without running myself ragged.

You’ve still got to work and clean the house and do the laundry and make the food and all the things. There aren’t enough hours in the day to add full-time teacher to all your other responsibilities.

You have a great, creative kid. You don’t want this to be a lost year. You want their day to be fun and engaging, but how…?

Despite my nerves, I was so excited to be my kids’ teacher, especially their art teacher because art is the best subject. You may think I’m biased, but it’s true. Art is connected to all of the other subjects. There’s elements of math, science, language, history, all of it. But more than that, art makes us better people. It just does.

Homeschooling Art

Art education is more than a creative outlet, it’s the cornerstone of a complete education. It creates more empathetic, connected adults who understand the feelings and experiences of others. Art is about viewpoints. Art helps our kids understand the world and develop their own worldview.

Let’s get something clear…. Art is not crafts.

Free access to paints, markers, and an endless supply of construction paper is great. But doing the cute crafts that endlessly scroll on pinterest does not equal an art education.

Art is a vital part of a complete education. Study after study has proven that involvement in the arts improves creative thinking, test scores, self-esteem, and more. Art connects us to history, our self, and cultures around the world. It teaches kids how to think critically, how to solve problems, and how to express themselves.

Right now, our children desperately need the social-emotional learning that is built into a complete art education. This year has been a doozy for all of us, but their brains are still forming. They need to process everything that has happened and everything that’s still to come. They need art.

I know what you’re thinking. Yes, art is important. Yes, I want my kids to have a creative outlet and get all the benefits of a complete art education…but HOW?

That’s where SPARKed! Art comes in.

SPARKed! Art is a complete online art appreciation curriculum for your children. 

🎉 Lessons are fully guided and require no additional work or research from parents. 🎉

• Powerful art connections
• 54 engaging lessons
• Intentional art projects related to the monthly theme
• 36 artworks from diverse times, cultures, and genders with guided art interpretation activities and video art explanation
• Variety of engaging activities from writing to movement to art and more
• Choose from two levels—Elementary (3rd-6th) or Secondary (7th-12th)

Giveaway!

We know the power that art has on a person and want to spread the word to all of the new homeschoolers across the world. Please help us share this post by entering our giveaway!

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