** This giveaway is now closed. **
I received a copy of a great new art history book to share with you! The book is A Child’s Introduction to Art: The World’s Greatest Paintings and Sculptures
This is a really useful and easy-to-read book for kids. I am considering buying a class set to use for art history lessons. In my school, I would use it for grades 3-6.
The pages typically feature an artist bio on the left.
On the right side is one large reproduction of a selected artwork.
I like how there are quick facts about each picture with lines pointing to the areas the author is talking about.
I like how the author breaks down more complex artworks into child-friendly explanations.
There are also a few art activity ideas within the book scattered amongst the sections, but these are not the main focus of the book.
There are also a few extra pages with concepts such as perspective, color, What is Art?, Where is Art?, contemporary art and a timeline. I would have loved to see these pages expanded a bit more into its own section.
If you would like to read another art teacher’s review, visit Patty Palmer‘s blog to find out her opinion on this book.
Don’t forget to enter the giveaway!
The publishers are also giving away ONE free copy to a lucky winner. To enter the giveaway, leave a comment on this blog post telling one way you introduce art history to your kids.
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I usually have a power point and a fill in the blank notes page for the big kids (3-5) to introduce an artist or style. Sometimes we read a story book. We then do a project in the style of that artist.
For my community rec kids we learn about one or two artists every week and create artworks inspired by each. To teach them about an artist and their artworks I write a story style biography, sharing bits that coincide with where the kids are with their own artworks. For example, I talk about Andy Warhol’s superstars when the kids need to help each other make prints with their own silkscreens.
We don’t study art history as much as folk art. We look at examples, meet artists, and do our own sometimes.
I teach 3rd grade language arts and social studies. After our standardized test in April, I start Art and Art History. I have been puting together an artist timeline. We have learned about artists, their techniques, and do some sort of project using their techniques.
I will have the students look at pieces by an artist that has a similar style/technique to what we are doing in class. I try to find good video clips i can show them also. They love to see the artists working on and/or talking about the art they make. 🙂
When I truly use art history to kick off a project, I think the kids feel more disposed to trying things they’ve never done or heard of before. Would love to win.
Hope you are enjoying your new baby and time off with your daughter!
I have a whole little center built on getting to know a new artist. It puts the new artists works in the kids hands many times to complete all the stations in the center so the kids getting familiar with each artist style .
I use books, you tube, and examples of art work to teach art history. I would love another resource though, especially it only being my second year! Pick me! Plus I’m expecting baby #4 in August so anything to work smarter instead of harder is a win for me!
I teach art to preschoolers. And usually I jus choose up to 3 really important or interesting bits about the artist or the art movement. Then we sing songs or rhymes and dance or play games around those 3 bits. Or sometimes I jus tell them a story around that artist or art movement 🙂
This sounds like a great book! I teach middle school art to a class of special education Deaf students and mainstream hearing students during the same period, because art is something that everyone can see success in! This book sounds like it would be the perfect fit for the entire class to learn from, would love to win.
Oops, I do art history by artist studies and taking them through different periods. For middle school, we talk a lot about how it’s like fashion, someone will do one thing, and then the next person will add and take it to the next level.
I was going to tell you what a wonderful resource this is and then I noticed your request to leave a comment anyway :)It looks like another great book to add to my growing art library of book
We “travel” by plane to the country where the artist is from. The students make passports that they keep in their art journals so they can see all of the places we “visit” during the year!
Thanks for the giveaway!
I am a mom who is trying to give my kids a little more art since they don’t get much in school. I take a few weeks of the summer and dedicate time each day to teaching them art. I don’t know much about art myself, so do a lot of research on my own so I can try to teach them about artists and various techniques. This book looks like an awesome resource for doing that!
This looks like a very important book for teachers and children. Photos are awesome and instructions look clear. Thanks for this give-away. So very much appreciated.
I had students learn about an artist and one of their portrait paintings before updating them into “new selfies” http://carlisleartclass.blogspot.com/2014/05/may-16-original-selfie.html
When our old school was going to be torn down and a new one built, I asked my principal if I could have the children paint the walls in the hallways. He said “yes”. I chose a different artist for each classroom, whom we then studied. We did a paper version of “Art in the Style of . . . ” first, then moved to the hallways. There we painted huge murals outside each classroom where every child had a chance to do their own part. Walking down the hallways, we had famous Artists’ styles on display in the entire school. Our Van Gogh mural was “Starry Night” with each child painting their own Sunflower on the ground. The Wyland mural was an underwater scene with many different fish, each by a different student. I made an iMovie of our hallways, which I still use today to teach famous artists. I still like to do the paper part of this project.
I’ve used Visual Thinking Strategies with children aged 5-15 years old. This is a technique to look at artwork and facilitate a discussion on what the children see in the artwork. I ask the children, “What do you see in the painting?” Then they share. I let the children know that we may see different things, and that all ideas of what we see are valid. It is a very fun way to get children to look more closely at artwork and use critical thinking skills to figure out what they see. I have used artwork from books, art prints or digital art reproductions projected on my Smart Board at school. The artwork becomes the inspiration for the hands on art making.
Darn! I just found your site via pinterest tonight and I’m too late for the give away. I love your blog though!
WHAT A BEAUTIFUL BOOK. CAN’T WAIT TO GET MY COPY 🙂
nice piece of information. Clear pictures with lines pointing of area is a unique and child friendly concept. This is really helpful book for teachers and parents.Wonderful resource.
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