Homeschool Art Resources
Let’s talk art resources for homeschoolers. Let’s talk about how I didn’t even realize I had all sorts of information that homeschooling parents could probably use until I recently batted around the idea of homeschooling my son.
My 9 year old has been suffering in school since 1st grade with a learning disorder and terrible anxiety, and sometimes it’s a big old challenge for us all to keep our sh*t together. My heart breaks for him when I see him struggling to keep up in this incredibly fast-paced environment that leaves the kids with learning issues in the dust.
If you are a homeschooling parent looking for art ideas for your kids, I got your back.
Actually, I have no idea what you’re supposed to do with your kids in terms of homeschooling art, but I do come armed with lots of amazing online art resources for kids nonetheless.
Hands on/Art Project Resources
Bloggers
is an amazing resource for art project ideas. She has been blogging about kid’s art for like a trillion years and has built a a site that will keep you making art with your kids for years.
You’ll find lots of art printables and activity ideas at The Kitchen Table Classroom. Jodi is a homeschooling mom herself, (and former art teacher), and has some wonderfully unique art resources on her blog.
You’ll go nuts over all the art projects at Nurture Store. In fact, just jump in anywhere; they’re all winners. Nurture Store offers so much more than just art projects, so this will be a site you bookmark, but here is a link to the arty goodness.
Patty from Deep Space Sparkle taught art for 13 years and has set up an extensive resource for art teachers on her site. She offers a generous amount of free lessons and also a paid membership in her Sparklers Club. Her site is gorgeous and so perfectly organized, so you’ll be able to find what you’re looking for quickly, or click around to be inspired.
Of course, I would be remiss if I didn’t guide you to my many wonderful art projects. I don’t approach my projects from an Art Ed standpoint, but from a what-looks-fun-to-me attitude, so see what you like and try it! I’ve also heard from many homeschooling parents who love to incorporate my first drawing book into their days.
Art Jackpot
Julianna Kunstler has been compiling her art curriculum online since 2006, which means there is a lot of material there. Luckily for us, it’s such good stuff. Your older kids will love poking around here for their own ideas, or you can choose from one of her 8 billion ideas.
I can’t say enough wonderful things about Julianna- I get sucked way deep into her site every time I land there, and it makes me wish she was my teacher (now).
Start With: Definitely and absolutely start with her Art Classes section, and then just go ahead and sign up for one of her courses, so you can learn from her, too.
Art With a Side of Math
Erica from What Do We Do All Day is best known as a book blogger, but she has a secret passion: math art. Now I haven’t asked her if that’s her secret passion, I can just tell it is by the cool projects she posts that combine math and art.
Start With:
Pi Math Art – This pi skyline project will give your kids a dose of math even if they aren’t math-inclined. (My whole family just raised our hands.)
Math Art With Parabolic Curves – I actually want to try this project every time I see it. So much fun with drawing and math tools.
Fibonacci Art Project – Break out those compasses and colored paper for this gorgeous art project with math mysteries hiding in it.
Art With a Side of Science
Your eyes will explode from all the bright, beautiful colors on this website, and your kids will probably want to make everything you show them. Ana has an incredible knack for making science into a beautiful, creative endeavor.
Start With:
Grow an Overnight Crystal Garden – Beautiful arty-sciencey magic grown right in your fridge!
Tiny Dancers Homopolar Motor – Say, what?! This is why I don’t do science projects and stick to the plain old art side of things. Which is why I’m glad there are people like Ana out there who love experimenting with science art.
Marbled Milk Paper – One of those projects that you’ll want to work on all day long. Kids will have so much fun making prints with items you probably already have at home.
Ana’s book is a gem, all packed full of STEAM ideas for your kids:
Process Art
Art doesn’t need to be about anything. Sometimes the best art is just art for art’s sake, and sometimes I use the word art way too many times in a sentence.
Art Bar is your lady for process art ideas for when you just want to chuck all curriculum and formal learning out the window and enjoy the experience of using art materials to create something. Ahhhhhh feel those fun happy chemicals flowing in your brain.
Start With:
Giant Cardboard Donuts
– these are the cutest things ever to make with toddlers to elementary school kids. They’ll all have fun painting these.
Bubble Wrap Printing – Put 2 things together that kids can’t get enough of: bubble wrap and paint, and you have a winner of a project.
Imagination Self Portraits – LOVE! Kids add themselves to their art for an overall cool self-portrait masterpiece.
Bar has a new book on creating with cardboard, which I highly recommend; what kid doesn’t love cardboard?
Classes/Videos
Skillshare
is a treasure trove of online art classes for all levels. You pay a monthly fee and get unlimited access to ALL of their 26,000+ classes. Browse their creative online classes and prepare to have your mind blown.
Any time you can get your kids drawing and enjoying it is a major win, so Art For Kids Hub has a great thing going with showing you how to draw all of these fun characters and pretty much anything else your kids can think up.
Okay, maybe you guys can help me out here. I think Youtube is lacking really good, all-around art project channels. So many of them that are labelled as art projects are actually crafts, and I can’t find much aside from the occasional one-off art project or art projects from people I’ve already mentioned. What am I missing?
See my resource post for online art classes here.
Art History Resources
Websites and Bloggers
First on my list is The Art Class Curator and she will knock your little socks off. Both of them. She is so gifted in making art appreciation fun and interesting for kids, and I guarantee you will become a total art history buff right alongside your kids.
Start with:
The Art Class Curator has a few free resources for you, and she also offers a membership site if you like what you see with the free printables. I lovey love love these free art appreciation worksheets to get kids thinking about art in non-boring ways.
Khan Academy – Yep, all sorts of art history lessons here for the older kid, and also more advanced art history in their AP art history courses.
Google Arts and Culture – You can of course explore so many art historical articles and pieces of art, but – BONUS – you can click a link that will give you a map of galleries and museums near you to go see real, live art.
The ABC’s of Art History from B Inspired Mama is a fun alphabets-worth of ideas for you to do with your kids.
YouTube and Videos
– when I discovered this existed, I would have fallen backwards off my chair had I not been snuggled on my couch. It is SO COOL. Basically you can watch these videos and use them to discuss art topics with your kids, and/or make your own lesson based on any video or Ted talk you can find.
Art With Mati and Dada will give your younger kids a fun dose of art history through mini cartoons. They’re fun!
Older kids will enjoy The Art Assignment from PBS, as it presents videos that make you think critically about art and how we are affected by it today.
Extras
Art Supplies for Kids
– YES to KiwiCrate and their crates for all ages of kids. Their Kiwi Crates are for kids 5-8, and Doodle Crates are for kids 9-16. You will smooch me through the computer when you get your perfect boxes in the mail, full of all the supplies you need to make the most wonderful art projects with your kids.
Blick is not only an excellent place to buy art supplies, they also offer up loads of free art lesson plans.
Discount School Supply is a well known resource for basic kid art supplies that schools have been using forever. They have great prices, and no, you don’t have to buy in bulk.
Here’s a great resource for where to buy art supplies online.
Setting up an Amazing Art Space For Your Kids-
The Art Pantry is your source for art space set up and organization for your kids, and you can use her methods to make a functional, creative space whether you have a nook or a whole room to devote to art-making.
Handy Dandy List of Resources Mentioned
Art Projects
The Artful ParentThe Kitchen Table ClassroomNurture StoreDeep Space SparkleCraftwhackWhat Do We Do All DayBabble Dabble DoArt BarArt For Kids Hub
(Youtube)
Skillshare (Online courses)
Art History/Education
The Art Class CuratorKhan AcademyGoogle Arts and CultureABC’s of Art HistoryTed Ed videosArt With Mati and Dada
(YouTube)
The Art Assignment (YouTube)
Supplies
BlickKiwi CrateDiscount School SupplyThe Art Pantry
(art spaces)
Comments
0 comments
Thanks for this great post. I have homeschooled my 4 children since 2007 (well there were only 2 and a baby then) and now 2 have gone off to college so it’s just me and 2 wildly creative younger ones. I am an artist myself and have loads of resources and plenty of ideas of what to do myself but when it comes to projects for the younger two – my mind often draws a blank. That’s where your blog has come in VERY handy. Thank you so much for all that you do! You have mentioned in your intro on your blog that you are an introvert and I so admire you for doing this and exposing yourself to the masses – good for you – as an introvert myself I couldn’t do what you do! I read your email about making a mistake with a link and getting some angry comments – ignore them, some people just have no idea how much work goes into something like this and that they are already getting so much for FREE!!!! I appreciate you anyway, thanks again! xx
Oh, you are kind. I do love hearing from people who find my blog helpful and connecting with like-minded creatives! As an introvert, this blog is such a great balance for all the alone time I crave, and still gives me a chance to get myself out there. I can tend to be a hermit sometimes… 🙂 I mainly wrote this post because a friend of mine just started homeschooling her daughter and was at a loss for what to do with the art part of their days. Hopefully others will find some benefit from it, too! Thanks for your thoughtful comment. <3
Thank you so much for this list for homeschoolers! There’s so much in here I’m bookmarking it for later reference. I’m creative, but easily overwhelmed with the resources I find on Pinterest – so it’s nice to have one comprehensive webpage as a reference.
I’m thrilled that people are finding it useful! Hope you find some good art ideas to make.