What Homeschooling Materials Are Artist
And Cognitive Skills Trainer Approved?

How to select homeschooling materials and resources for art when you're not an artist. And you're not a cognitive skills trainer or an art teacher.

Training and teaching are arts. They change every learning place -- for every individual human being.

Visualize needing to draw and sketch

Individual people learn art by processing chunks of information. An element of processing is moving the eyes quickly but accurately from one point to another. Art is done by doing something worth doing. And seeing success.

Growing up Malla, my partner, lived in the country. "Outside my bedroom window was the umbrella tree. In reality it was a spreading American beech that in summer resembled an unfurled bumbershoot.

Beyond it and running horizontally along the edge of the property a row of blue spruce trees lined-up. Sentries against the wind, weather and prying eyes.

What joy in the making

The winter holidays were fast approaching. In an effort to theme the art class my second grade teacher instructed us to draw and color a Christmas tree.

I could draw my tree from memory. The trees outside my bedroom window were etched in my mind's eye.

Setting to work from the trunk out, my interpretation was resplendent with snow puffs, white twinkle lights, silver glitter, and a few cardinals hovering about.

And then the screw turned

With great excitement we each turned in our masterpieces.

Our teacher quickly flipped through the stack. Suddenly, she stopped, and picked up a paper I recognized as mine. 'Christmas trees are green, not blue. What were you thinking!' rang through the classroom.

This dirty little trick

Humiliation blistered my cheeks. Classmates snickered. I stood up and tried to explain the row of eight blue spruce at home. She waved her hand to silence and dismiss me. Defeated, embarrassed I slumped back into my seat.

Looking back she was marvelous at drilling me and my classmates out of our spontaneity and undermining our control over our own powers."

Where artistic opportunity surrounds

These tips along with hundreds more can be found in our hidden resources site. It's free but you do have to sign up to get it.

Tip Number 1: Creating visual art is in seeing accurately. Getting better at it is in practicing the process.

Tip Number 2: Select homeschooling materials reflecting good work created by others. Find cognitive skills training lessons in the rose clipart collection here.

Tip Number 3: Demonstrate the power truthtelling can exert in learning art.

Tip Number 4: Allow a homeschooling curriculum in art that best suits the needs of your offspring. Can your child hold onto information and stay on task?

Tip Number 5: Can they multitask? Encourage your children to take chances that sometimes result in a mess.

Tip Number 6: Support using messy learning experiences productively.

Tip Number 7: Art homeschooling materials allow your children to do, think, discuss, and explore in ways not often possible in a classroom setting.

Tip Number 8: Create an enjoyable art learning environment. It validates the creative process. Can you and your children join a sound with an image and store it for "on demand" retrieval?

Tip Number 9: Using art as a medium your offspring can readily transfer skills and learning back and forth among all other courses of study or homeschooling materials. This happens as they develop stronger and stronger cognitive skills.

Tip Number 10: Creating art exercises our imagination through activities that interest and challenge us. Cognitive skills building using art trains you and your child in HOW to attack problems and solve problems for ourselves. Is there any better builder of self-confidence?