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A Learning Lifestyle
A Learning Lifestyle
My preschoolers are officially not preschoolers any more. As we step into Kindergarten and 2nd grade, and as a family new to "officially" homeschooling, I recently bought writing curriculum from BraveWriter and breathed a huge sigh of relief.
The guidance offered essentially advocates for 1) focusing on creating an environment filled with books, music, and experiences; and, 2) a language-rich lifestyle - one where you listen to your child, respond thoughtfully, and pursue ideas together. (This builds on what we know about how preschoolers learn, too. ) She, of course, weaves writing lessons into the day and provides structure so parents don't have to come up with everything on their own. (Whew!)
Books, Music, and Experiences
Books, Music, and Experiences
Despite being regulars at the library, I often find myself scouring the catalog and shelves for books that might work to answer my child's question or delve deeper into the subject du jour. It is no wonder why lists are some of the most popular blogs in the world. You know the ones: "101 Books to Read Before Kindergarten," "10+ Children's Books to Inspire Kindness," and my own "24 Books for Preschool Engineers."
A Smaller, More Approachable List
A Smaller, More Approachable List
The problem is that sometimes we want a smaller, more approachable list. One with fewer books that includes other things. I just want a few good books, a CD, and a video, perhaps a toy. Something like a thoughtful little themed basket.
Invitation to Learn
Invitation to Learn
It is in the spirit of having a small sampling of one topic that I am writing Invitations to Learn. Each invitation grows from our homeschool life and is a pint-sized unit of study for the DIY crowd. With this list, I am inviting you to learn alongside your child and giving you a small amount of guidance for creating a rich learning environment in your home or school.
Read a book one day; listen to an audiobook another day; watch a movie a different day; go on a field trip a different day. By offering one great thing at a time, you are inviting your child to learn with you and enjoy learning with you! Over time you and your child will consider the topic in several different ways, using different materials, have different but related conversations about it, and you will grow your knowledge in wonderfully robust ways.
INVITATION TO LEARN CLAUDE MONET
INVITATION TO LEARN CLAUDE MONET
Most of the selections in this Invitation to Learn are supposedly for a younger crowd. However, at the end of several of the stories are little educational "extras" for you to take the lesson a tad further like notes from Bijou le Tord. Taken together these books and videos give you a healthy dose of Monet and plenty of important information about the great artist, his life and the mark he left on the art world.
https://louisville.flatironslibrary.org/MyAccount/MyList/13543
In a garden of spectacular beauty in Giverny, France, Claude Monet painted flowers. Dazzled by the light, he painted with rich colors of vermilion, emerald, and violet. His poppies, tulips, irises, and waterlilies have awed the world. In her radiant watercolors, Bijou Le Tord uses Monet's own palette of only eight colors. Her magnificent paintings and poetic words celebrate the extraordinary vision of the beloved impressionist painter, Claude Monet.
- Age Range: 4 and up
- Grade Level: 3 - 4
- Lexile Measure: 460L (What's this?)
- Hardcover: 32 pages
This book provides an entertaining and humorous introduction to the famous artist, Claude Monet. Full-color reproductions of the actual paintings are enhanced by Venezia's clever illustrations and story line. With primary sources, maps, timelines, photos and illustrations, this engaging content helps students learn about notable artists of the past.
- Age Range: 7 - 10 years
- Grade Level: 2 - 5
- Lexile Measure: 880 (What's this?)
- Series: Getting to Know the World's Greatest Artists (Paperback)
- Paperback: 40 pages
"In the city of Paris, as everyone knows, frog legs are eaten, except for the toes." And so a frog named Philippe makes his leap to freedom into Monet's Giverny garden, where he finds "a home to call his own" and inspires the artist to add "some green to his painterly scene." This tale of frog freedom is told in bouncy, child-friendly rhyme and illustrated with sunny watercolors animated with vibrant black outlining. Intended for a younger audience than Linnea in Monet's Garden, this is fun, froggy fare with an art history fillip. As for its being a child's guide to Monet's world of impressionism, however, parents beware: young friends of Philippe will fruitlessly search Monet's paintings to find this frog. Annie Ayres
- Age Range: 3 - 6 years
- Hardcover
- Publisher: Museum of Fine Arts Boston; 5th Printing edition (September 1, 1998)
Make art an adventure for your child with classic picture book character, Katie! For over 25 years, Katie has stepped into the most famous and familiar paintings in the world for an exciting adventure. This latest edition of a classic really is the best way to introduce children to a lifetime love of art. Katie leaps through the frames of five famous paintings by Monet. Why not collect all 13 titles in the Katie series.
- Age Range: 5 - 7 years
- Grade Level: Preschool - Kindergarten
- Series: KATIE (Book 1)
- Paperback: 32 pages
Throughout his life, Claude Monet wrote and spoke about his art. This elegant book pairs spectacular reproductions of some of his most important paintings with his own words to create a uniquely personal look at the work of one of the worlds most renowned artists. The poetic text introduces readers to the Impressionists' goal of capturing a fleeting moment and makes this an art book perfect for the young and the young at heart.
- Age Range: 3 - 8 years
- Grade Level: Preschool - 3
- Hardcover: 48 pages
This catalog for a show at Boston's Museum of Fine Arts, which is traveling to the Royal Academy in London, is the first to consider Monet as a 20th-century artist. In four focused, critical essays by specialists, it chronicles the still-powerful older painter, who was not involved with formulae but with seeing and redefining 19th-century art with experience, color, feeling, refraction, and multiplicity while freeing painting from perspective and spatial observation. His work later influenced American abstract expressionists and color field artists of the mid-20th century. The second part of the book contains resplendent full-color reproductions, including 12 four-page foldouts of the water lily murals, hinting at their huge scale. Tucker (art, Univ. of Massachusetts, Boston), who authored Claude Monet: Life and Art (Yale Univ., 1995), has made a thought-provoking and important contribution. Highly recommended for special, academic, and public collections.
- Hardcover: 410 pages
{WINNER! Best Animated Film, New England Children's Film Festival}
Here she comes, right from the pages of the bestselling book LINNEA IN MONET'S GARDEN. The charming tale about a little girl's love for Impressionist Claude Monet's paintings is now brought to life in full animation. Join Linnea and her friend Mr. Bloom as they set off to Paris, and then to Monet's garden in Giverny. Watch with delight as they discover the real places which served as inspiration for their favorite paintings. And marvel as the paintings and the garden come to "life" in live action.
LINNEA IN MONET'S GARDEN is a unique blend of imagination and education, teaching children about the art and life of one of the most important painters of the 20th century, while entertaining them with the mystery and beauty of art and nature.
Claude Monet, Les Nymphéas (The Water Lilies), suite of paintings on permanent exhibition at the Musée de l'Orangerie in Paris: Room 1: Morning, oil on two canvas panels, 200 x 425 cm, c. 1918-26 Clouds, oil on three canvas panels, 200 x 1275 cm, c. 1918-26 Green Highlights, oil on two canvas panels, 200 x 850 cm, c. 1918-26 Sunset, oil on canvas, 200 x 600 cm, c. 1918-26 Room 2: Reflection of Trees, oil on two canvas panels, 200 x 850 cm, c. 1918-26 The Morning Light, the willows, oil on three canvas panels, 200 x 1275 cm, c. 1918-26 The Morning Willows, oil on three canvas panels, 200 x 1275 cm, c. 1918-26 The Two Willows, oil on four canvas panels, 200 x 1700 cm, c. 1918-26 Speakers: Dr. Beth Harris and Dr. Steven Zucker. Created by Beth Harris and Steven Zucker.
The Tate for Kids
The Tate for Kids
The Tate is one of my favorite online resources for finding kid-friendly descriptions of artists. Here is their page on Monet:
"Have you ever wanted to capture a moment? To make a picture that shows not just how something looks, but also how it makes you feel? Meet the man who did just that!"
http://www.tate.org.uk/kids/explore/who-is/who-claude-monet
When she writes, Julie draws from both her formal education (MSE Electrical Engineering, MA Curriculum and Instruction - Science) and her informal education in Early Childhood Education and Special Needs Parenting that arose when she became a mother and shortly thereafter a blogger. Julie’s blog, Preschool Engineering, is where she advocates for children (and adults) as playful, independent Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math learners. Her experience and interests are a natural fit for her work Free-Learning in Colorado. Julie lives in Superior, CO with her husband of 16 years and their two children. In her spare time she reads, hikes, and practices kundalini yoga.
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