Creating an Artsy Homeschool, even if you're not

My daughters have amazing abilities in the arena of arts and crafts. I do not.

See the cute duct tape outfit for Miss Build-a-Bear? I had nothing to do with that.

I tried knitting, making crafts, painting, and more, but they all either bore me or show my extreme incapabilities. These aren't core school subjects, but they should have some place at some point in a well rounded education, so what was I to do?

Here is how we filled my artistic void.

Outsource. Crochet at co-op, knitting from one grandma, sewing from the other. My girls are amazing, and no thanks to me. See Bob? A few crochet classes and Paige took off with her skills. A knowledgeable neighbor, a class at the library, relatives -- skilled teachers are hidden all around you.

YouTube! After a good start with a real live person, YouTube has taught the next steps. How to do various techniques, inspiration for new projects, and ideas galore. Obviously there is plenty of junk on there, but careful searches can uncover lots of helpful clips.

Curriculum. Whatever you want to learn, someone has written a book or course for it. We have really enjoyed See The Light! art DVDs. It will take your child through a whole year or more of solid art teaching.

Just do it. Last year we spent each Tuesday outside sketching, weather permitting. Everyone got a little better over the year. No real teaching, just spending time with pencil in hand, drawing whatever caught our eye that day. I loved this relaxing break in our week, and painless art integration.

Independent exploration. I try to make sure that each week or so my kids have time to choose their activity. Some use it better than others, but many of them have found something that they wanted to learn about or discover on their own. Skills and hobbies need to bubble over from personal interest. We can take an art class and never use it. Or, we can find a book on rocks and suddenly discover the best thing in the world.

Letting kids pursue their interests and hooking them up with the resources, books, and skilled teachers to help them excel are all part of a healthy homeschool atmosphere. I may not bring the art, but I know where to find it.

Check out other art resources at the Virtual Curriculum Fair:

37 FREE Online Art and Music Resources by Susan @ Homeschooling Hearts & Minds
http://homeschoolheartandmind.blogspot.com/2013/01/37-free-online-art-and-music-resources.html

Homeschool Without Traditional Art by Christy @ Unexpected Homeschool
http://unexpectedhomeschool.blogspot.com/2013/01/vcfbeauty.html

Draw What? by TechWife@A Playground of Words
http://playgroundofwords.blogspot.com/2013/01/draw-what.html

Flower Pony Tail Holders - Beginning Sewing Projects by Julie @
Highhill Education
http://highhillhomeschool.blogspot.com/2013/01/flower-pony-tail-holders.html

Seeking Beauty- Virtual Curriculum Fair by Karyn @ Teach Beside Me
http://www.teachbesideme.com/2013/01/seeking-beauty-virtual-curriculum-fair.html

Creating an Artsy Homeschool, even if you're not by Erin @ Delighting
in His Richness
http://delightinginhisrichness.blogspot.com/2013/01/creating-artsy-homeschool-even-if-youre.html

Living with an Artsy Boy by Annette @ A Net In Time
http://anetintimeschooling.weebly.com/1/post/2013/01/living-with-an-artsy-boy.html