3 Simple Solutions for Music and Art in Homeschooling

In homeschooling, just like in traditional schooling, it can be tempting to set music and art aside for when we have time (or money). How can a busy homeschooling mom add music and art to an already full schedule? Here are my solutions (besides violin lessons):

1. Can You Hear It? will start you on this quest to steal a few moments for classical music and art appreciation simultaneously. My kids love this book and CD, which we got from the library. We soon got our own copy from Amazon.

I play the music during meals, but, also, while I cook and they play nearby. We open the book and turn the pages as the tracks change. Sometimes I read to the kids from the book. Other times, we listen and comment on what we see.

Small girl having tea and looking at painting

My daughter listens to “Carnival of the Animals – Aquarium” while looking at the corresponding painting in “Can You Hear It” and enjoying a bagel and raspberry zinger tea; my son is not in the picture because he was finishing up a LEGO project before joining us.

2. A Year in Art offers us visual pleasure as we enjoy our afternoon tea time, a tradition we started about a month ago. Around 4pm, I put a tea kettle on the stove and get out some scones, or biscuits, or bagels, or graham crackers, or toast. I use what I have on hand.

We open the book and look at 3-5 paintings while sipping tea and enjoying something sweet. They have questions. We look for answers together. Sometimes we locate towns and countries on a world atlas.

3. Free concerts – We catch the Knoxville Youth Symphony concerts several times a year and, also, the Sevier County Choral Society concerts (December and May). I used to sing with the Choral Society before I became a mom, so it sort of feels like a reunion for me. If you check your local newspaper or Google free concerts in your area, you should find similar offerings where you live.

I have felt the liberating and relaxing effects of art and music in our homeschooling enough, that I am thinking about experimenting with doing music and/or art before math, reading or writing. I’ll let you know if I have enough courage to implement it on a regular basis. So far, I have done it once and we all loved it.

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3 thoughts on “3 Simple Solutions for Music and Art in Homeschooling

  1. This is a little off the subject but I just started homeschooling my 5 year old autistic son this year and by law I have to have a complete curriculum for him next year. What curriculum do you recommend? I need to find one that is colorful,physical books and also affordable. I am new at this and the only person I actually know who is homeschooling and has an autistic child. any suggestions would be welcomed. rachelcartucci@gmail.com

    • Alpha Omega Publications sells an affordable, colorful version of their Christian homeschool curriculum called Horizons. httpss://www.aophomeschooling.com/horizons/kindergarten/phonics-reading.html
      There is a Pinterest board called Homeschooling autistic children https://www.pinterest.com/kattkreations/homeschooling-autistic-children/ with LOTS of resources. So once you have a curriculum, you can use these other resources to learn what has worked for other.
      Your local homeschool support group should be able to connect you with other autism moms in your area.
      Hope this helps.

  2. Re. music and/or art before the three R’s…I’ve been on the same journey. Our tea time is in the morning, and right now we incorporate poetry (music and art will join soon, I just have to figure out the details…). No matter how crazy our morning has been (I have a 1, 3, and 5 year-old, all boys), I find everything slows down when I put on the kettle, lay out the tablecloth, and get the poetry books. It just makes more sense to do our math and reading after that.

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