Home School Heartbeat Radio Program

Mike Smith:
Dan, we’ve learned a lot this week about how to make art accessible to kids. What if the child is extremely enthusiastic, but the parents have little to no artistic background? How can parents without any special creative ability still successfully guide their children ’s study of art?

Daniel Ellis:
I think it’s probably very common for the art fanatic child to have parents who are not too familiar with the arts. And of course, if I can be so bold, we have a curriculum written that way. It’s directed to the students, and will give them material development, foundational observation skills, and of course familiarity with art history.

The main role in the parents is that of an encourager and an enabler. You have to allow them the time that is necessary to develop these skills; even for those of us for whom drawing seems to come easy, it takes an awful long time to do a drawing that isn’t simply an observational sketch. And, after a student’s exposed to the foundational observation skills, then of course allow them to explore the other literature in the art world.

Mike:
Well Dan, thank you for that wisdom and encouragement! This week will be helpful to a lot of parents—I’m sure of that. So until next time, I’m Mike Smith.