Art is Fun. We like Art.

We've really enjoyed art lately. It's an area where both Jacob and I feel we are lacking in skill, so I'm making a conscious effort to expose the girls to some good "art stuff" lately.

Art Galleries. One thing we've enjoyed is going to art galleries. The city art gallery in our town has a nature photography display right now, and I finally mustered up the courage to take the two girls there by myself. I had daydreams of ceramics being knocked over and smashing into smithereens, but I figured we were pretty safe since it was a display of photos. And it was fun! We walked around and looked at all the pictures. Then I told the girls that each picture has a title, and Kardelen started making her own titles for each one: Moon Night. Rock Night. River Night. Leaf Night. I finally had to point out, "Do you notice that this one is NOT taken at night?!" As I said, it was fun. We'll probably do it again before the exhibit changes.

The university in our town also has several art galleries, and last week while we stopped for a picnic lunch with Jacob, we saw one with paintings and photographs of Europe. Another great way to get them started learning about art--and the content didn't have anything mature that wouldn't be suitable for children. (I previewed it first.)

Our Own Art Gallery. One day as I looked through the stack of pictures the girls have painted, colored, stamped, etc., Kardelen suggested we make our own art gallery. We even put up a sign: "Our Art Gallery. Everyone is welcome!"


A few days later Kardelen made lots of play-dough "sculptures." I didn't even knew she knew the word!


Famous Art. In Our Home! Through our library, we have access to Camio, an online database of artistic images--including such famous artists as Monet and Van Gogh. And you can print them for educational use. So I printed out a Monet painting, sunflowers by Van Gogh, a Degas ballet dancer painting, and a pretty photo of a girl with flowers, and hung them in the girls' room. I had bought four 8 by 10 mat boards on clearance at Ben Franklin (99 cents apiece!) that were perfect fits. Am I trying to create baby Monets? No. I just want to get the girls starting "speaking the language," if you will. Just a little art exposure. Because, as I said, I'm lacking in this area. At least I'm trying. :)

Books. A fantastic series of board books introduces children to artists by placing their art alongside rhyming text. We just finished Dancing with Degas, In the Garden with Van Gogh, and A Picnic With Monet, all by Julie Merberg and Suzanne Bober. (I gave you links to Amazon so you can check them out if you like.)

Then there's Art Dog by Thacher Hurd, so beloved by our family that my nephew has even adopted the nickname Art Dog. The book is a fun read about a dog who is a museum-guard-by-day, artist-by-night who recovers a stolen painting (the "Mona Woofa") and dazzles everyone with his art, never revealing his true identity. If you look closely at the book, you'll recognize some famous paintings. If you recognize them. (I recognized just a few. Just enough to know there must be more!)

One year Jacob bought me Art Fraud Detective, which I loved because it has kids searching through lots of famous paintings to find clues as to whether they are originals or forgeries. Amazon lists it as grades 4-8, though younger kids can still enjoy the pictures.

Do you have any good ideas for me for promoting my children's appreciation for art?