The Best Homeschool Art Curriculum: Home Art Studio!

Are you shopping for the best homeschool art curriculum on the market?

Sick of the fluffy arts and crafts and wondering if you could be doing better?

Or maybe you’re tired of the over-complicated, boring art program you already have. And you just want something that is fun and engaging for your homeschool.

You may be like me and completely intimidated to teach art altogether. You can barely draw a stick figure, so you figure that you have no business teaching art to anybody. 

Even a kindergartener!

No matter where you’re coming from, I’ve got good news for you!

I have found the perfect art curriculum for your homeschool. Your search is over, so get ready to fill your google search bar with something else, Homeschool Mama!

Keep reading to find out:

• Why I Went Looking For A New Homeschool Art Curriculum

• What is Home Art Studio?

• What Makes Home Art Studio The Best Homeschool Art Curriculum

• Why You May Not Like Home Art Studio

• The One Supplement That I Think Home Art Studio Needs

• Best Places To Buy – HUGE Savings!

Why I Went Looking For A New Homeschool Art Curriculum

It wasn’t too long ago that I was searching for all the same things you are right now.

“Art curriculum,” “homeschool art programs,” and “best homeschool art curriculum” were at the top of my list.

Our first homeschool art curriculum had turned out to be way too complicated and serious. I was determined to make it work, but my poor 1st grader hated it so much that I finally threw out the curriculum.

Since that dismal experience, I have stayed in the safe waters of sending my kids to co-ops for art classes. I knew they weren’t getting the best art instruction, but I felt like it had to be better than what I could offer.

When the pandemic hit and the world shut down, I slowly began to realize that I was on my own for art. 

No homeschool co-op = no arts and crafts classes.

I started searching for something to fill the gap and it turned out to be one of the best things to ever happen to our homeschool!

My first attempt turned out to be a hit and a miss. But as soon as I saw the sample videos of this art curriculum, I knew we found a home run!

The Best Homeschool Art Curriculum: Home Art Studio!

Home Art Studio is a DVD-based homeschool art curriculum for elementary-aged kids.

It is taught by Ms. Volin, a mother and certified art education teacher! 

There is a theme-based DVD for each grade level, and you can also add in her Holiday Art DVD and new Old Testament Art DVD!

Here is a sampling of what to expect:

Kindergarten:

“Kindergarteners will learn to identify and draw different kinds of lines as well as create patterns through repetition of lines and shapes. They will be able to recognize and draw geometric and organic shapes. Students also learn how to use art materials in a safe, responsible manner. The projects are easy to follow and a lot of fun for students!”

2nd Grade:

This is the DVD we are using this year and all my girls (10, 8, and 6) love it! The theme this year is fairy tales, so each art project is based on a fairy tale story. 

My kids have learned about famous artists such as Monet, Salvador Dali, and George Rodrigue. We have also learned about pattern, overlapping, texture, and portraiture. 

We have not gotten to this lesson about Thumbelina and oversized Georgia O’Keefe flowers, but I can’t wait!

3rd Grade:

The theme is “Be Creative” and your kids will learn light and shadow, tint and shade, overlapping, texture, and perspective among other art concepts.

Your students will also learn about famous artists such as Van Gogh, Picasso, and Charles Demuth.

4th Grade:

“Fourth graders are following Ms.Volin on her Adventures in Art! This DVD is full of fun and challenging projects. Some of the many ideas taught are radial design, one point perspective drawing, and how to add shadows and highlight to create more realistic images.”

5th Grade:

“Fifth graders will have fun with the theme of “A Journey Under the Sea!” Each of the 13 projects relates to the world of the ocean and will help reinforce previously learned skills while teaching new art principles such as sketching, painting, sculpting, and printmaking. There’s even a “field trip” to a professional artists’ studio and an aquarium.”

What Makes Home Art Studio the Best Homeschool Art Curriculum

1. DVD Based is Your Friend

All the lessons are taught via DVD by a professional and certified art teacher, Ms. Volin! She does such a great job of going at the right tempo, keeping the kids engaged but not overwhelmed.

On our art day (usually Tuesdays), I literally just pop in the DVD in my laptop and we all sit down to the breakfast table to find out what we’re doing today! 

I genuinely did not think that I could do such high-quality art with my kids with such little effort on my part.

2. Master Material List Means No Last Minute Shopping

You might be thinking, “How could you just pop in the DVD, sit back, and relax?” Didn’t you need to remember to go out and get all the supplies?!

Nope.

There is a master supplies list provided, so you can buy everything for the entire year at one time. I just put everything in a cabinet and pull out whatever she calls for in the video. 

****They recommend certain brands for art supplies, but we were unable to find a lot of those brands. We just used whatever Hobby Lobby, Walmart, and Amazon had and it was totally fine. Scroll to the best places to buy to find out how I’m going to shop smarter next year!

3. High-Quality Art Projects Done at Home!

I have been so blown away by the art that my kids are producing! These projects are so fun, and I can tell it has really boosted my kids’ confidence and love of art!

I have sprinkled some examples of their work throughout this post and I hope it speaks for itself!

4. Featured Artists

I love that many of the projects we have done this year are based on the work of famous artists! Adding in that art history is so important and a great way to enrich art education. 

I kinda wish that Ms. Volin would go into even more detail than she does about the artists, but I have learned to pause the DVD and go through some of the works of the artist with my children and provide my own side lesson about the artist we’re studying.

5. Fits Multiple Ages Very Well

One of the difficulties of teaching art at home is finding a homeschool art curriculum that spans the ages of multiple kids.

Homeschool moms are already trying to balance separate math and language arts lessons, so teaching multiple art curriculum every week is way too complicated and time-consuming.

I have been pleasantly surprised to see this curriculum easily work for my 5th grader, 2nd grader, and my kindergartener. I have had to help my younger ones a little in some areas, but overall they have all enjoyed the curriculum and look forward to our art days!

6. Cost

The DVDs are between $25 and $30, depending on where you buy them (more on that later).

That is a great deal, but you have to remember that the supplies are not included with the DVD. I bought double of everything on the supplies list because I have 3 kids. That came out to around $300 total. 

I initially thought that was expensive, but it was actually much cheaper than putting my kids in the arts and crafts classes they were taking before the pandemic.

Now that I’ve been using the curriculum for months, I realize that I really didn’t need to buy double of everything. I could have gotten away with the curriculum costing $150 for my three kids, which is very reasonable!

In fact, I think I will have a lot leftover and will likely not have to buy much for next year’s art curriculum.

****Tip From Experience: We bought the peelable oil pallet that was recommended, but you would do much better to just use paper plates. Much cheaper and easier to clean up.

7. Free Sample Lessons

It is tremendously helpful to make a decision about this curriculum when you have a chance to look at the sample lessons on the Home Art Studio website. 

Once I started watching the videos, I was completely hooked and knew this would be a great fit for my homeschool!

There are sooooooo many curriculums that do not offer this front-row seat view of a real lesson BEFORE buying. 

Definitely take advantage of this and hop on over to watch the sample lessons.

Why You May Not Think Home Art Studio Is The Best Homeschool Art Curriculum

1. There are not 35 Lessons on a DVD

I was personally a little annoyed about this initially, but I have since come to appreciate it. 

There are 18 projects in the DVD we’re using and that has turned out to be just fine. There have been some weeks that we have had to skip art because of last-minute things and schedule issues.

There have also been weeks that we’ve needed 2 weeks to complete a project. Some of the projects require you to wait for things to dry or have many steps. I found it was better to just break the lessons in half and complete the rest of the project on our next art day.

On top of all that, we have also tried to fit in some fun holiday art things here and there, so that all contributes to not needing (or wanting) more art lessons on the DVD. 

2. There Is Not Heavy Discussion of Art Technique

I have seen complaints of Home Art Studio being too arts and craftsy. Some parents want a deeper, more rich discussion of art techniques and art history. 

I can promise you that your children do not. 

Save all that for high school level art when they have a longer attention span and more impulse control. 

Art is definitely a time to let kids dive in and DO, not sit for an hour listening.

In my opinion, this curriculum has taught my children about so many age-appropriate art concepts without them even realizing it is happening! 

Which at the elementary level, is one of the best ways for kids to learn.

3. 1st Grade DVD is Missing

Mysteriously, the 1st grade DVD is missing from any place I could think to find it.

It’s weird. 

Thankfully, I’m more than confident that your 1st grader will be more than fine with either the kindergarten or 2nd grade DVDs.

The One Supplement This Homeschool Art Curriculum Needs

As I said previously, I do wish that there was a little more time spent on artists and art history.

I also understand that elementary-level kids don’t want to listen to a history lecture when they could be painting or sticking their hands in clay. 

For this reason, I do like adding in some art history cards that I already own (these cards are very similar to the above ones I have) and discussing famous paintings with my kids. I love that my kids now recognize paintings like the “Mona Lisa,” “Lady with an Ermine,” and Frida Kalo’s self-portrait!

I like to display the painting card on a shelf for the week until we move on to the next card. 

I am not an artist, but this is something I can teach, Homeschool Mama.

Another resource that is in my shopping cart is this fantastic resource book from DK Books: The Arts: A Visual Guide.

It is very reasonably priced on Amazon, and will be perfect to add into our homeschool art program next year!

Best Places to Buy Homeschool Art Studio

This always seems to happen to me.

I pay full price for things, but once I start digging deeper to tell all my lovely readers about it – I find huge savings that I missed out on!

But thankfully, you can learn from my mistakes. Again.

I purchased my DVD from the Home Art Studio website, but I had to shop around forever to find deals on all the materials that I needed.

It turns out that Rainbow Resources sells package deals for ALL the materials you need for the year. I just looked at their website and found the material package is 30% cheaper than what I paid. I could have saved so much money and time! 

Anyhow, be sure to check out this Rainbow Resource link to get your package of materials at the best price. 

For the DVDs, you can try the Home Art Studio, Rainbow Resource, or Christianbook.com. Amazon does not carry them.

Recap Best Homeschool Art Curriculum

I know that teaching art in your homeschool can look like a daunting, time-consuming, messy challenge.

But this homeschool art curriculum has made me realize that my kids can learn to create beautiful art at home!

Have you used Home Art Studio? Do you have another favorite homeschool art curriculum?

Please share your experience in the comments!

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