Art Day at Young Explorers

This is an insane time of year.

I am really trying to take things a bit slower school-wise, embrace Advent with my family, and still finish the million things that we all have to do. Needless to say, this post is a bit tardy! The good news is, we finished Block 2 of YE with an awesome art day!

We began with this nativity silhouette by That Artist Woman as our inspiration.  We wanted to explore the concept of making a silhouette, and I left it up to the kids. Some did cityscapes and some did trolls. The nativity scene was also popular.  We got busy with canvas paper and acrylics and watercolors and black cardstock and pastels and metallic gels and lots and lots of glue. 

For our music, we listened to one of my very favorite pieces by Bach, his Invention #8 in F Major.

And for our socratic discussion, we finished Tolkien's Farmer Giles of Ham and discussed the concept of heroes in literature.  Farmer Giles was a bit of a reluctant hero - and he had a lot of help along the way, but eventually he rose up to the challenge of facing the dragon, and winning, albeit in a non-traditional sort of way.  The kids LOVED this story.  I had many comments of it being one of their "favorite" Tolkien stories.  And on that note, I found at our local library, a storybook biography of Tolkien which is looking like a lot of fun.

Picture Study - well, we did have our art piece posted but did not make it to the formal viewing and narration.  I posted Renoir's Dance at Bougival:

And on that note, I bid you all good night and God bless!