History of Art | Creation to Contemporary Review

We received Veritas' Press History of Art at no cost for the purpose of this review. All thoughts are my own.

I mentioned that we are using the 12 Week Year to help us organize our homeschool. This approach has worked extremely well for us. It has allowed me to make space for subjects and topics that are often pushed to the bottom of our list of priorities. Veritas Press' History of Art was one of the subjects that didn't find its way into our regular routine until I changed the way I planned. As an art teacher, you would think we'd completed an art history program by now, but we haven't. I am so glad my daughters mentioned their desire to study art history when we planned our first 12 weeks because this program was one I truly wanted to use with them.

About History of Art | Creation to Contemporay

History of Art is a 32 week program that focuses on 32 art movements including, but not limited to, Mesopotamian, Baroque, Photography, Abstraction, and Contemporary.  The program has a distinctively Christian overview of art history. Works by Christians and those that focus on the Christian faith are included; not all art movements are included in the 32 lessons. 

The complete program includes a textbook that provides content, worksheets, quizzes, and art projects and a set of 32 flashcards. If you are familiar with Veritas Press, then you may know that their history programs include flashcards to help with memorizing the content. The cards highlight a specific art work from the period on one side, and important facts and another work on the other side. Each component of the program is currently sold separately.

The homeschool art history curriculum can be used in lower elementary to early middle school. 

How are we using History of Art in homeschool?

Studying art history with Veritas Press

My daughters are currently in grades 5 and 7, and I found it a good fit for us because we have never explicitly studied art history although we regularly complete art projects and work with different mediums.  Since my daughters are older, we didn't have to stretch the lessons for an entire week as it is suggested in the text instead we dedicated Monday to art history and reviewed the content throughout the week. We orally completed the worksheets upon completion of the lesson. Since we don't focus much on grades in our homeschool, I didn't find it necessary for my daughters to write out their answers.  Veritas Press suggestions grading of the written assignments to be based on content, grammar, and spelling. 

I found by completing most of the worksheets orally, my girls were able to glean from one another. On the other hand, I still had my girls complete some of the quizzes for the sake of developing written communication. Written communication is an important skill so being able to work towards strengthening the skill through a course that they enjoy is a win-win situation.  The quizzes also allowed for my girls to recall the previous works of art we had studied. 

Final Thoughts About History of Art

I asked my daughters if they would like to continue History of Art in our next 12 weeks, and they both responding with a resounding, "Yes!". I loved when my oldest daughter responded, "Of course!" History of Art has been a good fit into our homeschool because it provided history for this non-history teaching mom, both of my daughters enjoyed it, and it is a clear and concise program to teach. I am also glad that we included this program into our homeschool when my girls were a bit older because they can read the text for themselves, they were familiar with some periods from projects we had completed in the past, and they chose to study it versus it being another thing to do from mom.  As I stated earlier this program can be used for early elementary students, and this is evident when it comes to the art projects. We didn't complete all the projects, but we have completed many of them especially those from periods that we had the least experience even if the project was simple. The simplicity didn't seem to have an impact on my daughters, and they both seem to enjoy all the projects that we have completed so far.

If you are looking for an art history program, I would recommend using History of Art from Veritas Press. It is well-written and doesn't include unnecessary fluff. The program provides enough structure for you to include other artists as you study each art movement too. I often include Black Americans or other cultures in our lessons to provide for well-rounded lessons when possible.  

If you are a homeschool parent who needs more direction with teaching, the program includes a recommended schedule. History of Art can also be used in conjunction with other Veritas Press history programs. 

Have you taught art history in your homeschool?