A Kid’s Guide to Drawing the Presidents of the USA ~ A Review

One of the first homeschooling catalogs that I received when I was a wanna-be homeschooler over six years ago was a Timberdoodle catalog.  Since then I have come to depend on Timberdoodle for honest and reliable reviews of homeschooling products and a large selection of fun and unique homeschooling items. 

So needless to say, I was very excited when I was given the opportunity to become a part of Timberdoodle’s Blogger Review Team.

A Kid’s Guide to Drawing the Presidents of the USA is the first item that I am reviewing for Timberdoodle.  This series contains 42 library bound {hardcover} books.  Each 32-page book covers the life and times of one President, from George Washington to George Bush.  I received How to Draw the Life and Times of Harry S. Truman to use with my kiddos.

How to Draw to Life and Times of Harry S. Truman contains thirteen 2-page chapters and features a  number of visual extras that enhance your learning about Truman, including a number of photographs {some full-color}, a copy of a famous portrait of Truman, and step-by-step drawing instructions for key places, events, and more that relate to the life and times of Truman.

In the first chapter we are given a brief biographical sketch of Harry S. Truman’s life.  In the subsequent chapters we are given a more in-depth look at some of the details surrounding Truman’s life and times.

In chapter 3 we learn more about Truman’s home state of Missouri and we are provided with full-color photographs of the home that Truman was born in in Lamar, Missouri and a statue of Truman.

In chapter 9 we read about Truman’s transition from Vice President to President after Franklin D. Roosevelt died while serving as President.  We are also given step-by-step pictorial instructions for drawing a 1944 presidential campaign poster featuring Roosevelt and Truman.

In chapter 10 we learn more about one of the important issues that Truman dealt with during his Presidency, the atomic bomb.  In addition to providing photographs of both the plane that dropped the deadly atomic bomb, the Enola Gay, and the A-Bomb Dome Memorial in Hiroshima, this chapter also contains detailed, step-by-step instructions for drawing the Enola Gay.

Every book in this series also contains a timeline, a glossary of words, an index of subjects in the book and suggested websites that you can visit to obtain more information.

After reading through this book with my kiddos we spent some time discussing which picture we should draw first.  My ds9 decided that he wanted to try to draw an old-fashioned piano that resembled the piano that Truman used when he was learning to play.  The step-by-step drawing instructions were featured in chapter four which was entitled “A Missouri Boy”.

Dd7 decided that she would rather try her hand at drawing the Enola Gay {with a few of her own embellishments :)}.

My Thoughts

My kiddos love to draw and they especially appreciate drawing books that contain step-by-step instructions for drawing specific items or scenes.  The drawing instructions in How to Draw the Life and Times of Harry S. Truman were simple enough that even my dd7 was able to create a fairly accurate drawing of her chosen subject.

I think any book in this series would be an excellent addition to any bookshelf both as a history resource and and as an art resource. 

More Information

The complete set of 42 hardcover books in this series usually retails for $1060.50 ~ but Timberdoodle is currently selling this set at an extremely discounted rate of $195…that’s a savings of $865.50!

Some of the titles from this series are also offered for individual sale for $9.95, but not every title is available to purchase individually.

The Timberdoodle website includes a number of sample pages from this series on their website.  Their website also contains a very informative 2-minute video that introduces this series and offers a number of suggestions for using these books.

You can request your own copy of Timberdoodle’s free homeschool catalog here.  This catalog is chock-full of information that is helpful to any homeschooler…whether you are wanna-be or newbie homeschooler {like I was} or a veteran homeschooler who is looking to add some new life into your homeschool.

You can also check out Timberdoodle on Facebook.

 

As a member of Timberdoodle's Blogger Review Team I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a frank and unbiased review.

See the Light Art Class ~ A Review

I received Volume 1 in See the Light’s Art Class DVD series to try out with my kiddos.  This DVD contains four art lessons that teach kiddos “the basics” of art.

In lesson one, kiddos are taught about the tools of the trade. During this short 8-minute segment, master artist Pat Knepley goes over some of the supplies that the kiddos will need to put in their art supply kit, including pencils, paper, and crayons. 

In lesson two, kiddos learn that it all starts with a line.  In this segment, Pat talks about the different kinds of lines that can be drawn, and she demonstrates how to make a contour drawing.

In lesson three, kiddos learn about contours & composition.  Pat has the kiddos practicing a contour drawing of two apples while also discussing the importance of composition and planning your drawing.

And in the final lesson kiddos are asked to draw what you see…literally.  Pat talks about drawing exactly what you see.  For instance, when you draw a profile of a person, you only draw the parts of the face that you see.  The kiddos then practice a contour drawing of what they see using a tennis shoe.

This DVD also contains a 20 minute bonus segment entitled Chalk-It-Easy Chalk Art Lesson.  In this segment, See the Light chalk artist Gloria Kohlmann teaches kiddos how to draw a stunning chalk drawing of “Cross Hill”.

Our Experience

Before showing this DVD to my kiddos, I watched it for myself…just to make sure that we would be prepared for the lessons.  While I was watching it my ds4 came into the room.  He immediately asked me to pause the DVD so that he could get a pencil and some paper…he wanted to draw along with Pat {the art teacher} :).

Pat refers to these short art lessons as the “You Can Draw Art Club” and the way that she presents the information makes the kiddos want to do art.  After previewing the lessons with me, my kiddos begged to try the lessons out so I set out the necessary art supplies at our kitchen table, turned the DVD on and let my kiddos get to work.

I was very pleased with the art that all three of my kiddos produced {and so were they :)}…even my 4yo was able to apply some of what he learned from the See the Light art lessons.

My Thoughts

I really like the ease of use of this art program.  Since I am not an artist by any stretch of the imagination, I loved that this DVD allowed me to bring an art teacher into my home to teach my kiddos :).

The lessons are presented in short segments {each segment is about 15 minutes long}…and just the right amount of information is presented so that my kiddos were not overwhelmed. 

I also appreciated the way that Pat interspersed scripture and Biblical truth throughout the art lessons.

If you are looking for a simple, fun, and easy-to-implement art program to use in your homeschool, I would definitely recommend you check out the See the Light curriculum.  Right now the Volume 1 DVD {the one featured in this review} is available for free on See the Light’s website :).

More Information

The See the Light art curriculum is designed to be used with kiddos ages 6 and up {1st grade & up}.  I have a 4yo, 7yo and a 9yo and all three of them enjoyed this program.

You will need some basic art supplies {regular pencil, colored pencils, crayons, paper, eraser} for the first four lessons.   You will also need a device on which to play the DVD.

For a limited time, See the Light Art Class Volume 1 {The Basics} is available for free on See The Light’s website.  You can also view the first three lessons from the Volume One DVD here.

You can purchase the entire collection of 9 dvds {one year of lessons} for $99.99. This one year set contains 36 step-by-step art lessons taught by Master Artist Pat Knepley.  You can read more about the one year set here.  You can also access a link to download a pdf of the curriculum contents on this page.  {See the link under the graphic of the 9 CDs}

See the Light also offers an online subscription to their art lessons for $10/month.  You can read more about this option here.

Click on the banner above to read what my fellow crewmates are saying about See the Light.

I received a free DVD from See The Light in exchange for my honest and unbiased review of our experience with this product.  I did not receive any further compensation for my review.