Art study and timelines

A reader asked me some good questions, and I thought my answers would benefit others.

Q. I've been reading lots of your stuff and really enjoying it! What book do you recommend for using for showing classic works of art? I'd love to have a big one that I can rotate through that shows various artists, genres, etc.

Also, any recommendations for a timeline? As we read various books either written in other time periods or about other time periods, I'd love to be able to place that on a timeline for my kids. Google overwhelmed me.....

A. Because we are a very artistic family, we have numerous books filled with classic art all over our home--all collected at various discount bookstores, garage sales, thrift stores and the like. I am not sure I could recommend one specific book--I even did a little research in this line and did not come up with one single volume that would cover just about everything! Amazon has a number of books by Usborne that reportedly contain vivid reproductions of famous artists. Here is a Squidoo page that contains numerous references.

Harmony Art Mom has a number of resources available, many for free.

As for the timeline...it just depends on you and your situation. I have seen them done all sorts of ways. I've begun many, never completed them, though. Some families swear by them and it is an integral part of what they do daily, which sounds like fun. My kids have an uncanny way of keeping everything straight in their own minds--they seem to hang things on special events in history that they find significant, and then reference everything around them--I often find them thinking out loud and putting things in place, "So that was after the Revolutionary War, but before the War of 1812," which is what most of us do, I believe. I tried feeling guilty that I did not keep up with a timeline, but then I realized that I was always the one doing the work, and the children have to think more when they don't have a timeline on the wall, so I have decided to just relax!

Having said all this, Homeschool Bits offers a number of timeline resources that are either free, or nearly free, on Currclick that might keep a mother from searching all over for images, etc.

Lessons for mind and heart

We can't help it; if we love and fear God, we love His story. It is an account of peace, then conflict in which paradise is lost, then the Prince comes and paradise is restored.

An illustration of the tale Cinderella

This is reflected in the good myths that have survived. It is in the tale of Cinderella, of which 354 versions have been found. It is even found in pagan stories once told around ancient fires.

Modern literature, by and far, has purposely eschewed God's story. Therefore, most contemporary literature is stuck in the "conflict" portion of the narrative.

Man is in a wretched state, at odds with his environment. Sometimes he acts heroically, nevertheless, but often his very existence seems absurd to the non-believer. 

This explains why some literature seems depressing to Christians, who, while they know that man is fallen and in a state of sin, live with the hope of regaining paradise. If you and your children choose not to wallow around in the mood portrayed by writers who are stuck in the middle part of man's story, there is no reason why you should, even if one of these selections is in your literature book, and even if the author is a "great" writer. Ruth Beechick, You CAN Teach Your Child Successfully

With this in mind, the McGuffey readers are such a sweet breath of fresh air! They delight both the mind and the heart. Here is an example from McGuffey's third reader (revised),

I often enjoy reading these stories before bed to myself--catching up on the wonderful education I never received!