Monday, July 2, 2018

Sunday Photo Round Up (On a Monday): July 2nd, 2018

Sunday Photo Round Up

Sunday Photo Round Up is where I share the pictures I have taken during the week for the photo-a-day challenges I am participating in. For June I participated in the ones from Fat Mum Slim and the Crew plus one from Jamerrill Stewart: MegaMotherhood. Then I found one from Homeschool Instagrammers. I never did catch up all the way with that one. Anyhow, I never got a chance to post last week, so this week's post has from the past two weeks.


June 17: Outside


Outside at nighttime. Also wanted to play with my camera settings a bit. This is me standing in our yard looking into the park. I love the light rays in this shot.

June 18: Something Blue


The blue bowl I used to make broccoli salad to go with Amelia's birthday dinner. 

June 19: The Weather Today


The weather today was lovely, especially compared to yesterday. It wasn't near as stifling hot and we had some lovely blue skies with puffy clouds, no nasty rain storms.

June 20: Reward


 Hannah had the reward of winning a $5 gift certificate from the Kids and pets parade at our community days. She then rewarded herself and her brother to ice cream cones. I thought that was so sweet, esp because they are always fighting. 

June 21: Something Far Away


From where I stood there was a building a little bit down the road, but further away there were hills with a tower on the top, and really far away there were puffy clouds in the sky.

June 22: Collection


It has been years since I have seen a sticker dispenser like this one. I remember using them as a child to get stickers for my collection. This one was found at the putter golf place we went to the other evening.
  
June 23: Pink




Admiring some pink flowers outside the library.

June 24: Black & White


We saw this squirrel dash into the garbage can and bring out his lunch, a french fry. Unfortunately I couldn't get the picture in time to actually see the french fry. Wasn't sure what I would use the picture for, but thought it made a lovely black and white shot. 

June 25: Path


Following the path (or road) around the park with his bike.

June 26: Brave


Specifically took this movie out of the library to take this picture, but forgot to post. Oops
My kids being brave before we watched Brave. 


June 27: I feel...


I feel sad because my little girl still isn't feeling well. She keeps having issues with her tummy hurting and throwing up. Then she feels better and it comes back. She's supposed to go to camp next week, so I hope she gets better.
(Thankfully she is feeling better, as is everyone else who got that stomach bug, and both Hannah and Amelia are at camp right now.)

June 28: What I'm doing right now


Okay, when I took this, I was working on my review for my blog. Was just busy all day with the review and didn't get a chance to post it.

June 29: Close up


Just a close up of our lilies at the side of our house.

June 30: A plant


A plant or two (or more) in my friend's backyard, where the kids were playing in the pool during the birthday party.


Then there is the challenge I am doing with the 
Homeschool Review Crew

June 17: Dad









Spending time with dad after he got home for work, and before going to our church's Father's Day Breakfast. They gave him cards, and then a box of Junior Mints. 

June 18: Bridge


Spied this little footbridge while driving on a back road this morning.

June 19: Sidewalk


As soon as I saw this prompt my mind went straight to "Where the sidewalk ends" though I am not sure why. I figured it would be the best way to get a picture of a sidewalk in our little town, seeing as only part of it has a sidewalk.

June 20: Sunglasses


Took the sunglasses to the park and was trying to pretend the sun was wearing the sunglasses.

June 21: Summer


Enjoying the longest day of the year by walking in the park until close to nine o'clock. As I walked I noticed the older girls were enjoying some alone time by the river.

June 22: Left


And to our left, ladies and gentleman, you will see this lovely farm, featuring this neat, oldish barn. Don't you just love country roads?

June 23: Right


Yesterday I looked out to my left, today I looked to the right where I found a garden guarded by a scarecrow. 

June 24: Adventure


June 25: Discovery


Was a lovely discovery to find this Luna month on our screen. Hoping its wings weren't damaged or caught in spider web. Stayed there all day, tried to nudge it at night and it ended up in the grass. We hope it flew away and wasn't eaten. 

June 26: Explore


They love playing the Zelda games so they can explore. This one is Zelda Twilight Princess.

June 27: Art


Amelia showing off some of her recent art. After I was able to get her to stop laughing. Not sure what that was about.

June 28: Shadow


A shadow of a bicycle wheel on the porch. Just thought it would look neat.

June 29: Highlight


The highlight of his week is his chance to play his video game. Today he played Zelda Breath of the Wild.

June 30: Saturday


Enjoying living life on a Saturday afternoon. We were invited to a friend's birthday party and the children got to enjoy cooling off in the pool. 

Third challenge: MegaMotherhood from Jamerrill Stewart.

June 17: My Favorite


My favorite dessert is skinny chocolate from Trim Healthy Mama. And of course, because I took it out to take a photo, I gave into the temptation of eating a piece.

June 18: Flowers


Birthday girl in a floral dress posing in front of some flowers at the library, our last stop before heading home after our mother/daughter 10th birthday lunch date.

June 19: Clean


Not everyone was thrilled when they were told it was time to clean up the living room.

June 20: Buy in Bulk


We don't usually buy in bulk, but recently decided to get a BJ's Wholesale Club membership. So, now we have a bunch of spaghetti, bouillon cubes, and chicken broth that we don't have room for in our cupboards.

June 21: Bloopers



So, Amelia was going outside for a summer safari featuring her stuffed animals. I asked her if she could come up with some funny antics that would be worthy of a blooper reel. This poor bear, who was after the monkey hanging in the tree, had decided to do a little dance wearing Amelia's hat, and Tabitha thought it was quite weird. Then he started to climb the fence and he fell, making the girls crack up with laughter. 

June 22: Nature


The girls found a little bit of nature by our tub and brought them over to their "sanctuary." Aren't they cute. 

June 23: Errands


Had to go to the library today to return and take out books.

June 24: Rest


Our rest time yesterday was in the van up to Olean. First we did a little shopping (wanted to grab some of the school supply sales from Staples) and then we rested some more in the movie theater. Of course, I was reading in the van, though I did doze off a bit. Typical 

June 25: Siblings


Four siblings with new sneakers. They got new flip flops too, but I won't let them wear them til they go to camp. 

June 26: Afternoon




June 27: Free Time





The children were enjoying their free time playing lots of different games with each other, while I worked on a review.

June 28: Dinner


We love Thursdays! It's breakfast for dinner night. Pancakes and sausages. I make THM friendly S pancakes with peanut butter topping and blueberries for myself.

June 29: Clouds


Some pretty wispy clouds above our house this afternoon.

June 30: The End


The end of my serving of cherries. So very sad. Though I love that it looks like a heart. And no, I didn't arrange them that way.

Aaannnnd on to the fourth challenge: Homeschool Instagrammers

June 17: Nighttime


Outside at nighttime. Also wanted to play with my camera settings a bit. This is me standing in our yard looking into the park. I love the light rays in this shot.

June 18: Routine


Well, our summer break has officially begun, perfect timing for VBS at a nearby church. So, our routine this week is going to be waking up at a decent time and getting there in time. Today being Amelia's birthday sort of made things a bit hectic, but we made it. 

June 19: In Your Closet


We hang some of our wet clothes in the closet to dry. Not sure who decided my nightdress needed to be in knots for it to dry.

June 20: Music


She sure does enjoy making music on her recorder.

June 21: Hands


Two sets of hands working together to clean the dining table. One because it was her after dinner chore, the other because he didn't have time to clean the table after breakfast as we had to get to VBS. 

June 22: Movement


Lots of movement going on as the girls play a little one-on-one, sort of at the park. 

June 23: Game


It was Tabitha's turn to play a video game today. She was playing Zelda Breath of the Wild.

June 24: Goal


The goal was to be on time for church. That didn't happen. Again. At least we weren't too late. 

June 25: Something New


Four siblings with new sneakers. They got new flip flops too, but I won't let them wear them til they go to camp. 

June 26: Sunset


Went over to the park to take a walk and let the children play just so I could be over there when the sun was setting. Through these trees was the best angle, though I do with the wires weren't in the way.

June 27: Hometown


 Who knew growing up in Queens, NYC that one day I would call this rinky dink town, that is only 1 mile around, my  hometown.

June 28: Favorite Thing


One of my favorite things about summer? Cherries. My favorite fruit. Specifically had an E meal tonight for dinner so I could have these for dessert.

June 29: Fun


Having fun playing games. A great homeschool perk. 

June 30: Living Life


Enjoying living life on a Saturday afternoon. We were invited to a friend's birthday party and the children got to enjoy cooling off in the pool. 

Thursday, June 28, 2018

Introducing the Girls to Art History with The Master and His Apprentices {A TOS Review}


The older girls and I had the opportunity to review the book The Master and His Apprentices: Art History from a Christian Perspective from The Master and His Apprentices. I'll start right off by saying I almost opted out of this review because it is high school level material. However, when I realized it covered events, places, and objects that we had learned about this past year with our Core Curriculum, I sort of changed my mind and begged to try it out. 


We received a digital copy of this art history textbook, along with a digital copy of the Teacher Guide for The Master and His Apprentices. The books are also available as physical books, though the hardcover text is over $100 more and the softcover Teacher Guide is $5 more than the digital. I admit, if I could afford it, I would much rather have a physical book to flip through, but we have been able to view the digital copy just fine on our computer, the recommended way to view this fixed-layout PDF. Additionally, it is stated on the website that a large tablet will work for viewing purposes. If you would prefer to purchase the digital copy, yet would like to hold a physical book, you can print the textbook and store it in a 3-ring binder. The layout is binder-ready for this option. As that would use a lot of paper and ink, that option was not something I felt I could do as the textbook is 380 pages long! Now, as for the Teacher Guide, that I have been printing out, a couple of pages at a time. When you purchase the book you actually have the license to print/photocopy the information for one child. If you need the information for more than one child there is a $2 fee per child. As a member of the Homeschool Review Crew I was thankfully given print/photocopy rights for our entire household.


I loved the thought of introducing the girls to art in history from a Christian perspective, especially because it states that there is no nudity, something the children have inadvertently been exposed to in a few books we had out from the library to go with our study of Ancient Greece here at the end of the school year. 

The Master and His Apprentices covers creation through modern times, though there is only a brief mention of the last few hundred years, with only 16 pages after the chapter on the Baroque period. The book starts with an introduction to art, stating that God is the Master and all other artists are the apprentices as they can but copy what God has done in His creation. Personally, I love this view of art, though I had never really thought of it that way before. I love that the author is coming from a literal biblical viewpoint. 

Okay, so what exactly is contained in this book? I will say, right from the get-go, that there is a LOT more than just art in this book, a lot more history and even science than I expected. To me it feels more like a history book with the bonus of artwork being included throughout, over 600 works of art at that. So yes, you are seeing and learning about the art, but you are getting a lot of detail about the time period surrounding it as well, all from a Biblical perspective.

The Master and His Apprentices is divided into six sections plus an appendix. 
  • The Beginning
  • Ancient Cultures
  • Classical Antiquity
  • Middle Ages
  • Renaissance
  • Baroque Era & Beyond
  • Appendix
The Beginning starts with the Introduction to Art, which is the first chapter, and then moves straight into God's most wonderful art work which we are a part of and are living in, His creation, chapter 2. Each day of creation has its own section, which gets into quite a bit of detail. I actually perused this section on my own, as I knew it would be over the children's heads.

Ancient Cultures is the section we focused on during the review period as I wanted to use it as a bit of a review here at the end of the school year. The three chapters in the Ancient Cultures section are:
  • Chapter 3: Ancient Near East
  • Chapter 4: Egyptian
  • Chapter 5: Aegean 
During the summer we are going to focus on the first part of Classical Antiquity as we will be finishing up our previous school year's material which is on Ancient Greece. The three chapters in the Classical Antiquity section are:
  • Chapter 6: Early Greek
  • Chapter 7: Etruscan 
  • Chapter 8: Roman
Next year I plan to use The Master and His Apprentices concurrently with our core curriculum as we will be learning about the time of Rome through the Reformation. We will be able to enhance our studies with the Roman chapter from Classical Antiquity, plus the section on the Middle Ages which contains the following chapters:
  • Chapter 9: Early Christian & Byzantine
  • Chapter 10: Medieval & Islamic
  • Chapter 11: Romanesque 
  • Chapter 12: Gothic
We will even be able to utilize the Renaissance section this coming year. This section contains the following chapters:
  • Chapter 13: Proto-Renaissance
  • Chapter 14: Early Italian Renaissance
  • Chapter 15: High Italian Renaissance
  • Chapter 16: Northern Renaissance
And in future years we will be able to use the concluding chapters, which are:
  • Chapter 17: Baroque
  • Chapter 18: Rococo to Today
  • Chapter 19: Global Highlights
Additionally, I can most definitely see pulling this book out again when the children are in high school and can appreciate all the details. It will be a wonderful supplement to their history and can count as an art credit (From my understanding. I admit, I haven't quite looked into how all those credit things will work as my oldest is only 11 years old.)

The Appendix is chock-full of information from a letter from the editor, to the gospel message and skepticism in creationism. There is a full timeline which includes all the works of art plus historical/Biblical events, plus a timeline of the different art periods.

Now, let's dig a little deeper.

Each chapter starts with an overview of the time period, before going into more detail of each featured work of art.

As I stated, I personally spent some time in the Creation section of the textbook, though I didn't utilize the study guide. I loved reading the details of God's creation, how God is such a master of detail. His creation should cause us to see His mighty power and lead to us praise Him. 




After each chapter's overview we found the sections that focus on the specific work of art. The topic of interest is in a box at the top of the page, under which is listed the area where it is found and the kind of art it is, plus the approximate date.


The children and I spent our time in the Ancient Cultures section of The Master and His Apprentices. Personally, I enjoyed learning more information about things we learned about this past year, such as Noah's Ark, the ziggurats, and the Law Code of Hammurabi. Yes, we talked about these things previously, but this book gave us more details. 

I printed out the question sheet from the Teacher Guide that was relevant for the chapter we were reading. I would then skim the chapter to see what information I would need to read to answer the questions. Sometimes we would skip questions that required information that I felt was over the girls' heads. The girls sat on the couch or loveseat while I read from the book on the computer. 



We would read the question to figure out what we were looking for, and then I would read the section of the book, hoping the children would figure out what the answer was. Sometimes they caught it, sometimes I had to give them the answer. The material is definitely over their comprehension level, so I can understand that they had trouble trying to determine which information was the actual answer. A lot of the details were in regard to the historical information, where they were hoping for more specifics about the actual art. 

I would ask them to help me word the answer, guiding them where they needed help, and then I would type out the answer in our word processing program, making the font large enough for them to see from the couch/loveseat. I have found that it makes a great "whiteboard." They then copy the answer into the blanks on the page.


A high school student would be required to read either a full chapter or a half a chapter in a week, and then they would be expected to have these questions answered. The girls and I were able to get through the chapter on the Ancient Near East and have started the chapter on Egypt during this review period. 

I really appreciate the timelines that are included in each chapter. Unlike the timeline that is in the appendix, there are three sections to these chapter timelines. The top shows important world events, the middle section lists the famous artwork, and the bottom section lists the major Biblical events that would have been taking place at this time. 



The Master and His Apprentices is a wealth of information in regards to both history and art in history. It is most definitely more appropriate for older students, I would say at least middle school. Tabitha, who is 11, was able to understand a lot more than Amelia, who is 10. Unfortunately they were both bored while I was trying to find topics of interest to read to them. Personally, I love reading about the details surrounding the art, learning where they fit into history, and especially re-confirming God's majesty. I definitely plan on using it to supplement our curriculum, but I think I may have to limit what I read even more. And when the children are in high school, I will definitely have them work through the book in more detail.

So, would I recommend this book for a family with only young children? Probably not. But if you have children who are in middle school, I would definitely give it a shot. Of course, you know your children the best. As for high school students? I would say The Master and His Apprentices is a wonderful art history book for Christians, and will help students see God's amazing love and his plan in history. 

You can find The Master and His Apprentices on Facebook and Pinterest.

Don't forget to click the banner below to see what my fellow Crew Mates had to say about The Master and His Apprentices.

The Master and His Apprentices: Art History from a Christian Perspective {The Master and His Apprentices Reviews}

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