Disclaimer: I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.

We have been adding some great art lessons into our day using the book The Way They SEE It: A Book for EVERY PARENT About the Art Children Make by Brenda Ellis from Artistic Pursuits INC. This book is a great start to an art program from your young child.

Book Layout

This book is very easy to read and use in your homeschool. The first thing I noticed is the lessons are all listed in the front. This is great because you see what projects are when and how art skills are introduced and built upon. There is also a list of supplies that you can purchase through them or on your own. This was very important at the beginning because I was able to make sure we had everything for the projects before we even started.

There are two sections to the book. The first section has a lesson for adults to read followed by a picture of an art piece and exact words to read to your child. C loved this because she could point out different parts the artwork based on the questions I asked. I loved the types of art work that was used. There were drawings and paintings by famous artists. After the art work there was a project for your child to complete. These varied from finger painting to drawing to imprints on clay.

The second half of the book had explanations of different skills that young children need to master to create artwork. These started with using scissors and progressed to using glue and different paint brushes and paint. This section was very informative and provided me with some different activities to do with C.

My Favorites

My favorite part of this book was the different projects. I loved that the projects connected with the famous art work that we had discussed already. We would sit on the couch and cuddle up to look at the art work. After that we would move to the table to do a project. Some of her projects were really good and she surprised me, while others I had to write what she drew to understand it. I will definitely keep working through this book with her through the summer to provide some activities for us to do together.

One of my other favorite parts of the book was that it was mainly process art. There was not always a finally project. The normal art work we do together is a “craft” with directions and a final product, but these were different. She was explore different concepts. I think she loved the freedom his gave her as well.

I also really liked the kids art work that was included in the lessons. This was another talking point between C and I. I used these pictures to guide her towards an idea. It also helped to show her another child’s art work to make the project come to life.

Another great thing about this book is that it is adaptable. D was even able to do the Mark-Making Project. He loved finger painting. I will continue to let him do some of these activities as they are great fine motor skills builders as well as art skill builder activities.

My last favorite thing about this book was that it was very well made. It has a plastic cover and is spiral bound. This made it super easy to hold between us as we looked at the famous art work. I loved the plastic cover because I sit my curriculum everywhere and D could not destroy it and I couldn’t mess it up.

Read More

We looked at the preschool book, but the ARTistic Pursuits curriculum goes all the way through high school so there is something for all ages. Please head over to the Homeschool Review Crew page to read more reviews of this great art curriculum.

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