Product Review

I was given this product free from Atelier Homeschool Art and I was compensated for my time. However, paid for my time does not mean paid off.  ALL opinions are my own and for sure I will always tell you what is on my mind. When I do accept a product it’s because I’m giddy to tell you about it. Read my full disclosure here. Now on to the fun stuff!

Teaching art has always been a struggle for me, let alone teaching a teen. And I’m not against Tiny learning art from a book, but when you can have a professional art teacher come into your home at your convenience, I just couldn’t say no to trying Atelier Homeschool Art.

We received Atelier Online – Level 7 (ages 10-15). It is designed for ages 10-15, Level 7 and it is a full year of visual art instruction. Students will build and develop a foundation of skills by learning and working through the essential elements and principles of art including: line, color, space, shape, form, texture, pattern, balance and emphasis. Level 7 also includes art-history, media exploration, creative self-expression, cultural appreciation, right-brain drawing techniques, and much more.

It’s hard for me to call this a review because we just had so much fun and will continue with it into the summer. When you get a minute, look at my other posts Homeschool Art (Art Lessons From Home)  and Video Based Homeschool Art (No Teaching Involved) so you can see more pictures.

Each lesson varies in time from ten minutes up to twenty eight minutes and we tried to cram in as many as we could before I had to tell you about it today.

Look at the lessons we did and the concepts being taught.

• Positive and Negative Designs: Space and Composition
• People Contours: Contour,Drawing, Line
• Tropical Birds: Color
• Op Art: Art History and Technique
• Greek Olympics and Art: Art History
• Egyptian Art:Artist Appreciation and Cultural Appreciation

3 Advantages to Video-Based Art Lessons

ONE| The gem of this product is that it is video-based and that means more to me this year than it did before.

Now that I am down to homeschooling one kid, I have had to learn to teach in different ways.

Not only are the lessons video-based, but they are created so that they can be done completely independent. Each video lesson has 3 or 4 parts, which are materials, the lesson/s, students working and examples of student artwork.

In case your student gets lost in all the words or prefers to watch a video like Tiny does, then he simply makes a list of all the materials he needs for the upcoming lesson, does the lesson and can even see examples of student artwork to see the outcome.

I can’t say enough about that part of the art lessons for us.

It has been hard to impress on Tiny to let go of the product and enjoy the process. When he gets to see samples of student works, it made him feel comfortable with his creativity.

When you have a kid that expects perfection in everything he does, no matter how much you tout the fact that you want him to ‘let go’, I admit I was skeptical about him looking at other student’s work.

You know I am a big advocate of models when it comes to teaching subjects like writing or even math but I learned a lesson by Tiny seeing models or student artwork even when doing art lessons.

I had always thought of only the negative effects of comparing his work to others and not the model or ideas he could use from them. The examples of student artwork gave Tiny a concrete way of measuring his work to see that he was right on target.

Instead of stifling his creativity, looking ahead at student samples of artwork ignited it. Allowing himself to ‘let go’, Tiny was able to gauge his own progress, but add his own flair to each art piece.

TWO| For me, the teacher in me was so happy that this curriculum was organized and detailed.

Everything needed to do the art lesson is contained right there in the lesson.

For example, the student hand outs are included as downloads along with the lesson plan. In addition, there is a parents manual, a supply list, helpful tips about art elements and principles and a glossary of terms.

Everything the non-loving art teacher (me) needs to feel empowered. After a few lessons, I could easily turn the lesson over to Tiny.

THREE| Did I mention that I could watch the lessons on my laptop while Tiny did them on his iPad?

Whether you live overseas like I did, travel or are limited on room, you’ll love the fact that the lessons are completely mobile.

Too, I had a problem the first time I downloaded the product, so I emailed them. The customer service was super fast in getting back to me and helping me to find what was not working.

Homeschool Art (No Teaching Involved)

Though we really lapped up these art lessons we did have a rocky start when Tiny noticed right away the classroom setting. Tiny has never been to public or private school and at first didn’t connect with the classroom setting.

He has taken other homeschool classes where the ages were mixed and obviously feels more comfortable in that setting.

However, because he has never been exposed to a classroom setting, I know that whether he takes a workshop for his career or college, he will need to be familiar with a classroom setting.

That part wasn’t a deal breaker for us but I had to let him go slower in the beginning as he got use to it.

However, if you have a kid coming from a public or private school setting, he may not even blink an eye at that setting.

Also, I want you to know that this is a pricey curriculum or so it seems at first glance. The cost for this level is 140.00, but it is for a family subscription and it is for 3 years.

If you have three kids like me then you would divide that cost of 140.00 by three, which is about $47.00 for the year. Then there are twenty lessons. Twenty lessons divided by 47.00 is about $2.35 for each child for each lesson.

Comparing curriculum is sometimes not easy to do, but comparing actual costs should be.

Looking at the actual cost per child, this curriculum is a super deal for all the lessons, downloads and tips.

I think your kids will love doing art this way and I think you’ll love turning the teaching reins over to somebody else.

Pssst! No one has to know if you do the lessons right alongside your kids because it is a family subscription.

Look at these other facts that you don’t want to miss.

Product Name: Atelier Online – Level 7 (ages 10-15) Levels 1 through 8 are available, which are from ages 4 to 16.
Website: Atelier Homeschool Art
Try it for Free: Click here for free sample lessons.
About the product: All Atelier art lessons are presented on video, and reinforced by lesson plans. Not only are the videos a rich source of creative ideas and inspiration, it also clarifies the objectives, materials, techniques and procedures of each lesson. Abundant instructional coverage, as well as that of students in a virtual art class performing the lesson and displaying their finished artwork, consistently produces exceptional student results and learning, regardless of the art background of the parent-teacher.
Formats: This program is not only available online, but the same materials can be purchased in dvd format too.
Type of product: Online video-based.
Art Supply Kits: We had many of these art materials, but did have to purchase some of them. If you’re like me and want things easily laid out, then you may like the Atelier Art Supply Kit which includes approximately 80% of the supplies needed for a complete level.
Price: 140.00 for each grade level.