For homeschool students, there are lots of options for incorporating these subjects into the curriculum through private lessons, community programs, or private classes. However, my son didn’t want to participate in any of these, which meant I had to improvise (no pun intended!)
It turned out that these are two subjects that I had the hardest time teaching, mostly becasue I had forgotten much of what I learned in school, but also because a lot of the resources online for teachers is geared to a classroom with many students. However, I was lucky to find some great references that helped me adapt them to our homeschool program:
ART:
- The ABCs of Art: The Elements and Principles of Design – This is a comprehensive and easy to understand overview of all the Principles of Art and Design for that age level. What I liked is that it included examples of each category. Though there were pre-set activities we could choose from in our homeschool program, we were also free to come up with our own provided it covered at least two or three elements of design. This made it easy for me to come up with appropriate activities.
- Art Books I found Helpful: Art Teacher’s Survival Guide Elementary and Middle School, by Helen D. Hume (she also has a Secondary School version)
DRAMA:
This is one subject that can be hard to teach at home, and it was only part of my son’s curriculum in Grade 7 and 8. Though there are many private drama classes available, my son didn’t want to participate because he’s too shy. So, I found some helpful links that allowed me to teach him the principles of dramatic arts.
- Shakespeare in the Classroom is a great learning tool for kids old enough to watch the film Shakespeare in Love. Miramax created a companion video and guide for teachers and parents to use as an introduction to Shakespeare and how to study that artform.
Shakespeare in the Classroom Companion Guide
Shakespeare in the Classroom Video Lesson
- Drama Book I found Helpful: Teaching Drama: Fundamentals and Beyond, by Thomas Crockett
- Drama Activity: Working with Emotion
- Mirrors and Statues Drama Warm-Up Game– Siblings or friends can do this activity with your child, or you can do it with him/her. It’s a lot of fun!
- Elements of Drama – A quick overview of the concepts you can teach at home.