Art & Music Education

In her book The Hidden Art of Homemaking, Edith Schaeffer argues that everyone has a talent or skill ready to be discovered and put to use for the glory of God. Often, that talent lies dormant, and the individual is frustrated by the empty spot in their life it should fill. Finding your talent should be a priority, though it's no drudgery—discovering what God has made you good at is a joyful and exciting process.

Similarly, Olympic gold medalist Eric Liddell never put his running before his duty to Christ; instead, he used his talent as a sprinter to glorify God. As he expresses in the brilliant film Chariots of Fire, "I believe God made me for a purpose, but He also made me fast. And when I run I feel His pleasure." God gives us talents to use in His name, and our joy in them is really our joy in Him.

Eric Liddell's talent led him to compete internationally; the "hidden art" Schaeffer describes is a little more modest, though no less glorifying to God when pursued humbly and gratefully. For Schaeffer, one's hidden art can be something as simple as arranging flowers on the kitchen table, or as elaborate as writing a story or painting a landscape. Everyone has different strengths, and each should learn to cultivate their own.

Our goal in teaching our children art and music isn't to raise a bunch of Van Goghs and Mozarts. If your child is a creative genius that's wonderful, but even if she can barely stay in the lines when coloring, her gifts are just as valuable to the Lord, and her discovery of them is just as important for her growth and personal happiness.

There are a few books in this section designed to help kids appreciate great art of the past, to learn about composers, or to identify the work of different painters and architects. However, most of what we offer is intended to help students across the whole range of ages to acquire and develop whatever skills they may have in sketching, painting, composing, instrument-playing, sculpting, acting, etc.

It's important to remember that no one will ever do anything perfectly, and first attempts are generally met with complete or near-total failure. Failure is often seen as an enemy, or simply as a hurdle to be overcome. Real failure, however, is integral to eventual success and (more importantly) to learning and character development. If a child managed to get everything right the first time, there would be no room for improvement, no reason to work hard.

Exercising one's creativity is essential. Humans were created in God's image, which means in part that we are creative beings, and whenever we're creative in ways that honor God, we're imitating Him. To the extent we can train our kids to do this, we should. Encourage them to do the best they can, because in the end they're doing it for God, and He expects nothing less.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he's a husband and father who loves church, good food, and weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur. Read more of his reviews here.
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70 Items found Print
Active Filters: 4th grade (Ages 9-10), Trade Paperback, Used Books & Materials
1-2-3 Draw People
by Freddie Levin
from Peel Productions
for 3rd-6th grade
in Drawing for Beginners (Location: ELE-ARTDRAW)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
3-D Engineering
from Nomad Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Architecture and Sculpture (Location: ELE-ARC)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
Ancient Egyptian Art
by Susie Hodge
First Printing
for 4th-6th grade
in Art History & Appreciation (Location: ELE-ARTHIS)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Ancient Greek Art
Art in History
by Susie Hodge
from Heinemann Educational Books
for 4th-6th grade
in Art History & Appreciation (Location: ELE-ARTHIS)
$7.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
Art Smart: Spot the Details and Find Out the Facts
Act from Dover Publications
for 1st-7th grade
in Art History & Appreciation (Location: ELE-ARTHIS)
$9.99 $6.00 (1 in stock)
Basher Science: Engineering
by Simon Basher, Tom Jackson
Reprint from Kingfisher
for 2nd-6th grade
in Basher Science (Location: SCI-BASH)
$9.99 $6.00 (1 in stock)
Beethoven Lives Upstairs
by Barbara Nichol
for 3rd-8th grade
in Music History (Location: ELE-MUSHIS)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Cartooning the Head & Figures
by Jack Hamm
for 3rd-8th grade
in Drawing for Beginners (Location: ELE-ARTDRAW)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
Castle
by David Macaulay
from Graphia
Architecture for 4th-8th grade
1978 Caldecott Honor Book
in Oversized History Books (Location: HISW-OVER)
$16.99 $8.00 (1 in stock)
Cathedral
by David Macaulay
from Houghton Mifflin
Architecture for 4th-8th grade
1974 Caldecott Honor Book
in Oversized History Books (Location: HISW-OVER)
$12.99 $8.00 (1 in stock)
City
by David Macaulay
from Houghton Mifflin
for 4th-8th grade
in Oversized History Books (Location: HISW-OVER)
$14.99 $7.50 (2 in stock)
Classical Music for Dummies
by David Pogue, Scott Speck
from For Dummies
for 3rd-7th grade
in Music Appreciation (Location: ELE-MUSAP)
$14.00 (1 in stock)
Classical Music for Dummies
by David Pogue, Scott Speck
2nd edition from For Dummies
for 3rd-7th grade
in Music Appreciation (Location: ELE-MUSAP)
$17.50 (2 in stock)
Claude Monet
Getting to Know the World's Greatest Artists
by Mike Venezia
from Children's Press
for 4th-6th grade
in Artists & Illustrators (Location: ELE-ARTISTS)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Coloring Book of Ancient India
by Bellerophon Books, Nancy Conkle
from Bellerophon Books
for 4th-6th grade
in India (Location: HISMC-IND)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Coloring Book of Rome
by Bellerophon Books, Nancy Conkle
from Bellerophon Books
for 4th-6th grade
in Ancient Rome (Location: HISW-ANRO)
$3.00 (3 in stock)
Columbus Discovers America - Coloring Book
by Peter F. Copeland
from Dover Publications
for 2nd-6th grade
in History of America Coloring Books (Location: COL-HISA)
$4.99 $3.00 (2 in stock)
Dance Me a Story
by Jane Rosenberg
from Thames and Hudson
for 3rd-8th grade
in Dance (Location: ELE-DANCE)
$12.00 (3 in stock)
Discovering Great Artists
by MaryAnn F. Kohl & Kim Solga
2nd edition from Chicago Review Press
for Preschool-6th grade
in Art History & Appreciation (Location: ELE-ARTHIS)
$19.99 $14.00 (1 in stock)
Discovering Great Artists (old)
by MaryAnn F. Kohl & Kim Solga
from Bright Ring Publishing
for Preschool-6th grade
in Art History & Appreciation (Location: ELE-ARTHIS)
$4.00 (2 in stock)
DK Annotated Guide: Architecture
DK Annotated Guides
by Neil Stevenson
from DK Publishing
Architecture for 4th-10th grade
in Architecture and Sculpture (Location: ELE-ARC)
$14.00 (1 in stock)
Draw & Write Through History Book 2
by Carylee Gressman
from C.P.R. Publishing
for 4th-6th grade
in Draw & Write Through History (Location: ELE-ARTDWTH)
$12.95 $7.50 (1 in stock)
Draw & Write Through History Book 3
by Carylee Gressman
from C.P.R. Publishing
for 4th-6th grade
in Draw & Write Through History (Location: ELE-ARTDWTH)
$12.95 $7.50 (3 in stock)
Draw & Write Through History Book 5
by Carylee Gressman
from C.P.R. Publishing
for 3rd-6th grade
in Draw & Write Through History (Location: ELE-ARTDWTH)
$12.95 $7.50 (2 in stock)
Draw & Write Through History Book 6
by Carylee Gressman
from C.P.R. Publishing
for 3rd-8th grade
in Draw & Write Through History (Location: ELE-ARTDWTH)
$12.95 $7.50 (1 in stock)
Draw 50 Buildings and Other Structures
by Lee J. Ames
from Doubleday & Company
for 3rd-8th grade
in Draw 50 (Location: ELE-ARTD50)
$6.50 (1 in stock)
Draw 50 Buildings and Other Structures
by Lee Ames
Reprint from Watson-Guptill Publications
for 3rd-8th grade
in Draw 50 (Location: ELE-ARTD50)
$9.99 $6.00 (1 in stock)
Draw 50 Cars, Trucks, and Motorcycles
by Lee Ames
from Watson-Guptill Publications
for 3rd-8th grade
in Draw 50 (Location: ELE-ARTD50)
$9.99 $6.00 (1 in stock)
Draw Cars
by Doug Dubosque
from Peel Productions
for 3rd-8th grade
in Drawing for Beginners (Location: ELE-ARTDRAW)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Draw Then Write 4-6
by Jo Ellen Moore, Joy Evans
from Evan-Moor Educational Publishers
for 4th-6th grade
in Evan-Moor Art & Drawing (Location: ZCLE-EM)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
Drawing with Children
by Mona Brookes
2nd edition from Penguin Putnam
for 2nd-8th grade
in Art & Drawing Reference (Location: ELE-ARTREF)
$19.95 $11.00 (3 in stock)
Drawing with Children
by Mona Brookes
from Penguin Putnam
for 2nd-8th grade
in Clearance: Art & Music (Location: ZCLE-ART)
$3.50 (2 in stock)
Duke Ellington
by Andrea Davis Pinkney, illustrated by Brian Pinkney
from Scholastic Inc.
for 3rd-6th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
Global Art
by MaryAnn F. Kohl & Jean Potter
from Gryphon House
for 3rd-8th grade
in Art & Drawing Reference (Location: ELE-ARTREF)
$10.00 $4.00 (4 in stock)
Good Earth Art
by MaryAnn F. Kohl & Cindy Gainer
from Bright Ring Publishing
for 1st-6th grade
in Art & Drawing Reference (Location: ELE-ARTREF)
$8.50 (1 in stock)
Henri Matisse
by Mike Venezia
from Children's Press
for 4th-6th grade
in Artists & Illustrators (Location: ELE-ARTISTS)
$4.00 (2 in stock)
How to Draw Horses
from Scholastic Press
for 3rd-7th grade
in Drawing for Beginners (Location: ELE-ARTDRAW)
$1.50 (1 in stock)
I Can Draw Cars & Trucks
I Can Draw
by Terry Longhurst
from Parragon Publishing
for 4th-6th grade
in Drawing for Beginners (Location: ELE-ARTDRAW)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Igor Stravinsky
Getting to Know the World's Greatest Composers
by Mike Venezia
from Children's Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Music History (Location: ELE-MUSHIS)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Jackson Pollock
by Mike Venezia
from Children's Press
for 4th-6th grade
in Art History & Appreciation (Location: ELE-ARTHIS)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Jackson Pollock
by Mike Venezia
from Children's Press
for 4th-6th grade
in Artists & Illustrators (Location: ELE-ARTISTS)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Journey into Africa - How to Draw and Color
by Ann Jansen
from GeoDeo Educational Resources
for 2nd-8th grade
in Africa (Location: HISMC-AFR)
$8.50 (1 in stock)
Leonardo da Vinci
by Norman V. Marshall
from Silver Burdett Press
for 2nd-5th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Lives of the Musicians
by Kathleen Krull
from Sandpiper Books
for 4th-6th grade
in Music History (Location: ELE-MUSHIS)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
Mark Kistler's Draw Squad
by Mark Kistler
from Simon and Schuster
for 2nd-6th grade
in Drawing for Beginners (Location: ELE-ARTDRAW)
$20.00 $10.00 (2 in stock)
Mark Kistler's Drawing in 3-D Wacky Workbook
by Mark Kistler
Original ed. from Touchstone
for 4th-6th grade
in Drawing for Beginners (Location: ELE-ARTDRAW)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Meet The Great Composers Book 1 (with CD)
by June Montgomery, Maurice Hinson
from Alfred Publishing
for 3rd-6th grade
in Music Appreciation (Location: ELE-MUSAP)
$20.99 $12.00 (1 in stock)
Michelangelo
by Ernest Raboff
from HarperTrophy
for 3rd-6th grade
in Artists & Illustrators (Location: ELE-ARTISTS)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Michelangelo
Getting to Know the World's Greatest Artists
by Mike Venezia
from Children's Press
Picture Book Biographies for 4th-6th grade
in Artists & Illustrators (Location: ELE-ARTISTS)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Music Education in the Christian Home
by Mary Ann Froehlich
from Noble Publishing
for 2nd-6th grade
in Music Education & Reference (Location: ELE-MUSREF)
Free (13 in stock)
My First Human Body Book
by Donald Silver, Patricia J. Wynne
from Dover Publications
for 2nd-6th grade
in Anatomy Coloring Books (Location: SCI-ANACOL)
$3.99 $2.50 (1 in stock)
New England Soldiers of the American Revolution
by Marko Zlatich, Illustrations by Donna Neary
from Bellerophon Books
for 2nd-6th grade
in American Revolution (1765-1783) (Location: HISA-18REV)
$1.50 (1 in stock)
Ojibway Indians - Coloring Book
by Chet Kozlak
from Minnesota Historical Society Press
for 3rd-9th grade
in Native American Coloring Books (Location: COL-NAM)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Pierre-August Renoir
by Ernest Raboff
from HarperTrophy
for 3rd-6th grade
in Artists & Illustrators (Location: ELE-ARTISTS)
$4.00 (2 in stock)
Pierre-Auguste Renoir: Paintings That Smile
by True Kelley
from Grosset & Dunlap
for 3rd-6th grade
in Artists & Illustrators (Location: ELE-ARTISTS)
$3.50 (2 in stock)
Prehistoric Art
by Susie Hodge
for 4th-6th grade
in Art History & Appreciation (Location: ELE-ARTHIS)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Pyramid
by David Macaulay
from Houghton Mifflin
Ancient Egyptian Architecture for 4th-8th grade
in Oversized History Books (Location: HISW-OVER)
$12.99 $7.00 (4 in stock)
Pyramid
by David Macaulay
from Trumpet Club
Ancient Egyptian Architecture for 4th-8th grade
in Oversized History Books (Location: HISW-OVER)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Rip Van Winkle - Coloring Book
by A. Rackham, P. Stewart, W. Irving
from Dover Publications
for 2nd-4th grade
in Literary & Fantasy Coloring Books (Location: COL-LIT)
$4.99 $3.00 (1 in stock)
Rubber-Band Banjos and a Java Jive Bass
by Alex Sabbeth
1st edition from Jossey-Bass
for 4th-6th grade
in Music Education & Reference (Location: ELE-MUSREF)
$10.50 $6.00 (3 in stock)
Ruth Heller's Designs for Coloring: Ancient Egypt
by Ruth Heller
from Grosset & Dunlap
for 4th-6th grade
in Ancient Egypt (Location: HISW-ANEG)
$4.00 (3 in stock)
Scribble Art
by MaryAnn F. Kohl
2nd edition from Bright Ring Publishing
for Preschool-6th grade
in Art & Drawing Reference (Location: ELE-ARTREF)
$7.50 (1 in stock)
Start Exploring the American West
by Emmanuel M. Kramer, illustrated by Helen I. Driggs
from Running Press
for 1st-5th grade
in Western Expansion (1800-1898) (Location: HISA-19WES)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Stories of the Great Composers Book 1 (with CD)
by June Montgomery, Maurice Hinson
from Alfred Publishing
for 1st-6th grade
in Music Appreciation (Location: ELE-MUSAP)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Tchaikovsky Discovers America
by Esther Kalman
from Scholastic Inc.
for 1st-6th grade
in Music History (Location: ELE-MUSHIS)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Using Art to Create Art
by Wendy M.L Libby
1st edition from Wadsworth Publishing Company
for 1st-5th grade
in Clearance: Art & Music (Location: ZCLE-ART)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
What Were the Twin Towers?
What Was?...Series
by Jim O'Connor, Illustrated by Ted Hammond
from Grosset & Dunlap
for 3rd-6th grade
in 21st Century (Location: HISW-21)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Who Was Leonardo da Vinci?
Who Was?...Series
by Roberta Edwards
from Grosset & Dunlap
for 2nd-5th grade
in Who Was? biographies (Location: BIO-WHO)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
World Famous Landmarks
by Cynthia Adams
from Instructional Fair
for 4th-6th grade
in International Landmarks & Symbols (Location: HISV-LANINT)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Young People's Book of Music
by Keith Spence
from Millbrook Press
for 4th-8th grade
in Music Appreciation (Location: ELE-MUSAP)
$5.00 (1 in stock)