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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114 Items found Print
Active Filters: 1st grade (Ages 6-7), Used Books & Materials
Alvin Ailey
by Andrea Davis Pinkney; illustrated by Brian Pinkney
from Hyperion Books for Children
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Art Adventures at Home - A Curriculum Guide for Home Schools
by Pattye Carlson and M. Jean Soyke
from Unknown Publisher
for 1st-5th grade
in Art & Drawing Reference (Location: ELE-ARTREF)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Art Coloring Book
by Sarah Courtauld
from Usborne
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Usborne Activities (Location: ACT-USB)
$5.40 (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)
Artist Who Painted a Blue Horse
by Eric Carle
from Philomel Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
ARTistic Pursuits Grades K-3 Book 3
by Brenda Ellis
3rd Edition Classic Series from Artistic Pursuits
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in ARTistic Pursuits (Location: ELE-ARTPUR)
$25.00 (1 in stock)
ARTistic Pursuits Grades K-3 Volume 7
by Brenda Ellis
from Artistic Pursuits
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in ARTistic Pursuits (Location: ELE-ARTPUR)
$32.00 (1 in stock)
ARTistic Pursuits Grades K-3 Volume 8
by Brenda Ellis
from Artistic Pursuits
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in ARTistic Pursuits (Location: ELE-ARTPUR)
$32.00 (1 in stock)
ARTistic Pursuits: The Way They SEE It
by Brenda Ellis
3rd Edition Classic Series from Artistic Pursuits
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in ARTistic Pursuits (Location: ELE-ARTPUR)
$47.95 $30.00 (1 in stock)
Atelier Art Curriculum Level 3
by Marcia L. Osterink
from Arts Attack Publications
for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Art & Drawing Reference (Location: ELE-ARTREF)
$95.00 (1 in stock)
Baby Blessing
by Welleran Poltarnees
from Laughing Elephant
for Kindergarten-Adult
in Art History & Appreciation (Location: ELE-ARTHIS)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Beginning Painting DVD - Mini Course
for 1st-Adult
in How Great Thou Art (Location: ELE-ARTHGTA)
$28.00 (1 in stock)
Boll Weevil
by Glen Rounds
from Golden Gate Junior Books
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Book of Artrageous Projects
from Klutz
in Art & Drawing Reference (Location: ELE-ARTREF)
$15.00 (1 in stock)
Bridges Are to Cross
by Philemon Sturges
from G.P. Putnam's Sons
for 1st-4th grade
in Architecture and Sculpture (Location: ELE-ARC)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Budding Builder
by Laura Laxton, Editor
from Gryphon House
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Architecture and Sculpture (Location: ELE-ARC)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Building
by Elisha Cooper
1st edition from Greenwillow Books
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
in Architecture and Sculpture (Location: ELE-ARC)
$7.50 (2 in stock)
Camille and the Sunflowers
by Laurence Anholt
1st edition from Barron's
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
in Art History & Appreciation (Location: ELE-ARTHIS)
$7.50 (1 in stock)
Camille Pissarro
by Alix Wood
from Windmill Books
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Child's Book of Art
by Lucy Micklethwait
from DK Publishing
for Preschool-1st grade
in Art History & Appreciation (Location: ELE-ARTHIS)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Cloth Lullaby: The Woven Life of Louise Bourgeois
by Amy Novesky, illustrated by Isabelle Arsenault
from Abrams Books for Young Readers
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
Color and Learn: Native America
Color & Learn
by Elizabeth Adams
from Educators Press
for Preschool-1st grade
in Native Americans (Location: HISA-19NAT)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
Coloring Book of Incas, Aztecs & Mayas
from Bellerophon Books
for 1st-5th grade
in Ancient America (Location: HISW-ANAM)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Creative Arts & Crafts Projects Levels K-5
by Jenny Phillips
from The Good and the Beautiful
for Kindergarten-5th grade
in The Good and the Beautiful (Location: CUR-GAB)
$11.00 (1 in stock)
Diego Rodriguez de Silva y Velasquez
Art For Children
by Ernest Raboff
from HarperCollins
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Artists & Illustrators (Location: ELE-ARTISTS)
$3.00 (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 My Picture Art Class
by Nellie Shepherd
1st edition from DK Children
for Preschool-3rd grade
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Draw the Titanic
by Andrew Staiano, illustrated by Jason Pederson
from Scholastic Inc.
for All ages
in Drawing for Beginners (Location: ELE-ARTDRAW)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Draw Write Now Book 1
by Marie Hablitzel & Kim Stitzer
from In the Think of Things
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Draw Write Now (Location: ELE-ARTDWN)
$19.99 $10.00 (1 in stock)
Draw Write Now Book 4
by Marie Hablitzel & Kim Stitzer
from In the Think of Things
for 1st-5th grade
in Draw Write Now (Location: ELE-ARTDWN)
$19.99 $10.00 (1 in stock)
Draw Write Now Book 5
by Marie Hablitzel & Kim Stitzer
from Barker Creek
for 1st-5th grade
in Draw Write Now (Location: ELE-ARTDWN)
$7.50 (1 in stock)
Draw Write Now Book 5
by Marie Hablitzel & Kim Stitzer
from In the Think of Things
for 1st-5th grade
in Draw Write Now (Location: ELE-ARTDWN)
$19.99 $10.00 (1 in stock)
Draw Write Now Book 6
by Marie Hablitzel & Kim Stitzer
from In the Think of Things
for 1st-5th grade
in Draw Write Now (Location: ELE-ARTDWN)
$19.99 $10.00 (1 in stock)
Draw Write Now Book 7
by Marie Hablitzel & Kim Stitzer
from In the Think of Things
for 1st-5th grade
in Draw Write Now (Location: ELE-ARTDWN)
$19.99 $10.00 (1 in stock)
Draw Write Now Book 8
by Marie Hablitzel & Kim Stitzer
from Barker Creek
for 1st-5th grade
in Draw Write Now (Location: ELE-ARTDWN)
$7.50 (1 in stock)
Dream Dancer
by Jill Newsome & Claudio Muñoz
from HarperCollins
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Drum Dream Girl
by Margarita Engle, illustrated by Rafael Lopez
from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Ed Emberley's Big Red Drawing Book
by Edward R Emberley, Rebecca Emberley
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Drawing for Beginners (Location: ELE-ARTDRAW)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Ed Emberley's Drawing Book of Faces
by Ed Emberley
1st edition from Little, Brown & Company
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Drawing for Beginners (Location: ELE-ARTDRAW)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Ed Emberley's Fingerprint Drawing Book
by Ed Emberley
from Little, Brown & Company
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Drawing for Beginners (Location: ELE-ARTDRAW)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Etcher's Studio
by Arthur Geisert
from Houghton Mifflin
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Eye for Color
by Natasha Wing, Art by Julia Breckenreid
from Henry Holt and Company
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Famous Children: Haydn
by Ann Rachlin
from Barron's
for 1st-3rd grade
in Music History (Location: ELE-MUSHIS)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Famous Children: Mozart
by Ann Rachlin
from Barron's
for 1st-3rd grade
in Music History (Location: ELE-MUSHIS)
$4.50 (2 in stock)
Famous Children: Picasso
by Tony Hart, illustrated by Susan Hellard
from Barron's
for 1st-3rd grade
in Artists & Illustrators (Location: ELE-ARTISTS)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Feed My Sheep - 7 DVD Set
by Barry Stebbing
from How Great Thou Art
for 1st-6th grade
in How Great Thou Art (Location: ELE-ARTHGTA)
$45.00 (2 in stock)
Fundamentals of Beginning Drawing - DVD
from How Great Thou Art
for 1st-6th grade
in How Great Thou Art (Location: ELE-ARTHGTA)
$20.00 (1 in stock)
Girl with a Watering Can
by Ewa Zadrzynska, illustrated by Arnold Skolnick
from Chameleon Books, Inc.
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Art History & Appreciation (Location: ELE-ARTHIS)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
God & the History of Art - Books Only
from How Great Thou Art
for 1st-5th grade
in How Great Thou Art (Location: ELE-ARTHGTA)
$30.00 (1 in stock)
Gonna Sing My Head Off
by Kathleen Krull
from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
in Music Education & Reference (Location: ELE-MUSREF)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Gonna Sing My Head Off
by Kathleen Krull, illustrated by Allen Garns
First Printing from Scholastic Reference
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
in Music Education & Reference (Location: ELE-MUSREF)
$4.00 (1 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)
HomeArtStudio First Grade
by Lindsey Volin
from Burning Oak Studios
for 1st grade
in Art & Drawing Reference (Location: ELE-ARTREF)
$20.00 (1 in stock)
Horn for Louis
Stepping Stones
by Eric A. Kimmel
from Penguin Random House
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Hot Peas & Barley-O - Book & CD
by Susan Brumfield
from Hal Leonard Corp
for 1st-6th grade
in Europe (Location: HISMC-EUR)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
How to Draw People
by Barbara Soloff Levy
from Dover Publications
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Drawing for Beginners (Location: ELE-ARTDRAW)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
I Can Do All Things
by Barry Stebbing
Revised from How Great Thou Art
for Kindergarten-5th grade
in How Great Thou Art (Location: ELE-ARTHGTA)
$20.00 (1 in stock)
I Spy a Freight Train: Transportation in Art
by Lucy Micklethwait
from Greenwillow Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Art History & Appreciation (Location: ELE-ARTHIS)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Jazz on a Saturday Night
by Leo & Diane Dillon
from Blue Sky press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Joke's on George
by Michael O. Tunnell; illustrated by Kathy Osborn
from Tambourine Books
for Preschool-4th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Kids' Multicultural Art Book
by Alexandra M. Terzian
from Williamson Publishing Company
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Art & Drawing Reference (Location: ELE-ARTREF)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Lamb's Book of Art II
by Barry Stebbing
from How Great Thou Art
for 1st-5th grade
in How Great Thou Art (Location: ELE-ARTHGTA)
$14.95 $10.00 (1 in stock)
Learn to Draw: Cars & Trucks
by Jeff Shelly
from Walter Foster
for 1st-6th grade
in Drawing for Beginners (Location: ELE-ARTDRAW)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Let's Look Inside a Tepee
by Betsy Warren
from RanchGate
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Native Americans (Location: HISA-19NAT)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Life and Work of Auguste Rodin
by Richard Tames
from Heinemann Library
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Life and Work of Frederic Remington
by Ernestine Giesecke
from Heinemann Library
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Life and Work of Henry Moore
by Sean Connolly
from Heinemann Library
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Linnea in Monet's Garden
by Christina Bjork & Lena Anderson
from R&S Books
Biography for Preschool- 3rd Grade
in Art History & Appreciation (Location: ELE-ARTHIS)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Masterpiece of the Month
by Jennifer Thomas
from Teacher Created Materials, Inc.
for 1st-3rd grade
in Art History & Appreciation (Location: ELE-ARTHIS)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Memoria Press First Grade Art Cards
from Memoria Press
for 1st grade
in Art History & Appreciation (Location: ELE-ARTHIS)
$11.50 $7.00 (1 in stock)
More Than Meets the Eye
by Bob Raczka
from Millbrook Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Art History & Appreciation (Location: ELE-ARTHIS)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Music & Moments with the Masters - Comprehensive Study Guide
by David & Shirley Quine
from Cornerstone Curriculum
for Preschool-Adult
in Music Appreciation (Location: ELE-MUSAP)
$15.00 (1 in stock)
Music Appreciation 1 - Lapbook Disc
from Zeezok Publishing
for Kindergarten-6th grade
in Music Appreciation (Location: ELE-MUSAP)
$18.00 (1 in stock)
Music Enrichment
First Edition from Memoria Press
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Music Education & Reference (Location: ELE-MUSREF)
$8.50 (1 in stock)
Music Makers: Clarinets
by Pamela K. Harris
from Child's World
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Music Appreciation (Location: ELE-MUSAP)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Music Makers: Drums
by Pamela K. Harris
from Child's World
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Music Appreciation (Location: ELE-MUSAP)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Music Makers: Pianos
by Pamela K. Harris
from Child's World
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Music Appreciation (Location: ELE-MUSAP)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Musical Instruments
Scholastic: Voyages of Discovery #4
by Scholastic Books and Gallimard Jeunesse
from Scholastic Inc.
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
in Music Appreciation (Location: ELE-MUSAP)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
My First Book About Weather Coloring Book
by Donald M. Silver & Patricia J. Wynne
from Dover Publications
for 1st-4th grade
in Nature / Geography Coloring Books (Location: COL-NAT)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
My Name is Georgia
from Harcourt, Brace & Company
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Nanook of the North
by Robert Flaherty, edited from the film by Robert Kraus
First Printing from Windmill Books
for Kindergarten-Adult
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
$24.00 (1 in stock)
Open House
by Steve Noon
from DK Publishing
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Architecture and Sculpture (Location: ELE-ARC)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Petrouchka: The Story of the Ballet
by Vivian Werner (reteller), illustrated by John Collier
from Viking Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Real Nice Clambake
by Rogers & Hammerstein, illustrated by Nadine Bernard Westcott
from Joy Street Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Renaissance - Coloring Book
from Bellerophon Books
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Renaissance & Reformation (Location: HISW-REN)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Sally Go Round the Sun
by Edith Fowke, illustrated by Carlos Marchiori, musical arrangements by Keith MacMillan
from Doubleday & Company
Children's Songs for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Vintage Nonfiction (Location: VIN-NFIC)
$10.00 (1 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)
Secret World of Walter Anderson
by Hester Bass, illustrated by E. B. Lewis
from Candlewick Press
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Shakespeare Coloring Book
by Bellerophon Books
from Bellerophon Books
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Renaissance & Reformation (Location: HISW-REN)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
Singing for Young Beginners with CD
by Peter Gelling
from Koala Music Publications
for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Musical Instrument Instruction (Location: ELE-MUS)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Singing Together
by Lilla Belle Pitts, Mabelle Glenn, Lorrain E. Watters
from Ginn and Co.
for 1st-5th grade
in Vintage Readers & Textbooks (Location: VIN-READ)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Songs of Many Lands
by Mabelle Glenn, Helen S. Leavitt, Victor L.F. Rebmann, Earl L. Baker, C. Valentine Kirby (art editor)
from Ginn and Co.
for 1st-5th grade
in Vintage Nonfiction (Location: VIN-NFIC)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Songs to Grow On
by Beatrice Landeck, piano arrangements by Florence White, illustrated by David Stone Martin
from Edward B. Marks Music Corporation
for Kindergarten-6th grade
in Vintage Readers & Textbooks (Location: VIN-READ)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Songs We Enjoy 1 - CD
3rd edition from A Beka Books
in A Beka Music (Location: MUS-ABK)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Songs We Enjoy 1 - Songbook
from A Beka Books
for 1st grade
in A Beka Music (Location: MUS-ABK)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Sorcerer's Apprentice
by Lisl Weil, based on music by Paul Dukas, piano transcriptions by David Shapiro
from Little, Brown & Company
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$6.00 (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)
Stephen Foster
Lives and Times
by Peggy Pancella
from Heinemann Library
for 1st-4th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Stephen Foster - Study Guide
by Judy Wilcox
from Zeezok Publishing
for 1st-6th grade
in Opal Wheeler Great Musicians Series (Location: BIO-OPAL)
$2.50 (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)
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