Arts education is often the first program cut in schools when funding becomes an issue. The so-called academic core takes precedence because educators and parents worry that students are not getting enough time for reading, writing, math and social studies activities. In cutting arts from the curriculum, schools are unwittingly cutting out opportunities for students to exercise the very skills in problem solving, critical thinking, sequencing, and historical inquiry we all want to encourage. Particularly in a society that is so concerned with tests and test scores, it is surprising that little attention is being paid to the fact that arts education has been shown to improve test scores.
Many of us bring our children home because things like arts education and computer access are limited in public schools, or because we have artistically inclined children whose intelligence is not recognized and whose creativity is stifled in a traditional classroom. Many more parents seek to supplement what their kids are getting in school because they feel it is just not enough. Here are some free and affordable arts education resources that will help parents and teachers to bring the art back into education.
1) Ambleside Online has an ongoing composer and artist study for students of all ages. The program is set up so that artists and composers studied concurrently are from the same historical trend. Several works per artists are suggested, and some biographical background is provided. Study the works in the manner of Charlotte Mason (just playing a composition or posting a copy of a painting where the children will view it on a regular basis throughout the day) or find an approach that suits your family.
2) 
In the Hands of a Child has an Art Appreciation Project Book to make over several days. It teaches vocabulary and discusses things like colour, shape, balance, etc. in art. It also introduces a handful of well known artists. At the moment it is available for download free from CurrClick.
3) In the Montreal area we are blessed with a very large number of museums, some of which regularly offer free activities.
- The Montreal Fine Arts Museum (Musée des Beaux Arts) offers free access to the permanent collection at all times, and kids under 12 also benefit from free admission to the exhibitions when accompanied by an adult family member. (Admission for adults from 17:00-20:30 on Wednesdays is half price, too!) Check out their Family Sundays activities as well, also free. Many of the films and lectures offered by the museum are similarly free of charge.
- The Canadian Centre for Architecture is presently offering (until 11 May 2008) free admission. Besides the opportunity to learn about architecture, you might want to look in on An Endangered Species which looks at the role of oil in daily life.
- Montreal’s Musée d’Art Contemporain (contemporary art) is free on Wednesday evenings from 18:00-21:00, and admission is always free for kids under 12. There’s also a new $10 “Wired to the MAC” card that seems to be offering free admission all year round. Films are offered during regular visiting hours, and once a month musical performances on Friday evenings are included in admission prices. School visits are a very affordable price ($3-$4.50/student) depending on the type of activity chosen. There are some workshops at the MAC too.
- The Château Ramezay is always free for children under 5, but prices are very good for students of all ages (under $5.) Access to the garden is always free. Watch for a number of cultural activities in the garden, including musical performances and demonstrations of spinning, weaving or dyeing natural fibres.
- Montreal’s archaeological museum, Pointe-à-Callière, is free to children under 5. They also offered free admission for women and girls on International Women’s Day. At one point in time they offered free admission one day a week for kids accompanied by a grandparent. I don’t know if this is still happening, but couldn’t find any mention of it on the site.
- The McCord Museum offers free admission to children under 5, and up to 12 years the admission is $4. There are special children’s activities offered on a regular basis, including a free hands-on workshop for babies once a month. For day camps and other groups meeting over the summer, the McCord has three activities especially for your group. Children pay $5.50 each, while organizers and chaperones benefit from free admission.
- The Biosphere in the old American pavilion of Expo67 is now free of charge for children under 18. Outdoor activities are free for everybody. Come and learn about water! Themes for activities include conservation and the Saint Lawrence Valley ecosystem, among others.
- McGill’s Redpath Museum is always free of charge, for everyone. While it is thought of more as a nature museum, there are displays that touch on art, culture and anthropology. Among others are the Egyptian mummy, the exhibit explaining foot binding in China, and the Samurai armour display. As the Redpath is a rather open, quiet place it’s also ideal for doing nature study during bad weather or for folks who want a look at animals they can’t locate near home. The Redpath also offers films and lectures, many of which are free of charge.
For even more savings at Montreal area museums, you can purchase the Montreal Museums Pass which offers free access to 32 museums (with or without a 3-day transit pass) for under $50. There is also Montreal Museums Day, the last Sunday of May each year – 25 May in 2008. On this day admission to all participating museums is free from 9:00-18:00. Be prepared for lines at some museums, though! (NB: This year the Botanical Gardens & Insectarium are not participating.)
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Tags: art & architecture, art appreciation, art theory, Arts Education, culture, Home Education, home-base education, home-schooling, homelearners, homeschooling, painting, visual arts
