Art journaling does not have to be a complicated or complex process. Introducing art journaling techniques to your homeschooling child can be as simple as bringing out some crayons; a spiral bound notebook, and some stickers. Encourage them to cover the pages with random thoughts, squiggles, and drawings until they’ve completely expressed whatever it is that’s on their mind.
If you would like a more structured approach to adding art journaling about homeschooling to your lesson plans, ask them to finish their day off with an art journal page spread covering what they’ve worked on or leaned that day.
Materials:
- Art journal
- Ultra-fine black sharpie
- Multi-colored glitter gel pens
- Multi-colored pencils
- Pencil sharpener
- Notepad
- Distress ink
- Heavy-duty glue stick
Instructions:
- Open the art journal to the first blank page spread. In random areas of the page spread, use the ultra-fine black sharpie to write out all the thoughts and lists pertaining to whatever was part of the day’s lesson plan. Include notes about projects that are being worked on, as well as other homework that is due later on.
- In the blank areas of the page spread, color them in using the color pencils. Layer on more than one color, and use a variety of pencil strokes to add interest and dimension to the spread.
- Add doodles, squiggles, decorations, and other designs to the page spread (layered over the writing, layered over the coloring, etc.) using the glitter gel pens.
- Tear out a few pages from the notepad, and rub their edges with distress ink. Write notes about what is planned for tomorrow, frustrations that may be experienced, and questions you may have about anything to do with the lesson plan. Fold them in half, and use the glue stick to layer them on to the page spread (over doodles is fine, but not over other writing).
Variations:
- Add school themed scrapbook embellishments, stickers, and die-cuts to the page spread.
- Use a school-themed stencil to create a “rub-on” background for the page using the colored pencils.
- Use the notepapers to write everything out for the first step, and then attach them to the page spread.
- Rather than using colored pencils, use chalks or watercolor paint to create the colorful areas of the page spread. (Place a piece of waxed paper behind each page in the spread before beginning to prevent the color or water from bleeding through and running the other pages in the book.)
If you are not creating a homeschooling themed art journal, consider setting up art journal prompts as part of your homeschool lesson plan. For example, come up with a theme for each day and write it in with your lesson plan. That way, rather than focusing on educational related topics 100% of the time, the student will have the ability to come up with something else a little more creative. This will also be a great way to add a creative release to the day, as well as a way to express feelings that may not be verbalized.
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