the youngest two have taken a liking to art.  all five crave music when we work, and it blesses my heart.  so we play everything from classical, to “new age guitar,” to instrumental worship music, to our beloved Mumford.  and when we’re not doing math, or logic, or latin, or geography, or writing, or grammar, or the rest, they can create to their hearts’ content.  i’m trying to get better at giving myself permission to create with them, and their love makes it easier!

 

extra-large cup of coffee or tea in-hand, kisses aplenty, and true slowing-down from the pace of running a business, home-educating, and building community, i am finding again that their developing joy is my own.

 

recently we discovered a new way our individual interests overlapped!  rembrandt is known for his awe-inspiring use of light.  “Rembrandt lighting” is studied by portrait photographers who want to be classically excellent in portraying the human face in a flattering form.  as i seek to become a better professional photographer, i have studied this style and continually look for ways to “see light” and incorporate it skillfully into my portrait work.  this week, the kids created their own “Rembrandt lighting” and drew portraits of each other.  when i’ve taught to photography students, we used a light bulb to create dramatic light.  in this case, the boys played with light streaming in from the wall of windows, coupled with a placemat they used to make shadows.

 

i’m enjoying the structure of our curriculum, and with it, the freedom to let the kids’ interests lead how they spend their “free” time in enriching their learning.

 

this post was featured at the hearts for home blog hop – head on over to see lots of sweet posts!