Make Beliefs Comix – Create your own comix “in English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese or Latin!”
Fine Arts
How to read a painting – A suggested process for teaching students to appreciate art.
Buckle Inc. – Use your number keys to play drums online.
ToonDoo – Create, publish & share your own comic strips.
Pandora Radio – Find & listen to music you love and new-to-you music, plus artist/composer bios and more. When we’re studying a particular composer, for example, I simply type in that composer’s name and let the music play quietly in the background as we do other schoolwork. We can read his bio too. Very handy.
OperaGlass – Get familiar with four classic operas, “each related to a different important period of opera: Rossini’s The Barber of Seville (1816); Verdi’s La Traviata (1853); Bizet’s Carmen (1875); and Puccini’s Madama Butterfly (1904).”
Learn to Dance Steps – Diagrammed Latin and ballroom dance steps.
History of Dance – History of several types of dance.
Free Dance Videos, Clips and Movies – Instructional dance videos, clips and examples from movies. Please be sure to preview videos before showing them to children.
Guitar Lesson World – Online guitar lessons.
Blank Sheet Music – Customizable & printable sheet music and staff paper. Be sure to browse their Staff Paper Directory as well for pre-made printables.
PianoNanny.com – Piano lessons with audio.
Piano Lessons Online – Email required.
Classical Magic – A suggested schedule for studying 128 classical music pieces over a 6 year period (K-5). This schedule is meant to be an accompaniment to the (purchased) Classical Magic Music Program, however, it might be helpful to the (budget-conscious) homeschooler who wants to introduce classical music to their children in a systematic way, but doesn’t know where to start. The schedule is arranged according to grade and therefore, difficulty level. Potential use of the schedule: For each piece on the schedule, a homeschooler might listen to the piece (perhaps at classicalarchives.com) and search online for the composer’s bio & information about the piece.
Classics for Kids – Online radio show featuring a new composer each month. The short radio pieces are fun to listen to and the website includes printable worksheets and bios for the composers.
The Music Rack – Printable music, staff paper, worksheets & teacher resources.
Dr. Estrella’s Incredibly Abridged Dictionary of Composers – Dictionary of (mostly classical) composers.
National Geographic Photography – Photography tips and galleries.
Bernie’s Better Beginner’s Guide to Photography – A beginner’s guide to photography for those who want to be digital artists.
A Lifetime of Color – Online games and activities to teach art concepts & artists. Various levels.
Art Attack – 6 unique and simple art projects.
School of Imagination – Basic lessons in 3-D drawing. Click on the “Lessons” tab to get the free lessons.
How to Draw a Cartoon Character – “New cartoon lessons will be posted the first of every month!”
Art Sites for Kids – Lists of art galleries showcasing works by kids (some accept submissions).
Learn to Draw and Color Cartoonys and Funny Doodles with Uncle Fred – Step-by-step instructions.
Home School Arts – Art lessons for kids using various media.
Drawspace.com – Beginning, intermediate and advanced in-depth drawing lessons
Free Art Lesson Plans – Projects, lessons and ideas to help teach art.
Smithsonian American Art Museum – Interactive art activities for various art topics.
National Geographic World Music – Listen to and learn about music from cultures from around the world.
San Francisco Symphony KIDS – Kids can learn about the orchestra, play in the music lab and more. Well-designed, fun site.
The Grand Staff – Basic music theory in 26 lessons.
The Printable Staff Paper Page – Printable staff papers and tablatures.
Art History Resources on the Web – A vast collection of art history resources organized by country, empire or time period.
Print Free Storyboards – Printable storyboards. “Storyboards allow you visualize and fine-tune key frames in your video before filming or editing.”
Art Movements – Learn about various art movements, techniques and history. This site sells art prints and posters, however, it’s worth a visit for it’s organization. It groups art into nearly 30 types or movements (for example, Abstract, Early Modern, Pointillism, etc.) and provides information and examples from each.
Famous Paintings – Art appreciation lessons for elementary students based on Famous Paintings (Pub. 1913). Each lesson highlights a painting from Volume 1 and includes information about the artist as well as various activities/resources to enhance learning. Volume 2 is here. (These are companions to these Art Appreciation lessons which I mentioned earlier.)
Creating Music – Compose music, play with musical performance, music games and puzzles.
The Mutopia Project – 1000+ pieces of downloadable & printable sheet music.
BetterPhoto Photography for Kids and Teens – How to take great photos (for kids & young adults).
Pencil Portrait Lessons – Lessons in drawing portraits with pencil.
Classical Music Navigator – How to find classical music and composers from ones you already know. Here’s how it works: Say you hear a piece of music on the radio that you like. With the composer’s name in hand, you can search this site to find other music/composers that share the same style.
The Timid Soul’s Guide to Classical Music – If you don’t know a lot about classical music or don’t understand it, check out this basic, guide written in language we can all understand. Each “chapter” introduces you to a different composer. While learning about the composer, you will learn about the various components of classical music.
Famous Paintings Art Appreciation Lessons for Kids – Art appreciation curriculum. If you’re stumped about art appreciation and how to incorporate it into your homeschool, this is a great place to start. Each lesson includes a famous painting accompanied artist information, painting information, activities and other resources. (See also Famous Paintings Volume 1 and Volume 2 for more lessons from the same site.)