Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Review ~ Notgrass Draw To Learn


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Art and Drawing sometimes gets pushed to the wayside when our school days get busy. The Notgrass Company has created a unique way to combine art along with Bible study called the Draw To Learn series. It was designed to be used with children in K-8th grade can be used with all ages, including adults. I have come to enjoy using it right along with them.

The Draw To Learn series includes 5 different books with 150 lessons each. Each lesson includes READING a Bible passage, THINKING about what you have learned, and DRAWING what you have read. They are available as physical books for $14.95 each or as ebooks to download for $9.95 each. If you use the ebooks you have permission to make as many copies as needed for your own family's use. You may not make copies from the physical book. I prefer the ebooks because I have 4 homeschooling children at home and I can print as needed for them.

Our package included ebook versions of....
Draw To Learn Acts
Draw To Learn Psalms
Draw To Learn The Letters of Paul
Draw To Learn The Life of Jesus
Draw To Learn Proverbs
We also received Learn To Draw Proverbs as a physical book.

You can view samples of each book from it's respective page linked above.

Downloading the ebooks was quick and easy. Printing is all black and white so not much ink is used. The physical book is spiral bound for easy use and its well made and sturdy. This book makes a treasure of a keepsake!

How did we use Draw To Learn?
We used these pages a few times a week, sometimes more than one per day because it is summertime and our workload is much less. The kids and I enjoyed it so much, we found it very soothing and relaxing to just slow down and draw together. I let the kids take turns picking a page they thought would be interesting to draw or had a verse that they love. I would print one for each person and read them the verses and the instructions for what to draw at the bottom of the page.

I found it so interesting to see how different each child's drawing could be, how each interpreted what they would draw differently than another. I was also impressed by how much detail and color they used when not rushed to finish. I let them take their time and really put thought into their artwork. My little ones would finish much faster as their attention span is much shorter, but my 10 year old especially loves Draw To Learn and he really gets creative. He is always ready to start the day with one of these pages.

Using Draw To Learn is a great way to have a non stressful start to the school day. It also makes a great calming activity just before bedtime. Just be prepared for your child to delay bedtime by drawing longer than usual if you use it this way.

I have noticed that the kids remember many of the biblical concepts they are drawing  much better because the meaning is cemented in their minds as they draw. For instance,  from The Book Of Psalms we read Psalm 91 and then drew a protective wing to illustrate God's protection over us. One night during a thunderstorm my 4 year old was afraid. I told her it was OK because God is protecting us from harm, her eyes lit up as she remembered that God's protection is like a wing over us. She remembered drawing it and we read the passage again. She watched that thunderstorm from the window after that with a big smile on her face. It opened the door for a discussion about God's amazing power and strength with all the kids as we watched the lightning and heard the thunder. Here is my 4 year old daughter, Star's picture....
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My other children insisted I share one of their pictures too....

7 year old Skye....
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8 year old River....
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10 year old Braeden....
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Ill share one I drew as well....
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I cant say enough good things about these books! I highly recommend them for anyone who wants to get more art in their day!
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The Notgrass Company has many other wonderful resources on their website, including the America The Beautiful history curriculum, which was also reviewed by members of the Schoolhouse Review Crew. Click the banner below to read more reviews!


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1 comment:

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