We had the super-lucky privilege of being able to review a Meet the Masters (MTM) art unit for Henry’s kindergarten class. MTM is an art curriculum suited for grades K-8 which explores the life history and artistic style of 35 master artists. The curriculum includes a power point presentation about the artist’s life and work and an art project done in the style of the artist. We got to learn about Van Gogh.
My first impression, upon unpacking the (big!) MTM box that arrived in the mail, was how thorough and inclusive the materials provided were. It was like Christmas morning, pulling out an art smock, palette, brush, wide-brim hat & candles (Van Gogh fancied painting at night) — all the props we’d need to turn a classroom volunteer (me!) into a believable Van Gogh. In addition, there were 36 packs of oil pastels for the children to use for their art projects and a comprehensive curriculum for the teacher to use for the educational portion of the unit – slides and script and a thorough written lesson plan that detailed each step and every objective of the process. It was “just add water” in its simplicity. So right from the beginning I was impressed with the forethought and organization of the MTM program and how do-able it would seem to a teacher or parent. I was also impressed by the fact that in the curriculum we received they offered several adaptations of the material to make it suitable for whatever age group you would be presenting to.
Read the entire review here.