HiGASFY Art History Video Series Review

I love art, and I want our kids to appreciate all art forms.  But sometimes art can just be boring....until we had a chance to review the HiGASFY Art History Video Series from HiGASFY Art History Video Series.

HiGASFY Art History Video Series offers four different art periods that include 16 weeks of art history study for grades 1 - 8.  Each lesson consists of a video featuring Mrs. Beth.  Mrs. Beth along with her buddy Gasfy, will open your children's eyes to different artistic time periods and various artists.  Each video based lesson is roughly 20 minutes long, and also includes various cross curriculum activities including writing, history, geography, and even science ideas.  At the end of each time period study, there are review games that help students to reinforce what they have learned.

Art periods covered include:

• Renaissance Series - daVinci, Raphael, Michelangelo
• Baroque Series - Caravaggio, Rembrandt, Vermeer
• Impressionist Series - Monet, Pissarro, Degas
• Post-Impressionist Series - van Gogh, Matisse, Picasso

We were given a 3 month online subscription which gave us access to the above mentioned art time periods. The girls chose to explore the Post-Impressionist period.  Along with Mrs. Beth and Gasfy, we were able to listen to "Have I Got A Story For You".  The length of the lessons were perfect for short attention spans.  Instead of trying to read a book that would not keep the girls attention, we were able to watch Mrs. Beth tell us the story of the like of of van Gogh, Picasso, and Matisse.  

The girls found the videos to be very enjoyable and they kept their attention span for the short 20-30 minute time frames.  Mrs. Beth and Gasfy interacted with each other, which Caty though was adorable.  And I really enjoyed how she not only talked about the art created by these famous artists, but also really had the students look at the art pieces.  She drew their attention to notice details that add to their meanings.  The girls did not even realize this until after they were already answering and following the details with Mrs. Beth.

Gasfy was definitely a favorite in all the videos.  You never knew what he was going to ask next.  I really liked this touch to the video.  It was cartoon like, but not too much to make the girls feel like they were watching a cartoon and decide they were too old for the study.  

We mainly used the art videos.  The four time periods studied could be easily spread over any amount of time that you would like.  If you want to push through quickly, or slow it down and spend a month on each artist, it's totally up to you.  

Along with your subscription to the digital content, you can also access lesson plans that will guide you through your art history studies.  The Post-Impressionist study is broken down into 16 lessons.  Each lesson corresponds with a video and some type of hands-on activity that ranges from art projects, practicing research skills, visiting art at a library, or even critical language art skills such as writing.  Mrs. Beth done a wonderful job really incorporating multiple subject areas into this art study.  Students are not just staring at art on a wall at a museum.  They are exploring the countries where the artist is from or where the art is created.  They are studying the history of famous landmarks such as the Louvre.  Learning new vocabulary.  Science projects, such as growing and learning about potatoes while studying Van Gogh.  

Each lesson has suggested objectives.  All of the hard work is done for you as regards planning.  HiGASFY Art History Video series really is an all-inclusive curriculum study for parents.  Parents can simply make sure they have a few supplies, mostly things you already have on hand.  And prepare to start exploring art history with their children.

Also included in the subscription are Artist flashcards.

These can be easily printed and used with your children as review for the materials they are learning about.  You can also print the works of art they have been learning about in the online videos and they can really look at closely.

There is also a Name that Artist review using pictures of the artwork for student's to reinforce what they are learning.

HiGASFY Art History Video Series was written for students in grades 1 - 8.  Which is a great suggested range.  Both girls are at middle school levels, so I was nervous how they would react.  But we all learned so much from the art videos that we watched.  It was not just facts about the artist themselves, but we really had the opportunity to see and have details pointed out to us in specific pieces of art.  They actually wanted to sit through more than one video at a time. 

I have found our learning adventures with the HiGASFY Art History Video Series to be very enjoyable, and the girls are really enjoying it too.  I love the ease of use, which makes my life and lesson planning so much easier.  If you are looking to change up your days for a few months, check out the HiGASFY Art History Video Series!!

Several members of the Homeschool Review Crew were given the opportunity to review the HiGASFY Art History Video Series.  Click on the link below to see how they enjoyed Mrs. Beth and Gasfy.