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Mamamoon
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| Posted: July 30 2008 at 8:19pm | IP Logged
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can someone please explain the mystery behind these? i have one book of these, as well as the explaination book, and have never got to cutting them up. why can't you just use postcards or prints from museums to teach art appreiation? am i missing something?
lisa
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PDyer
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| Posted: July 30 2008 at 8:22pm | IP Logged
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My daughter loved matching the cards when she was wee. Now the Child Size Masterpieces cards are included in our Dover postcard/art card box, and she remembers them all. 
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Patty
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CatholicMommy
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| Posted: July 31 2008 at 8:08am | IP Logged
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You can definitely use other artwork, swapped in. The idea is to set them up in a similar style as laid out in the "How to Use" book - you don't have to stick with just what they've provided... in fact, it's really nice to have a wider variety than whay they offer for sale, based on your family's interests and such.
I would recommend following it step by step, focusing on just that one step at a time, the first time through. Once you've got the hang of that, you can much more easily adapt how you see fit for your family.
I can't recall it all in proper sequence right now, but in the first stage the child simply matches the paintings - pretty basic, but gets them (and us!) going.
They eventually start looking at similar paintings by the same artist or styles; grouping by that style or artist or subject, etc.
I've found it just really gets the children focused on the details.
I HAVE had it recommended to me several times that we should really be using larger prints so that the child can even better see the details, but when looking at the cost of multiples of larger prints, it just doesn't seem realistic, budget-wise (we do have some larger prints in some sets, but definitely not everything!). In fact, I recently found a seller on Ebay who sells nothing BUT postcards - mostly older ones, but very inexpensively and grouped by some sort of subject. We just picked up a HUGE Rennaissance religious art set.
HTH
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Mamamoon
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| Posted: July 31 2008 at 9:26am | IP Logged
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hello~
that sounds good. i have a 7 year old so i have never really got into the matching part. and the book has come off so confusing with the dots & envelopes. sorry for the whinning. i will take another look at it.
lisa
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Creekside Wonder
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Sarah M
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| Posted: July 31 2008 at 10:52am | IP Logged
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I have the whole series and it took me a few days to really understand how to put it together and how it all works. I don't think it's explained very well in the explanation guide. I really like the set now that I have it put together, but it is pretty labor intensive to get it all put together, and I don't know that I would want to try to figure it all out again! I recall this being discussed on these boards a while back- I would suggest you do a search here for "child size masterpieces", and I'll bet you'll find some better explanations from the other mothers here.
You absolutely can just use postcards from art museums to teach art appreciation. The CM method, I belive, consists of posting a larger print on the wall, where the children can look at it often. Then, once a week or so, after giving the children a few moments of quiet observation with it, turn the picture over and have the children tell you about it. In the CM schools, I think they did one major artist per quarter. Another good art apprec. book for young ones (that is easier to use than Child Size Masterpieces, in my opinion) is the Come Look With Me series. We have them at our library- you might want to check yours.
HTH
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CatholicMommy
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| Posted: July 31 2008 at 12:10pm | IP Logged
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I too found the book overwhelming at first (and second, and third and then some!) - it is very curriculum-like (the other complaint from the Montessori world)... I just had to literally sit down and read and complete each individual step in preparing the folders and cutting and inserting the cards.... Then we "practice" ran it several times before I got the hang of it.
I used construction paper the first time when helping out a homeschool family, but the second time (preparing them for the Montessori school I worked at) I used colored cardstock - a bit of glue and some lamination, putting an adhesive pouch on the outside to hold the cover picture. I then repeated that process for my home. This way, I only made two folders for each Step, but I can swap the cards in and out.
I DO recommend starting with a pre-made set (as it seems you have), then you can add more from there if you like.
When we didn't have dots, I used colored markers to place the appropriate color dot on folder pocket, or I used other stickers (star-shaped, etc).
(I'm just thinking of ideas as the day goes on!)
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stefoodie
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| Posted: July 31 2008 at 1:11pm | IP Logged
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Here's and old thread that may help too -- I remembered because I'm one of the confused ones 
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stef
mom to five
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4Real Forums : The Arts in the Everyday
Topic: Child Size Materpieces? please explain~
