Museums

One of my favorite aspects of homeschooling is the flexibility it affords us. I love working hard on the days we are completing a normal class schedule and then taking a day off to hit up a museum or some other field trip. We recently made a little trip over to Crystal Bridges Museum in Bentonville Arkansas and had a complete blast.

The hiking trails around the museum are amazing and the museum itself is absolutely incredible. Our favorite exhibit was the “100 Unknown Artists”. This particular exhibit showcases the works of artists who are not well known and all of them are from the United States. It was fun to see all the “out of the box” thinking that comes with artistic freedom. My personal favorite was the pigeon knitwear. I have recently taken up knitting and crocheting and neither of these things is particularly easy for me. But the intricate costumes this designer created for pigeons were off the charts amazing. I can only assume this person has patience that goes beyond most humans, because these things were detailed beyond belief. I would pay good money to witness a NYC fashion week “pigeon walk” of these designs.

My kids were totally amazed at some of the work shown in this museum. We have a small pottery wheel in our home, and my kids have truly tried to master the art of throwing a pot. Their work is displayed in our home, and they regularly complain about my pride in their original pieces. I guess none of them want to showcase their masterpieces, but I insist. The pottery and ceramic works this museum contains are beyond anything my children had ever seen before. It is one thing to read about art in a book, but it is a whole different animal when you actually have the opportunity to see the piece with your own eyes.