This third volume in the three-volume art curriculum set, Behold the Beauty, is designed to be used by teachers or homeschooling parents for 4th–6th grade (ages 9-11). The ultimate objective of every lesson is exactly as the title implies: to behold the beauty of creation and so to praise the Triune God. As students learn to more closely observe creation while rendering what they see in pencil, paint or other artistic media, they will be trained to meet that objective. In serving that goal, the lessons teach how to use the elements of art, such as line, shape and colour, while introducing the principles of design, such as unity, variety and focal point. Not only do students learn to behold the evidence of God’s glory all around them by these means, they also learn to make objects of beauty in order to communicate that glory to others. The curriculum is based on the infallible Scriptures, and the twelve lessons of each grade level comprise a thorough, biblical and systematic art education.
Behold the Beauty was also written with practical considerations in mind: to assist instructors who have had little or no training in art. The lessons are clear and easy to use, requiring minimal supplies without compromising objectives.
The author, Connie Meyer, is a wife and mother of five children and is a 1982 graduate of Calvin College with a BA in art education. She has used the lessons with her children and has helped teachers teach art in their classrooms.
