Frequently Asked Questions
Our goal is to give you confidence and to help you love teaching art, so you can give your children all the benefits of art and creativity in their education.
If you find one of our policies is not serving that end, please start a conversation with us by emailing us at Admin@RidgeLightRanch.com.
Are these art lesson plans classical?
Yes. These art lesson plans are designed for the grammar level of art. They focus on learning about people, art terms and basic techniques. They include references to help you, the teacher, integrate them with other subjects as often as possible. Learn more by listening to the podcast #23: Art and the Classical Model of Education
What ages are your lesson plans written for?
The lesson plans are designed for 4-12 year olds, although I think older students and adults would enjoy them too. This is possible because every lesson plan includes options for scaling it up and down to fit the skill level and passion of your students, because it’s not all about age.
Our CC community had the full 4-12 year old age range last year and it looks like we will again this year. Last year I gave my lesson plans to my tutors and then encouraged them to do what would work for their class. Often they chose to have two levels available and let each student choose. They’d say something like: “You get to choose if you want to start with a pre-drawn picture and focus on painting or draw your own picture to paint!” It seemed to work great with the 4 year olds and the 12 years.
Are these art lesson plans “stick-in-the-sand” simple?
Yes, although I’ve found stick-in-the-sand means different things to different people.
In her 2012 Writer’s Circle article, “Stick in the Sand: The Place of Technology in Community,” Leigh Bortins uses it to mean that we don’t need expensive technology to teach our children. In the CC community it has also evolved to mean that education does not need to be complicated, so look for ways to make homeschooling simple and doable.
If you have the existing knowledge of art or you have the time and the passion to teach yourself about art, I’m confident that you are fully capable to teach art without formal lesson plans. In that case it may feel simpler to you to do it yourself and not mess with lesson plans. If, however, you don’t already have knowledge about art or don’t have both the time and the passion to teach yourself the grammar (fundamentals) of art, then my lesson plans are a great way to simplify the process of teaching art. You can use my lesson plans to learn along side your students, with minimal preparation on your part.
Why don’t you use "Discovering Great Artists" by Kohl and Solga?
I don’t have anything against the book, Discovering Great Artists. If you’re look for a book of fun crafts, it’s great. However, it doesn’t seem to use the classical model of education and it doesn’t feel like an art curriculum. Don’t get me wrong, I love crafts and I have enjoyed doing some of the crafts in that book! However, I want more for the short thirty-minute time slot we have for art in our CC community. I want to use what I know about the classical model to give our students a strong foundation in drawing and painting. I want them to learn interesting information about the world’s great artists integrated with other subjects, I want to introduce them to the major movements in art history, learn some basic art vocabulary, be aware of the 7 Elements of Art and the Principles of Design, and work on projects that reinforce these concepts. I’m so glad CC gives directors a lot of flexibility in this area so we can make the most of our fine arts time.
In What Ways May I Use This File?
Check out our page of legal stuff for our terms and conditions and contact us with any questions.
What's your Return policy?
Education can be stressful- picking curriculum doesn’t have to be! We encourage you to try our lesson plans out. If they don’t work out for your students, let us know. Everything at Ridge Light Ranch, is backed by our 100% Satisfaction Guarantee.
Will this Microsoft Word file work on my Mac?
I really don’t know. Some customers have told me they have no problem converting the file, while others have told me it doesn’t work at all. Since Microsoft Word won’t always look the same on a Mac, I convert and sell all my Art Lesson plan files as PDFs. (You’ll need a PDF reader to view and print them. Download a free PDF Reader here: https://get.adobe.com/reader/.)
I sell a few files in Word format so they can be fully editable. For these files, I suggest you be patient and experiment. I own both a PC and a Mac and find that files do NOT generally convert well. The reason I create many of my files for the PC is that I find there aren’t as many creative solutions available for the PC world. (There are many business solutions, but not as many creative fun files available.) I am slowly starting to create Mac compatible versions of many of my files. So, if you love a file of mine and would like to see it in another format, please let me know and I’ll see what I can do! 🙂
As always, you are welcome to try and see. Everything we sell at Ridge Light Ranch is backed by our 100% Satisfaction Guarantee.
Whats a PDF?
A PDF is a sort of universal file type. I create my Art Lesson plans in Microsoft Word on a Mac and then convert them to PDF, so anyone can use them. You’ll need a PDF reader to view and print them. You can download a free PDF Reader here: https://get.adobe.com/reader/.
If you’re having any trouble with a PDF file, first make sure you have an up to date PDF Reader: https://get.adobe.com/reader/.
What's a Podcast?
Podcasts are an easy way to learn new things, be entertained, or catch up on the news. Many people like to think of them as “Talk Radio, On Demand.” Since they are typically audio only, you can listen while you drive, vacuum, chop veggies, or any number of things.
I encourage you to listen to the Anyone Can Teach Art podcast and then branch out and find more podcasts that match your interests!
You can find a short tutorial on how to listen to a podcast here.
What Do You Do With My Personal Information?
We promise to keep your private information safe! We’ll never sell it to third parties. Check out our Privacy Policy and contact us with any questions.