Art History at Starbucks

Homeschooling at home everyday can get monotonous. For me, atleast! The kids don’t really complain, but sometimes, I am the one that needs a change of scenery. So I asked Elijah if he would like to do his work at Starbucks. (I’m not a coffee drinker, but I do love to smell coffee.) I packed a bag of books and we walked over to the nearest Starbucks — just Elijah and I. It was like our “date” as mom and son, too. Elijah was looking forward to our time together.

I brought along a book that I knew would interest him. The Illustrated Timeline of Art History by Carol Strickland. It shows how art changed through the ages and highlights art and architecture from all around the world. He found it fascinating.

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After reading through the Middle Ages, I let him do a perspective drawing. He has always been very interested in architecture so 3D representations of reality appeal to him. If it is not 3D, he says it is a “little kid’s drawing.” He’s only turning 8, going on 9 in three weeks, but sometimes he acts like a very old soul.

Did he get frustrated trying to work with perspective in his drawing? Of course he did. (He’s a bit of a perfectionist.) But after a while, he was quite pleased with his effort.I was, too! He tried his best and that’s what matters to me.

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We went on to read about the Franciscans and Dominicans in his history book. By this time, we had spent a little over an hour at Starbucks. I could have stayed longer. The ambiance was cozy and I loved the free airconditioning! But Elijah said to me, “Mom, let’s go home.” When I asked him why he was eager to leave, he said, “I want to be with my brothers.” That was a great answer so we put our things together and made our way back to our condo.

Starbucks was a nice change, but it was wonderful to know that Elijah still prefers home, where his best buds are — Edan and Titus. 🙂

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