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What is How Great Thou ART?
How Great Thou ART is a Christian homeschool art curriculum created by artist and teacher Barry Stebbing. It teaches drawing, painting, color theory and art fundamentals through step-by-step lessons, with materials organized by age group — preschool (3–5), elementary (6–11), middle school (11–13), and high school through adult. The approach is explicitly faith-based, pairing art instruction with a Christian perspective and Scripture.
The program is designed to be easy for non-artist parents to teach, with DVD instruction available alongside printed lessons. One example from the site is Beginning Drawing with Wally the Worm, a follow-along drawing course for young students that parents can join. The curriculum also includes themed titles for younger children, such as a preschool book covering lettering, early writing, Bible stories and games, and a social-graces course that combines etiquette lessons with simple art.
Who it suits
- Homeschool families wanting one art provider across multiple ages
- Christian schools and Sunday school programs
- Parents with little art background who want guided, follow-along lessons
- Families who prefer a traditional, fundamentals-first sequence ("precept upon precept, line upon line") rather than open-ended experimentation
Trade-offs to weigh
- The Christian framing is central, not incidental — a good fit for families seeking it, less so for those wanting a neutral or secular art program.
- A structured, fundamentals-based sequence gives clear direction but leaves less room for child-led, messy, exploratory art.
- DVD-based instruction means screen time and a player; families wanting purely hands-on or book-only teaching should check whether print alternatives exist for each course.
Next step: match the curriculum level to your child's age band, then decide between the DVD courses and the printed books based on how much you want to teach directly versus letting the video lead. The site's recommended art materials list is worth checking before you buy, since lessons assume specific supplies. You can browse the full range at How Great Thou ART; for independent reviews of homeschool art options, Cathy Duffy Reviews is a useful comparison source.
How does How Great Thou ART compare to other homeschool art curricula?
How Great Thou ART is a distinctly Christian, parent-friendly art curriculum that leans on direct instruction rather than open-ended exploration. Its closest comparisons are other faith-based or DVD-led programs, not secular studio-style curricula.
Where it fits
- Teaching model: Step-by-step lessons, with DVD instruction for drawing and painting. The site describes lessons as easy to follow and designed so parents can learn alongside their children. This suits parents who don't consider themselves artistic.
- Age range: It spans preschool (3–5) through high school and adult, with separate tracks by age band, plus themed books for younger children.
- Worldview: Explicitly Christian, including Bible stories and scripture integrated into lessons.
- Cost structure: Positioned as inexpensive, with some titles discounted. Pricing signals on the page are limited, so check current prices directly.
How it compares
| Dimension | How Great Thou ART | Secular, technique-first programs | Unit-study or literature-based art |
|---|---|---|---|
| Instruction style | Scripted, step-by-step, often on DVD | Often open-ended or process-focused | Tied to a book or time period |
| Faith content | Integrated | None | Varies |
| Parent skill needed | Low | Moderate to high | Moderate |
| Best for | Families wanting structure and a Christian lens | Families wanting creative freedom | Families already using unit studies |
Practical trade-offs
The structured, follow-along format is a strength for consistency and for parents short on time or confidence. The trade-off is less room for independent experimentation; a child who wants to invent their own subjects may find it constraining. The Christian content is a benefit for families seeking it and a mismatch for those who don't.
Next step
Decide based on your two priorities: how much parent involvement you can give, and whether you want faith integrated. If you want structure plus a Christian perspective, start with the age-appropriate track for your child. If you want open-ended creativity, compare against a secular studio program first. Browse the curriculum by age band and review a sample lesson before committing.
Which How Great Thou ART curriculum level is right for my child's age?
How Great Thou ART organizes its curriculum by broad age bands rather than grades, and the page lists four: Preschool (ages 3–5), Elementary (6–11), Middle School (11–13), and High School (13–Adult). The overlap at ages 11 and 13 is deliberate—it lets you place a child by skill and maturity rather than by birthday alone.
Matching the bands to your child
- Ages 3–5: The preschool materials are activity-based rather than coloring-book style. The page describes lettering, beginning writing, cut-and-paste, simple addition and subtraction, Bible stories, games, and ABCs across 100-plus pages. Choose this if your child is still building pencil control and you want art folded into early academics.
- Ages 6–11: This is the widest band and the core of the drawing-and-fundamentals instruction. The page emphasizes "precept upon precept, line upon line" teaching, meaning lessons build sequentially. A 6-year-old and a 10-year-old can use the same level if the younger one is patient with step-by-step work; otherwise start at the younger edge.
- Ages 11–13: Middle school materials assume more independence and longer attention spans. If your 11-year-old already draws confidently, this band is a reasonable skip ahead; if not, stay in Elementary for another year.
- Ages 13–Adult: High school and adult learners share a level, which is useful for parents who want to learn alongside their teens rather than supervise from the sidelines.
A practical way to decide
Pick the band, then test one lesson. Have your child complete a single drawing exercise from that level. If they finish with reasonable effort and want more, the placement is right. If they are frustrated or bored, move one band in the corresponding direction.
For families teaching multiple children, the DVD instruction is the more efficient purchase: the page notes step-by-step lessons, fundamentals, and color theory, with six hours of lessons per course, produced in the studios of the American Family Association. One disc can serve several ages at once, which is often cheaper than buying separate workbooks per child. The page also mentions a free broadcast option—Beginning Drawing & Painting with Mr. Stebbing on NRBTV, Saturdays at 10:00 am—useful for previewing his teaching style before committing.
If you want to compare this approach with other art programs before buying, Cathy Duffy Reviews is worth checking, since the page cites Cathy Duffy Top Picks recognition. For general homeschool planning around ages and stages, HSLDA covers legal and structural questions rather than curriculum specifics.
What art supplies do I need for How Great Thou ART lessons?
How Great Thou ART does not publish a single master supply list on its homepage. Instead, it points families to a "Recommended Art Materials" page, and several of its courses explicitly say to "inquire about our recommended materials" for that specific book. That means the right shopping list depends on which course and medium you are starting with.
What the site itself indicates
- The site directs visitors to a Recommended Art Materials page rather than listing supplies in the main product descriptions.
- The DVD instruction is described as step-by-step and covering fundamentals and color theory, with painting lessons included. Lessons that teach color theory and painting generally require paint and brushes, while drawing lessons require drawing tools.
- "Beginning Drawing with Wally the Worm" is presented as a follow-along drawing course where students use paper and pencil. That is the clearest supply signal on the page: for that course, basic drawing paper and pencils are the starting point.
- Preschool and early-elementary titles such as Classics for the Little Ones are described as including lettering, beginning writing, cut and paste, and simple art lessons. Cut-and-paste and writing activities imply scissors, glue, and writing tools in addition to drawing supplies.
A practical starting kit
If you are beginning with drawing and want to be ready for most lessons, a sensible baseline is:
- Drawing paper or a sketch pad (a general-purpose weight is fine to start)
- Graphite pencils in a couple of hardnesses, plus an eraser and a sharpener
- Colored pencils for color work
- Scissors and glue sticks for the younger, cut-and-paste style courses
- A folder or portfolio to keep finished work
Add paint, brushes, and a palette only when you reach the painting lessons or choose a painting-focused DVD course. Buying paint before you know which medium the course teaches is the most common way to waste money here.
Best next step
Open the Recommended Art Materials page linked from the site before ordering any curriculum, then match the list to the specific course and age level you are buying. If a product page says to inquire about recommended materials, treat that as a signal that the book expects a particular medium, and ask before substituting what you already own.
A concrete scenario
Suppose you have a 7-year-old and a 12-year-old. You might start the younger child with a cut-and-paste and simple drawing title, which needs paper, pencils, scissors, and glue. The older child could begin with the Wally the Worm drawing course using just paper and pencil, then move into a DVD course once painting supplies become relevant. Buying one set of shared basic drawing supplies covers both at the start, and you delay paint purchases until a course actually calls for them.
For broader curriculum comparisons, Cathy Duffy's site is often used by homeschooling families: Cathy Duffy Reviews.
How can I use How Great Thou ART in a Christian school or Sunday school classroom?
How Great Thou ART is built for exactly that setting: page_evidence describes it as art education with a Christian perspective, aimed at homeschools, Christian schools and art classrooms, with age bands running from preschool (3–5) through high school and adult. The intended pattern is "precept upon precept, line upon line" — short, sequential lessons that a teacher or parent can work through alongside students rather than a project-a-week craft program.
H3 Practical ways to slot it into a classroom
- Use the DVD courses as your teaching spine. The page lists DVD instruction produced in the studios of the American Family Association, with step-by-step lessons, fundamentals, color theory and beginning painting, about six hours of lessons per course. That lets one teacher supervise a whole room while the on-screen instructor does the demonstration.
- Run it as a weekly art period. Play a segment, pause for students to draw along, then circulate for individual correction — the "Beginning Drawing with Wally the Worm" style is explicitly designed for students to follow along with paper and pencil, and the page notes parents can join in too.
- Pair with the themed books for younger or mixed groups. Classics for the Little Ones (ages 3–5) covers lettering, beginning writing, cut-and-paste, Bible stories and games; Annie's (ages 4–8) combines simple art lessons with social graces and Scripture; the Joseph the goose story (ages 6–9) pairs a read-aloud with easy art lessons; and the illustrated children's Bible story collection (ages 4–9) is flagged as suitable for Sunday school and as a gift. These work well as Sunday school fillers or as a rotation station.
- Split by age band. Preschool 3–5, elementary 6–11, middle school 11–13, high school 13–adult. In a Sunday school with one room, run the younger group on a story-plus-drawing book while older students do a DVD fundamentals lesson.
H3 Trade-offs to weigh
- Teacher prep is low, but you need playback equipment. The DVD model assumes a screen and speakers; a classroom without them loses much of the value.
- Materials are not all bundled. The page repeatedly says "inquire about our recommended materials" and links to a recommended art materials list, so budget and source supplies separately.
- Confessional fit. The curriculum is explicitly Christian and Scripture-linked, which suits a Christian school or church classroom but would not fit a secular setting.
- Class size. Follow-along drawing works at almost any size; painting and color theory segments are messier and benefit from smaller groups or parent helpers.
H3 A concrete next step Pick one age band you teach, then preview a single DVD lesson or one of the preschool/elementary books before committing to a full year — that tells you whether the pacing matches your class length. If you want to compare approaches to faith-based art instruction for schools, look at How Great Thou ART directly and, for a broader view of Christian education materials, Cathy Duffy Reviews, which the site cites as having given it Top Picks recognition.
Are the How Great Thou ART DVD courses worth it for independent learning?
Yes, for the right learner. The DVD courses are built for independent, follow-along study: the page describes step-by-step instruction, teaching the fundamentals, color theory, and beginning painting, with about six hours of lessons per course and studio production by the American Family Association. A student who can pause, rewind and work at their own pace can get real traction without a parent teaching art.
The trade-off is format. DVDs suit a child who learns by watching and copying, and they free up the parent. They suit less well a student who wants feedback on their own work, since no one is correcting the drawing. The site also notes a broadcast option: Mr. Stebbing's Beginning Drawing & Painting airs Saturdays at 10:00 am on NRBTV, which is a low-cost way to sample his teaching style before buying.
A sensible next step: try one short lesson first. Watch a sample or an episode, then have your child draw the same subject twice — once following along, once alone. If the second attempt holds up, the independent format is working.
Curriculum is organized by age, which helps placement:
| Level | Ages |
|---|---|
| Preschool | 3–5 |
| Elementary | 6–11 |
| Middle School | 11–13 |
| High School | 13–Adult |
For younger children, the page lists lighter titles such as Classics for the Little Ones (ages 3–5, over 100 pages, lettering, counting, Bible stories and cut-and-paste) and Beginning Drawing with Wally the Worm, where students follow along with paper and pencil. These are parent-involved rather than truly independent.
Decide by your goal. For fundamentals, Bible-integrated content and a child who works well from video, the DVD route is efficient and the site says it is time-tested and inexpensive. For portfolio building or critique, pair it with a local class or a tutor who can review finished work, and check the recommended art materials list before starting so lessons are not stalled by missing supplies.
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