Although I Can Do All Things is suggested for ages six and up, you need not limit this resource to children in the primary grades. Most activities are appropriate for anyone who wants to learn beginning techniques with drawing, colored markers, or acrylic paints. Occasional pictures or assignments do seem directed only at young children, but older students can adapt or skip those. Stebbing provides tips for the teacher. Lessons then address various skills and techniques appropriate for each art medium. Lessons mix text and black-and-white illustrations to provide step-by-step instruction. Each student needs his or her own book since many lessons are done directly on the book's pages. However, copying of the pages for multiple children is allowed within the home.
Some lessons work in a progressive order. For example, students learn to draw circles, then snowmen, faces, cans, jars, and other round things. Other lessons like shading, showing depth, drawing people, and cartoons might be used in random order.
A set of 38, 8 1/2" x 11" marker/painting cards comes with the book. These are printed on heavy card stock for use with the colored markers and acrylic paints. You will need extra sets of these cards for additional students ($7.95 each).
Those who prefer not to hunt down all the art supplies should probably purchase the complete set that includes the book, acrylic paints, brushes, watercolor markers, black fine pen, 12 "Prismacolor" colored pencils, and a kneaded eraser and sharpener. For additional students, you can purchase sets of only the art supplies for $21.95 each.
I noticed one very small problem: toward the end of the book is a small section for students to use for studying "art masters." Students are told to recreate a master's drawing in 3" x 4" box and a portrait of the artist himself in an even smaller box. This really isn't sufficient space unless the student is exceptionally skillful. The task, itself, is more suitable for older students.
The book should easily take more than a year to complete if your child is truly exploring and learning to work with each media. I expect that it will work best for families where parents are confident enough to expand upon lessons and select which lessons to use in what sequence.
