Jim Dine in 2nd grade

I located this project in an old Scholastic's Art magazine recently when looking for a new approach for Jim Dine and decided to give it a go.  The heard was done more as a directed because I was approaching dark and light values for the first time with 2nd grade.  They turned out amazingly well.  The background is tissue paper on card stock.  Drawing was completed with oil pastels.  This was a two week project.

Valupillars

Okay, that's not really a real word but it is what I have chosen to call this value project recently completed by fourth grade students.  I was given a large quantity of white model magic that had been around for a few years.  It was beginning to become a little stiff so needed to be used.  I decided to turn this into a lesson on value, primarily tints.  With a little blue model magic and a larger piece of white model magic, students started by dividing their clay into 5 approximately equal pieces.  This would help them as they began mixing so they would be able to budget clay use.  The first ball was a small blue one, then white and blue were mixed together to make an only slightly lighter ball of clay.  Each ball of clay became progressively larger and lighter ending with a large white ball of clay that became the head of a Caterpillar.  Thus, the name, Valupillar.  Not only were the students totally engaged in the color lightening process to create the tints of blue, I also had comments that this as the best project ever!