Week 6: 3D shapes and value

For the third and fourth graders, I brought in a simple still life of a box, pumpkin and lava lamp (hey, it was the best tall vertical/conical shape I could find quickly). I wanted the kids to experiment with some elemental shapes.

It was a rainy day, so the kids had been inside all day, so were a tad bit squirrelly, but they did surprisingly well! I asked them to use one color of crayon or pencl so they could experiment with ligth and dark values and shadows.

The most intersting part was how how consistently hard it was for them to draw the cubic form correctly. I could have done a better job showing them the steps, but in the end most got it pretty good. Many used a practice sheet of paper and for some the process of trying the shapes was the best part of the lesson, even if they did not get a finished still life.