EmmaNZ Posted July 11, 2010 Share Posted July 11, 2010 My five year old boy LOVES to take photographs. Does anybody have any ideas how I could channel this into something useful and educational, rather than him just taking lots of random digital photos? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nakia Posted July 11, 2010 Share Posted July 11, 2010 I am a photographer, and I actually think letting him take lots and lots of random pics is the best thing you can do. He will learn so much by just taking his camera everywhere and having fun! Save all the technical stuff for later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlutterbyMommy Posted July 11, 2010 Share Posted July 11, 2010 Thanks Nakia! My 5 yo DD is the same way. She adores photographing various things. Then she critiques herself. For instance, she was trying to take a picture of a woodpecker on a tree next door with my phone (which was most handy) the other day and was upset she could center and get close enough without scaring it. So I can see where just letting them enjoy it leads to learning through the experience itself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alessandra Posted July 11, 2010 Share Posted July 11, 2010 I actually think letting him take lots and lots of random pics is the best thing you can do. He will learn so much by just taking his camera everywhere and having fun! Save all the technical stuff for later. :iagree::iagree::iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rafiki Posted July 11, 2010 Share Posted July 11, 2010 . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southcarolinamom Posted July 11, 2010 Share Posted July 11, 2010 I would also look for books with no words, but stunning photography. B&N often has these in the bargain section, my 8 y/o has an animal one (he's sleeping or I'd get the title for you) that he just loves. WSS! You have a budding artist on your hands!:001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krisandpaula Posted July 11, 2010 Share Posted July 11, 2010 I am a photographer, and I actually think letting him take lots and lots of random pics is the best thing you can do. He will learn so much by just taking his camera everywhere and having fun! Save all the technical stuff for later. :iagree: I wouldn't call myself a Photographer, more of an advanced hobbyist, but I think this is great advice. Also, if you are looking for a more direct approach, you could let him take pictures that tie into things you are studying. For instance, last year, ds took pictures of the dinosaurs at the museum to add into his dinosaur lapbook. He photographed our celery experiment and added them to his science notebook. My ds is most proud of the projects that contain photos that he took himself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NanceXToo Posted July 11, 2010 Share Posted July 11, 2010 This site is awesome: http://www.homeschooling-ideas.com/home-school-ideas.html It's got all different creative, fun homeschool ideas- including a section on photography which you'll find as you scroll down. I think you'll find some good ideas for your son there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Satori Posted July 11, 2010 Share Posted July 11, 2010 I wouldn't teach the technical stuff yet either. But I talk aloud when I'm photographing in front of my 5 year old (started when she was 4). I talk about the composition, the lighting, the background. I'm always on the lookout for a cool background and lighting, and then I try to frame it nicely, talking as I go, but just normal conversation, not lesson-like. Maybe I'll start talking more about composition, like rule of thirds. She has picked up on some of this already. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Alte Veste Academy Posted July 11, 2010 Share Posted July 11, 2010 Does anybody have any ideas how I could channel this into something useful and educational, rather than him just taking lots of random digital photos? My kids like to take pictures too. I think that letting them have at it without restriction has benefits. It's hard to feel this way when you are looking at all kinds of wacky pictures of toys, siblings, the toilet :confused:, etc. taken at odd angles, no light, etc. However, this free-range experience is educational and the practice will be useful for helping them develop their own eye for the art of photography. However, in addition to encouraging the free-range photography and because my dc love taking pictures so much, I'm about to start incorporating their photos into our science studies. We've already started taking pictures of things in nature to make an album. This is very convenient for kids who are not very accurate (or interested, or willing) with sketches. I really like the book Picture Science. There are some great ideas in there. I am a photographer, and I actually think letting him take lots and lots of random pics is the best thing you can do. He will learn so much by just taking his camera everywhere and having fun! Save all the technical stuff for later. For general photography, I absolutely agree with this. I remember years ago, asking my MIL how she got such wonderful shots. She said she took hundreds of pictures and developed a lot of film to find a few gems. Well, I couldn't afford to do that. I was SO happy when digital cameras came along because now I can afford it. I can afford to take a hundred pictures of the exact same thing and pick through those images to find the best one. What a wonderful thing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nakia Posted July 11, 2010 Share Posted July 11, 2010 However, in addition to encouraging the free-range photography and because my dc love taking pictures so much, I'm about to start incorporating their photos into our science studies. We've already started taking pictures of things in nature to make an album. This is very convenient for kids who are not very accurate (or interested, or willing) with sketches. I really like the book Picture Science. There are some great ideas in there. That sounds like a great idea. I know my kids need a nice camera. Right now the little Polaroid digitals they have eat batteries so fast they can't keep up. What kind of camera would you recommend for a 7 and 10 year old? ETA: sorry for the thread hijack! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmoira Posted July 11, 2010 Share Posted July 11, 2010 Any recommendations for a reasonably good quality, yet straightforward camera? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Alte Veste Academy Posted July 11, 2010 Share Posted July 11, 2010 That sounds like a great idea. I know my kids need a nice camera. Right now the little Polaroid digitals they have eat batteries so fast they can't keep up. What kind of camera would you recommend for a 7 and 10 year old? ETA: sorry for the thread hijack! Well, I wouldn't recommend what I do, which is let them borrow mine while I hover nearby, full of fear and dread. Only the neck cord keeps from having a full-on breakdown. :tongue_smilie: Since I'm going to start taking this more seriously, my plan is to let them use my old Canon PowerShot S30 for now but I think I'll buy ds7 and dd their own cameras for Christmas and let ds4 keep the S30. I'm looking at another Canon because I have experience with those and have never been let down. This is the one I'm looking at and I've seen the price as low as $125. If anyone has other suggestions for reasonably priced cameras that still take good pictures and have features that will allow the child to grow into it instead of needing to upgrade, I would be very interested. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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