Camera/taking Photos Topic

[Guest]

My class are really interested in using the camera and taking photos and I wondered about doing a mini topic - maybe producing a class book of their photos. Has anyone done this or got any ideas?

Thanks

Tam

[Guest]

My class are really interested in using the camera and taking photos and I wondered about doing a mini topic - maybe producing a class book of their photos. Has anyone done this or got any ideas?

Thanks

Tam

 

funnily enough I have been thinking of doing the same thing! This week we are going to take photos of the adults who work in our school- we are only a small school but there are still lots of faces/names that the chn don't know yet. Am going to get teachers to take a class photo of their class so we can have them in our classroom- hopefully this will lead to lots of talk etc about siblings/friends/neighbours etc- we do only have 7 classes in the school mind you. We are also going to get each child to take a photo of something(s) that they like about school for a display linked to SEAL topic 'new beginnings'. Oh and the photographer is coming this week for individual photos so might lead to a bit of role play! Also considering getting them using the camcorder to make mini films- but might need to think about that one! fingers crossed some others will offer more ideas/suggestions!

[Guest]

Thanks for the reply - it's great to get other ideas. I wondered about trying to get hold of a couple of old cameras to see how things have changed. Maybe visit all the different places in school to take photos - make a map. Visit a photo shop?? Take close up photos of patterns/textures etc - guess what they are.

[Panders]

Expensive, - but don't suppose any of staff or parents would have a polaroid instant camera - film I know was expensive, but quite a novelty for the children to see it coming out of the camera - unless someone has a pogo camera/printer, similar effect but much smaller.

 

could you reseach a pinhole camera on line and make one with the children?

 

Experiment with the same picture taken with flash and without - with zoom and without.

 

We always have a few old cameras about in the role play area without film in etc. but I'm pre-school. depending on budget coul you get some disposable cameras

 

would you be allowed to make a field trip to Boots or somewhere to see how they do their one hour processing?

[mundia]

Hi Tambie. This may be the prefect opportunity to explore the 'Mosaic approach' and the place you might like to start is Sue Ridgway's excellent article.

 

Good luck with it.

[Guest]

My class are really interested in using the camera and taking photos and I wondered about doing a mini topic - maybe producing a class book of their photos. Has anyone done this or got any ideas?

Thanks

Tam

 

Hi Tambie,

We've been using cameras as a way of giving a new power of expression to young chidren. It has proved an amazing tool - especially for children without any language or children with EAL.

The children have used Mavika cameras which have a 3.5 disk onto which the photos are stored and now we tend to use Canon Powershots A480 10MP which are perfect for our purposes.

We took part in the 'Enchanted World' photographic exhibition of children's work in Reggio Emilia and one of our chidlren had his work displayed there so we were very proud!

We use cameras now like they were pencils or scissors. We have losts around the place and the children just use them when they want to. It can be expensive to produce the photos but we have learned so much about the child's point of view or way of thinking by looking at the results of their work. I heartily commend this medium to you and hope you willl have alot of fun.

There is a conference coming up in November in Birmingham looking at how children learn through photography. If you look up the Sightlines website you will find more detail there. We are planning a confrerence here to explore children's photography in February. Let me know if you want more information. We're based in London.

Best wishes.

Carby

[SueFinanceManager]

Hi Carby

 

Welcome to the forum and congratulations on making your first post

 

I can only imagine how exciting it was to see some of your own children's pictures used in an exhibition. It is amazing how quickly children learn to use cameras and what fun they have.

 

I was amused a little while ago when a relative of ours took a photo and immediately the children asked to look at the picture.....they could not understand that Auntie Jean couldn't show them because she did not have a digital camera but an old one with film in it

 

Sue

[Guest]

Hi, I do a school magazine at my local school and we use loads of photos.

 

A particular favourite with the children is doing instructions, e.g. today we were making mini hot air balloons and we photographed the steps as we did it. We've also done 'how to carve a halloween pumpkin' in the past as well.

 

You could also try taking some panoramic photos, i.e. where you take a series of photos to show a landscape.

 

I also love doing collages with photos around a theme, i.e. cutting out bits from photos and layering them.

[Guest]

I've used it a few times for a topic and looked at the work of david hockey. We created a montage of the school front which was on a main road. We walked down the road took a photo square on then counted/walked 10/20 steps and took another square on. When developed the children matched them up in a line. It was the centre of a 'wall' (photo's used like building bricks) of photos featuring every member of the school community in the main entrance which was widely commented on.

 

In nursery last year we did a treasure hunt type dispaly where the children took photo's of the outside area close up or from a different angle to identify.

 

We made calendars where there was a dressing up box of dressing up clothes including hats and wigs and the children took photo's of each other against a plain wall dressed as a character they would like to be.

[Guest]

We've had a photography studio role play area this term as part of ourselves topic. Children have used 3 V-TECH cameras, and enjoyed adding viking heads, funny noses onto people. I went into ASDA, JESSOPS ETC and got 'photography' posters, which also showed that you could have mugs printed, T-shirts etc.

 

Lots of maths came out of it - I put up one photo in different sizes, and chn fill in order forms, asking what size the other child would like, telling them the cost, asking what time they'd like their photo taken, and how many people in the photo.

 

I got some cheap photo albums and got the mums to give me soem phot's of our children, which they have loved looking at.

We prit photos chn take each day onto paper and trim and put onto a wall display.

 

Gave dress up for lots of funny hats, soem fake moustaches from pound shop.

 

Don't think I've developed the whole photography aspect. Will get them to start taking phot's around the class/school this week tho'

 

Hope this helps.