Photo Walk

Wasting "film" is fun!

ADDED January 05, 2009

Ah, the blessings of a digital camera.  Remember when we were all kids, and our parents didn't want us to waste film?  That is now a thing of the past.

Take your little ones on a walk around the block.  Bring along your digital camera, and take pictures of whatever intrigues them.

It'll be fun to get outside, and it'll be fun for your kids to direct you as to the picture taking. 

Get your kids talking about why they want certain pictures taken.  (My kids wanted a lot of shots of tires, for example.  They said they like to look to see which tires are muddy and which aren't.)

During the walk, explain to your kids that they can take some of their photos and re-create them with art stuff.  You can show them one of their pictures on the computer, and then they can draw it using markers and paper.  And they can change the image to suit their imagination.  For instance, my boys wanted to change a row of cypress trees into rocket ships lined up.  A garage door with many panels was chosen to become a board game with many squares.

Finally, you can save your kids' photos on your computer and review in the future.  It's amazing how photographing something makes it "more" of something.  Suddenly it's not just a walk around the block, it's a "special walk with Mommy's camera!"

Have fun, and please be respectful of your neighbors on the walk.  Don't trample your neighbors' flower beds, so you can take pictures through their windows of them eating breakfast.  The excuse "But my kids told me to" might not work so well!

--S

ages 3-12, good any time, good at home, good for a group, longer activity,

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