What to Do with Your New Camera

Washington FAMILY Magazine is giving away a FREE digital camera this month!

There are tons of fun things your kids could do with a new camera:

Make a "My Day" Photo Journal

Dedicate a day to snapping photos of interesting things you see during the day. These can be as simple as a pet in a unique pose, a parent packing your lunch, or a pretty leaf on a tree. Use your photojournalist skills by organizing the photos on a poster or in a scrapbook, adding captions to each. A similar project would be a "My Neighborhood" scrapbook. You can take pictures of simple things, like the mailbox on the corner and the neighborhood park. These kinds of projects will be keepsakes later on in life. Not many people will have taken pictures of "ordinary" things in their past, but you will.

Take Mystery Photos

Snap close-up and partial photos of ordinary objects and have your family and friends guess what they are! A close-up photo of the eyes on a pineapple or potato are examples.

Put your Photos on T-shirts

With a print program like Print Artist and some T-shirt transfer paper, you can transfer your photos to T-shirts to create wearable photo art.

Make a Photo Puzzle

Glue printed photos onto a sturdy piece of cardboard, cut the picture into pieces, and create a homemade and personalized puzzle.

Set up Small, Detailed Scenes with Toys and Figurines

With control over a digital camera, one of the first thoughts on the brains of our group of kid testers was taking pictures of their figurines. This turned out to be a fabulous little project. Our testers made some fabulous scenes with Hamtaro figurines they called "Moonlight Dinner" and "The Wedding". With a little trial and error, they managed to snap some close-up photos that made the little figures look larger than life.

Learn Photography Techniques

Learning how to take a good picture comes quite naturally with experimentation. At first, kids will generally snap anything they see. But when they see the results of their pictures, they might notice that, for example, a cluttered background interfering with the overall look of their photo. Candid photos of people in natural poses often turn out the best, and taking pictures of objects at a slight angle often produces a superior photo. Experimenting with distances and lighting can be great learning experiences as well.

Take Your Camera on Day Trips

When a child has control of a camera, ordinary trips to the store, for example, take on a whole new meaning. Of course, you can take your camera with you on trips to the zoo, a farm, or other family outing that permits the use of cameras.

Tips from EdutainingKids.com