BELOW: Purple berries: finding patterns in nature, by
Carolina S. Tucker, 12
BELOW LEFT: Palm full of shells: comparing and
contrasting like things, by Carolina S. Tucker, 12
can use a digital camera to explore the
world around them, and through images share what is interesting to them. By
giving children a voice through images,
photography awakens the creative senses and helps develop communication
skills that can later transfer to language
arts proficiency.
Getting Started
If the idea of using a camera in home
education is new to you, a good way to
begin is by giving your child some brief
instruction about taking photographs.
This will help your child gain some confidence in using the camera, and it will
give you some peace of mind as well.
Once the basic functions are mastered,
you can show him how to play with different photo angles, how to zoom in and
out, and how to practice basic composition skills. Adapt the lesson to the age
and attention span of your child; the goal
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Having the freedom to take
photographs will give your
child confidence and cause him
to start looking at the world
around him in a new way.
is to make using a camera fun. This way
your child will be excited about using it,
and that enthusiasm will transfer to the
subject matter being taught.
Photography is a personal tool for self-expression, and it is a skill that will be useful for your child’s entire life. Treat each
photograph that your child takes with
respect, and if you have to delete a photo,
explain to her why, so she can learn from
any mistakes that she has made. If your
child shows an interest in photography
as a hobby, there are several books about
photography for kids that you can check
out of the library. (See sidebar.)
One of the best things about home-
schooling is that we can take field trips
whenever we want to. Taking a digital
camera with you makes a trip anywhere a
learning experience. For example, bring-
ing a camera along turns “hanging out
in the backyard” into going out “into the
field.” This is an excellent way to make a
child instantly feel like an explorer or a
scientist.
Computer Skills
Digital photography is a perfect gateway
to introducing children to the world of
computers as tools, instead of as a means
of entertainment. Giving your child control of the camera takes on even greater
significance as you and your child create an official folder for his photos on
the hard drive of your computer. This
will make your child feel that his images
are important, and it will also teach him
basics about file systems and directories,
another useful life skill.
If you decide that you want to get serious about using photography across
the curriculum, you may want to invest
in some photo software, such as Adobe
Photoshop Lightroom or Photoshop
Elements. Both are standard software
programs and are relatively inexpensive.
