Recommended Resources
Whether you are planning to use
photography as a tool for learning
across the curriculum or you simply
want to do a theme unit on photography, here’s a list of books that I came
across in researching this article that
I highly recommend (a few of which I
was able to find at the library).
•;A;great;book;to;help;start;you;on
your journey to using photography in
the classroom is Picture Science: Using
Digital Photography to Teach Young
Children, Carla Neumann-Hinds (2007,
Redleaf Press). It offers practical approaches to using photography to assist
children in exploring the world around
them, with sample science lessons and
classroom applications. It explains how
to use digital photography to make each
step in the scientific method of investigation—from posing a question, to gathering data, to showing your findings—
concrete and fun for children.
To begin on the journey of using photography to enhance other areas of your
curriculum, such as history and physics, there are several books with good
clear sections on photography. These
are good for learning about the invention of the camera, and its development
over time, as well as the general science
behind the camera.
• How Things Work, an Illustrated Encyclopedia by Chris Oxlade
with others can be highly motivating
for your child.
Math
Math is what makes photography work;
therefore it is very logical to be able to
incorporate it into your homeschool lessons. Photography can be used as a tool
for teaching math at every grade level.
For example, you can use photographs
to help a younger child identify patterns
in nature. Patterns are the basis of math,
and being able to identify them and photograph them is a skill that your child can
build upon.
Photography can also be used to iden-
tify shapes in nature and introduce basic
concepts in geometry and symmetry. A
fun project to do is to go out “into the
field” and take photographs that can then
be used to make or illustrate word prob-
lems. For geometry, it is fun to take pho-
www.TheHomeschoolMagazine.com
(BackPack Books, 2005). This book has
a very large section about cameras and
photography and includes some very
cool experiments and activities that il-
lustrate each topic. You can get a used
copy of this book on Amazon for less
than a dollar, plus shipping.
2012), which includes photos from the
past five years.
For the budding photographer in
your family I recommend Photography
for Kids! by Michael Ebert and Sandra Abend (Rocky Nook, 2011). This
book focuses on digital photography
and provides clear tips and examples
of how to master the basics of photography. Similarly, The Kids’ Guide to
Digital Photography, by Jenni Bidner
(Lark Books, 2004) covers digital photography but goes a step further and
discusses in depth how to use computers and the Internet to make the most
of the images. Last but not least are two
older books: How to Photograph Your
Life by Nick Kelsh and National Geographic Photography Guide for Kids
by Neil Johnson (National Geographic
Children’s Books, 2001). Kelsh’s book
is chock full of excellent tips and advice for shooting photos in everyday
situations. Johnson’s book gives a nice
overview of photographic techniques
peppered with photos and advice from
National Geographic’s staff photographers, such as Sam Abell and William
Albert Allard. Lastly, if your child wants
to go a step further, check out Ten Photo Assignments by Amanda Quintenz-Fiedler, a book that provides real-world
assignments that guide the novice to intermediate photographer to a mastery
of the craft.
in your homeschool and to personalize
your child’s learning even more. Take
advantage of that opportunity and share
the blessing of learning and growing with
your child!
Lupe Tucker and her husband, Curtis,
homeschool their five children in Florida.
Former classroom teachers, they publish
www.HomeschoolingFlorida.com and
www.Homeschool-Evaluations.com, a
portfolio review and standardized testing
service. They conduct academic workshops across the country with the nonprofit organization
www.KidsAboard
Workshops.org. A lifelong photographer,
Lupe is always on the lookout for the
perfect shot and is hopelessly addicted to
photo books.
