Home >> Science & Nature >> Astrology

How to Teach Kids Photography With a Scavenger Hunt

Kids have a unique perspective on the world around them, and teaching them photography allows them to capture and hone those perspectives. While you could sit down and go through your camera's instruction manual with your children, their attention span might cause them to lose focus. Instead, give some basic instructions and have fun learning with a photo scavenger hunt. Not only will your children learn how to work the camera, but they'll expand their sense of creativity and learn about their surroundings.

Things You'll Need

Camera

Instructions

- 1
  
  Capturing emotions can put an interesting twist on things.
  
  Create a list of things that will be hunted. This can vary from simple things, such as anything that's yellow in color, to more complicated things, such as emotions they need to capture. Almost any theme you choose can go along with the lesson you're teaching. For example, include some items with a note that they should be in black-and-white or soft focus to teach the child how to use the camera.
- 2
  Locate a good spot for the hunt. Find a safe place that has a variety of things to hunt and capture. Some ideas: a forest, park or even your backyard.
- 3
  Choose a camera that your child can use. You may want to start with an easy-to-use camera to use as opposed to one with many options and buttons. The latter can leave children feeling overwhelmed and take the fun out of the learning experience. Once your child is confident, you can move up to a more advanced camera if your budget allows.
- 4
  Explain how to use the camera. While you don't want to give a long, technical tutorial on the functions of the camera, you do want the child to understand the basics --- such as the power button, how to shoot and making basic adjustments, such as focusing and zooming. Once the child feels comfortable with these tools, he or she will be ready for more advanced settings.
- 5
  Discuss the items on the list. While children will understand simple instructions, such as to shoot a flower or capture nothing but blue items, more advanced requests such as emotions may leave them feeling lost. Allow the child to ask questions so that he or she understands the task.
- 6
  Give your child uninterrupted time to explore and find what he or she wants to shoot while staying close enough to ask questions that arise. Make suggestions, such as telling the child how to use lighting to his or her advantage. For example, flowers in the shade won't look as bright as ones in sunlight.
- 7
  Sit with your children after they're done and look at their photos. This is the time to give them more tips on how to enhance their pictures, sneak in a few more instructions and praise their creativity.

Astrology