Digital cameras are widely used in today’s life style– if you can allow your children to have access to a camera from time to time and that they understand its basic functions. The increase in the use of photography offers children new opportunities to notice and appreciate their surroundings.
• Take a walk around the outside areas and encourage them to look for signs of life. Even if you don’t have a garden, or a patch of grass, there will be something!
• Demonstrate how to get close to the subject of the photograph and to use the zoom facility on the camera to ‘edit’ what they can see.
• Although cameras make it easy for us to ‘point and click’, there are still decisions to be made. Talk to children about the decisions they are making, particularly with regard to composition, encourage them to describe what it is they are interested in photographing and why.
• Back At home you can display the photographs in your home and also send them to me. Josephl6@hwbmail.net
Explain that this is the next part of the editing process: they need to decide which images to keep and which to delete.
extra challenge
Talk them through it
Let children know why and what they are learning…
Each of the activities addresses one or more of the elements of art and design: line, tone, colour, shape, space, texture, form, pattern and composition. While young children are unlikely to be able to remember all of these elements, encourage them to be aware of how what they are doing or making relates to one or more of these elements. The best way to do this is through talk. Through working alongside children, describing what you are doing and what they are doing, you will create opportunities to introduce specific vocabulary. Alternatively, use the end of the lesson (or the beginning of the next lesson) to reinforce these terms while sharing examples of individual children’s work with the class.
Tips
1. Although cameras make it easy for us to ‘point and click’, there are still decisions to be made. Talk to children about the decisions they are making, particularly with regard to composition, encourage them to describe what it is they are interested in photographing and why.
Now try painting your favourite scene using watercolours if you have them or any other media your choice!
2. Some watercolour sets will offer a couple of shades of green, but remind children to try mixing the colours as well as using them straight from the palette. Experiment with applying a small amount of water to a section of a painting, then carefully placing a few drops of colour in to the water. The pigment will spread across the paper, creating rippling effects.