With digital equipment and all the great editing software, photography is so much more accessible to children these days. But wait, isn’t photography all about art. How can you use it for science?
1. Life Cycles
Your children can use a camera to record all sort of life cycles. We’ve done silkworms, queen butterflies, frogs, etc. How about capturing a scene as it changes from week to week, or the growth of a flower?
2. Weather
Use a camera to record the weather. Our local newspaper has added a feature where they print local weather photographs taken by amateurs in the area. I personally love to take photos of clouds. Your children will have many imaginative ways to record the weather, I bet.
3. Identification
Challenge your children to record 20 different kinds of trees with their camera. Or 50 different kinds of plants. Basically you can make collections useful for identification, just with photographs instead of actual specimens.
That’s how I’m trying to learn local wildflowers.
4. Record your child’s own growth by having them take photos of themselves in the same place on a monthly basis. (Taking a self-portrait requires a good working knowledge of a camera.)
5. Learn how a camera works.
How did the first cameras work? What does focal length mean?
Edit: As the link is broken, here is a video that shows some of the basics of how a camera works.
6. Actually build a digital camera.
Students Can Build Digital Camera (This is a news website with ads).
Absolutely awesome websites for many, many more ideas:
Using Digital Photography in the Science Classroom
Photography for Kids at A to Z
Homeschool Photography for Kids
If you want even more information, try one of these photography books:
See the financial disclosure page for information about my affiliation with Amazon.
