How to teach photo to children [???]

[oscura]

Good evening everybody,

I was looking on apug and i didn't find a thread for my interrogation.

Sorry i post here because i don't know very well the site web and i think that teaching childrens can be a part of ethic and philosophy. The transfert of the knowledge to young people has to be attached to the philosophy (personnal view.. )

So, i want to explain and show what is analog photo to childrens. But, i want to make something interesting for them.

With all this digital stuff in the wortld, now childrens loose the use to wait for things that they want.. They are not very patient...

Can you help me to find cool exercices that i can do with them ?

I plan to give them a small camera with autospeed so they just have to focus and then click. Then, i think i will dev the film alone.

At least, after one film / child i plan to make small groups and go with them in my dark room to show them how the photo is built and especially there photo

So if you can help me by sending links or simply explain it to me in this thread...

Thank you very much because i'm afraid to make a "boriing day for them" and i clearly want to give them my love for analog photo... At least just for photo but if they can love analog and digital it could be great i think.

I forget, they have between 7 and 11 years old

Thanks in advance for your help & sorry for my english

Cheers

Oscura°°

[Christopher Walrath]

To how many children are you planning to show film processes? Do you already know the children you are going to do this with or is this a plan formulating in your brain? What kind of facilities will you have available when you begin?

As to camera type, I would think little point and shoot cameras would be more than sufficient to get them wet, so to speak. Just trying to get the direction you want to go. Just throwing ideas out there.

[oscura]

Hi Christopher !

Thanks for your response.

I plan to try with two childrens and i know them very well.

For the facilities, i have my own darkroom and some old 35mm camera but iplan to buy some easy use camera like my OM10.

The idea is that i want to give them a tool (the camera) to take photo of their world and then, i want to show them that with this tool they can produce their own photos.

With old camera, wich model you think it could be great for childrens?

Thanks

++

Oscura°°

[Steve Smith]

As to camera type, I would think little point and shoot cameras would be more than sufficient.

Whilst they are probably more than sufficient, they are not as cool as a proper old camera.

Thanks in advance for your help & sorry for my english

As I said in your welcome post, your English is better than many who use it primarily. However, just a couple of points: Children is already the plural of child so it doesn't need an 's' on the end and loose means the opposite of tight. The word you want is lose. This is probably the most common spelling mistake on the internet!

(I don't make raise these points as criticism, but for education. I have a few friends for whom English is a second or third language and they appreciate corrections when they get something not quite right).


Steve.

[oscura]

Whilst they are probably more than sufficient, they are not as cool as a proper old camera.


Steve.

That's why i was thinking about something like my OM10 but i don't know in the other brand if i can found a camera with the same caracteristics but cheapest and easy foundable....

Thanks

++

Oscura°°

[Christopher Walrath]

True, Steve. I was just envisioning the logistics of outfitting 15-25 children at once. Two is certainly much more manageable than the grand figure I had envisioned.

[Christopher Walrath]

I think this is a great idea. A worthwhile undertaking. As to subject matter/assignment, I would suggest asking what their favorite place is, take them there and cut them loose. After a bit of brief instruction, of course. Let the technical side of things go until more interest is shown. If they are sparked by inspiration, more than likely they will be asking you. You won't need to wait.

[oscura]

Thank you for your help Christopher.
It's a good idea to bring them in a place they like. I will try in a day with a good light so i can fix their aperture to 8 or more and then let them play with it

I hope to have good results and most interesting i think is to see their view of the world through the camera

Thks

++

Oscura°°

[Christopher Walrath]

You are perfectly welcome. Glad we could help you out.

[Nicholas Lindan]

You might start them off with cyanotype 'sun prints' - in the US there are several companies that sell them to schools: http://www.fatbraintoys.com/toy_comp..._paper_kit.cfm For the price of two kits you can buy the chemicals you need to coat several thousand sheets of paper http://www.alternativephotography.co...yanotype2.html - I like the 'new cyanotype process', though it uses oxalate you can also get oxalic acid poisoning from Ruhbarb, so what. As to poisons, one only need look under the kitchen sink to find ones that make oxalate look like candy.

The next traditional educational step in the US is the pin-hole camera. See if you can find old East-block 4x5 or 8x10 film, outdated film will be fine. Try old photographic studios and printers. For processing you can use common household items - I think this gives more interest for kids http://www.shutterbug.com/techniques...0903sb_coffee/.

They can print their negatives using the cyanotype paper.

You might also want to show them printing on paper that has been soaked in dye made from flower petals. http://www.alternativephotography.co...anthotype.html

These were the activities I thought were the most fun when I was starting out in photography at the age of 7.

For a first camera I would get some 120 roll film box cameras from the 2nd had junk (Oxfam etc.) store. You can develop 120 in soup bowls. If you can, get ortho film that can be developed my red light.