Let the Kids Take the Pictures

I love those photos young children take of people's knees. They remind me what the world looks like to the tiny.

All photos are expressions of their photographers - what they thought was worth photographing and what the world looks like from their point of view. Children, who sometimes lack the skills for many forms of self-expression, particularly appreciate photography. Point and shoot - what could be simpler?

Putting a camera in the hands of a child amplifes real-world learning experiences for kids. They look more closely, choosing details to photograph. Back at home, the photos help kids preserve their memories and link their new experiences to other parts of their lives.

If you'd like to help kids learn and enjoy photography, BigLearning.com has plenty of resources to help on the Photography for Kids page, one of our Big Learning Treasure Troves.

The Power of Creating Form

At our house we're preparing for Chanukah by making some new decorations. We made candleholders out of Gioto Plastiroc (read a product review). Such a mathematically-rich activity, creating the six segments for our star-of-david shape, and making them fit together to form the star. Visualization skills, so important in mathematical problem solving and geometry, are developed through hundreds of everyday experiences like these.

For more sources of math-rich activities, there's a list of great math books for kids on BigLearning.com