One of the things I really enjoy about teaching science is finding creative projects for my students to do. I have my younger students make a "fossil" using clay and my kiln but for my older students in chemistry I need something that will engage their attention and teach them to trouble shoot. So I do an applied chemistry project whereby they build a pinhole camera and then have to figure out why it doesn't work at first. During all this they must keep a thorough daily log of their activities. Once they get to the point that they can get reliably good images then their last task is to take a photograph of something that will have meaning to them in 10 years. I've had students take photos of grandparents, baseball fields, pets, friends, etc. and one student took a photograph of her brother, who died in a car accident shortly after. Many of the photos do have an added poignancy as time passes.
My father worked for Kodak for over 40 years and had his own darkroom which he allowed me to use when I was a child. Photography was a great passion for both of us and, now that we are in the digital age, being able to pass on a bit of the "old" ways to my students is a way for me to keep my late Dad alive.
Once we start getting some photos I'll post them. In the meantime I have to convert my school storage room to a darkroom for a bit LOL. It's getting harder and harder to find black and white photographic supplies. I ended up ordering them from Penn Camers, the store I used to buy from in Rockville, MD!
Here are some great links to pinhole photography sites and galleries:
http://www.kodak.com/global/en/consumer/education/lessonPlans/pinholeCamera/
http://users.rcn.com/stewoody/
http://pinhole.org/
Cheryl
Posts
Knodelbrot advice needed!!
8 hours ago
