An old, broken down one from the 70s? A new waterproof made-for-kids with a 32 GB memory card? The one on the classroom iPad? Any and all of these cameras make great loose parts that will spark play, creativity, and investigation.
Plus, camera’s spark play with Concepts–a loose part Simon Nicholson wrote about, but that many early learning settings don’t actively work into their loose parts collections as much as physical objects. With cameras, it is likely kids will explore (and play with) concepts like Light, Color, Shape, Focus, Framing, and more.
Camera’s also tend to spark lots of social interaction and conversation: “Move over here and hold up these flowers while I take your picture. No, it’s my turn, You can take my picture when I’m done. Hold the flowers higher. Look happy, you’re supposed to smile. No! It’s still my turn.”
We live in a world that’s full of cameras. They’re everywhere. And they’re still amazing loose parts.
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Jeff Johnson is an early learning trainer, podcaster, and author who founded Explorations Early Learning, Playvolution HQ, and Play Haven.
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