A camera, however basic, is an invaluable resource within the nursery, but the benefits and learning opportunities become all the greater by going digital. Over the past three months, a digital camera has become an indispensable resource at Cowgate Children's Centre in Newcastle. 'We've used it nearly every day since we got it,' says project worker Joanne Elliott.
The first advantage of digital cameras is that you can see what your photograph will look like almost instantly thanks to a small viewing screen on the back, so eliminating the wait for films to be processed only to find the children's heads have been chopped off! If you don't like what you see, you can simply erase it and take another photo.
Going digital is ultimately cost-effective though the start-up costs are hefty. The cameras themselves do not come cheap, and you also need a computer and colour printer to process' the photographs. But, as the cameras don't use conventional film, there are no film and processing costs, or drop-off and pick-up times.
Joanne enjoys the freedom a digital camera offers. Previously, Cowgate was bearing the costs of about six films a week, and as a result staff were cautious about the number of photos they took. Now they can be as snap-happy as they like.
Joanne is also impressed by the immediacy of the results, as witnessed on a visit to a local primary school. There, the children had their photos taken on what was their first day at school. The same day the photos were printed and given to the children to show their parents as a record of their big day. The children really like to see themselves straightaway,' says Joanne.
The fun really begins when you download your photos on to computer. You can e-mail them to friends, or post them on a web site. Cameras come with software that allow you to manipulate the photos, so children can develop their creative skills by changing the size, shape, colour and texture or adding or deleting details. Perhaps plain brown teddy could become pink and have a pair of glasses. (Nurseries can achieve the same by scanning conventional photographs on to a computer, but the quality will be poorer.)
Like Cowgate, Jigsaw Littlemore, in Oxford and part of the Jigsaw chain, is discovering the benefits of digital cameras in project work. One of their most memorable projects was about watching plants grow. The children planted some bulbs and every month a picture was taken to view their progress until daffodils bloomed. The pictures were printed on A4 paper and made into a book. Nursery manager Veronica Wooster says, Children like big things, so if you can magnify a photo, it's great.'
Photographs are also invaluable for assessment and can be incorporated easily into children's records. Veronica says, Staff like the fact that they can have instant photographs that they can analyse, review and use as a reference, which is especially good to produce for Ofsted reports.' NW