'Rona-Cation: Photo Scavenger Hunt (UPDATED)

To take advantage of a break in the end-of-the-world-caliber daily rain, we had the kids take the old point-and-shoot digital cameras they inherited this past summer and do a photo scavenger hunt. This one was Daddy's idea, and half of the list came from him.

I was a little surprised how quickly they breezed through this list, I should have put a few things on there that would be harder to find. It's probably for the best that they found everything pretty easily, though, because not thirty minutes after they came back inside it was raining again.

Audrey's photos:

Henry's Photos:

They were super proud of their photos and had a story for many of their shots. It was also kinda fun seeing the other photos already on their cameras as we went through the challenge pictures.

Oh, and the prize? Twelve inches of bubble gum!

See our previous challenges here and here.

How to Wash a Smelly Suka

Step one: mix 1/2 cup of baking soda, 2 teaspoons of Dawn dish detergent, and a quart of hydrogen peroxide.

Step two: collect a smelly, dingy Suka.

Step three: run a nice, warm bath.

Step four: lather, rinse, and repeat.

Step five: dry.

Step six: enjoy a fluffy Suka with the brightest whites and the most irresistible zoomies.

Photos courtesy of Henry Warden Ware Photography, all rights reserved.

Little Campers :: Photography Lesson

Today marks the last proper "session" of our homemade summer camp, Little Campers (we took last week off to register our babies- all of them- for school). All four of our kiddos have some version or generation of these kid-friendly cameras, and they're all really in to them at the moment, so what better way to conclude all our projects than with a lesson in photography?

We talked about portraits vs. candid shots, making sure someone is OK with their picture being taken before taking their picture, composition, lighting, and thinking about what you want to shoot before snapping the picture. We also took a little walk around Keri's neighborhood to practice looking for interesting things to shoot. We even got to practice sharing, taking turns, and patience (all of us)... again.

While walking, we encountered a neighbor who generously invited us to come visit- and photograph- her pet tortoise "Bolt Tortuga." He won the day.

Some highlights of the kiddos' photo shoots:

At the end of our lesson, each kiddo received a camera pin of their choosing from a variety Keri picked up at one of her crafty haunts, then they posed for a portrait wearing his or her full sash (to be used later in something they'll be receiving at our little closing ceremony).

Last time: Cooking Lesson

Next time: Closing Ceremony!

Little Campers :: Movie Making Project

Our Little Campers meeting this week was all about silly, creative fun- movie making! We talked about scripts, costumes, props, the role of the actor and the role of the director, and then the kids paired up and brainstormed their plots and characters. Finally they each made their own little movie using tablet devices, and that ended up being good practice for sharing and patience, too!

Once each pair had completed their movie, we gathered and watched them together, then talked about different film genres and how some people prefer one type of movie over another, but that doesn't mean one type of movie is right or better (because our group gets a little wrapped up in comparing work sometimes). Art is in the eye of the beholder!

Henry and Spencer's Movie:

Audrey and Piper's Movie:

Their badges for this activity were handmade by Keri:

The boys got a little lost looking for a plot, and some of the girls' dialogue was hard to catch, but everyone was proud of their end product, and we had a lot of fun watching them pull it all together!

Last time: Wild Plants/Foraging

Coming up: Cooking!