I’m sure there were plenty of new digital cameras given as presents this holiday season! Maybe you were the lucky recipient of one. I love my digital camera. It is so easy to use and offers that immediate gratification of knowing how my photo turned out. When I was growing up, my mom was an amateur photographer and used to develop her own black-and-white film. She had a darkroom in the basement with all the necessary equipment. I remember watching her through the entire lengthy process. Of course, the most exciting part was agitating the paper in the chemicals, waiting for the image to magically appear. And to think that now I can see the image in seconds!

I bet I could find digital cameras being used in classrooms all over the country. Kim Murphy, the managing editor of The Mailbox Preschool, featured a unit on using digital cameras in the classroom in the December/January issue. Here are a few of the ideas that she selected to feature from her subscribers.

Greeting Card Fun Print classroom photographs onto plain paper as shown. Then fold the papers to create cards and place them at your writing center. Invite students to go to the center and add writing and decorations to one or two of the cards to take home to family members. No doubt family members will enjoy seeing current photos of classroom activities. –Mary, Keokuk, IA

Photo Die Cover a cube-shaped box with decorative Con-Tact paper. Then attach the hook side of a Velcro fastener to each side of the box. Cut out and laminate a head-shot photograph of each child. Attach the loop side of a Velcro fastener to each photo. Then attach a photo to each side of the cube to make a die. Roll the die to choose a child for a specific activity. Then replace the chosen child’s photo with a different photo. –Diane, Hayes, VA

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