This pretend 20th century camera will be fun for a very young person to play with. There’s a hole to look through and frame your shot before pressing the shutter button. It’s just the right size for little hands. And you can make it in about two minutes with scissors and tape!
Fun for very small kids
Easy and fast to make
Can be made for left-handed use
Takes memories instead of pictures
When you look through this camera, the cut-out window frames a limited view of what’s in front of you. Interestingly, some artists use a frame tool to do just that when composing a landscape or still life. So this little camera is kind of a fun visual exercise too. Ask your kid about that (seriously!).
Steps At a Glance:
Ready? Here’s how:
1
You’ll need:
An inkjet refill box similar to this one
Tape
Scissors
A pin
2
Tape the open end closed.
3
About 1” from the end, snip the top flap all the way to the box. Put the button on the left for left-handed use, on the right for right-handed use.
Cut off the flap to the snip, leaving a little bit of a margin to keep the box together.
Trim off about half of the remaining flap, and take a little off the other side to make a finger-sized button.
4
Look at the back of the box and decide where you want the eye hole to be. Poke the pin into the box to make a starter hole for the tip of your scissors, then snip out a small square about 1/4” or so across.
5
Repeat those steps to cut out a postage-stamp sized hole on the front of the camera, opposite the eye hole.
Fold down the button so it will move easily, and you’re done!
If you are a “fun” adult you can make button-pressing noises when you show your small person how to use the camera.
Thank you for reading! If you have questions, please drop me a line.