This pretend old-school film camera features a look-through viewfinder and pressable shutter button just the right size for little hands. Make it in about two minutes with scissors and tape and have fun seeing familiar things in a different light!
This is more of an adult-led craft, but a quick one with a great payoff.
Fun for very small kids
Easily adapted for left-handed use
Try zooming in, or taking panoramas and videos
Similar to a frame tool artists use to pick out what part of the landscape to paint.
Steps At a Glance:
Ready? Here’s how:
1
You’ll need:
An inkjet cartridge box similar to this one
Tape
Scissors (with pointy ends)
A pin
2
Tape the open end closed. Tape any rips back together (these things are hard to open!).
3
Decide which side to put the button on. This camera is for a right-handed user, with the button on the left. Put the button on the right for a left-hander.
About 1” from the end, cut the top hanging flap (with the hole in it) down to where it meets the box. This small piece will stay attached.
Cut off the rest of the hanging flap leaving a little margin along the top of the box to hold it together (second photo). If it comes apart anyway fix it with tape.
Trim off the top half of the remaining flap, and take a little off the other side to make a finger-sized button. Push it forward and see it pop back up!
4
From the back of the box poke the pin into the center to make a starter hole for the tip of your scissors. Wiggle the tip of your scissors into the box and snip out a small square about 1/4” or so across.
5
Repeat those steps to cut a postage-stamp sized hole from the front of the camera.
That’s it! Your new camera is ready to play with. If you are a “fun” adult you can make a button-pressing noise when you show your small person how to use the camera.
Enjoy seeing the world a little differently!
Thank you for reading! If you have questions, please drop me a line.