A wonderful way to encourage boys to be fascinated by nature.

I bought a really basic nature camera about six months ago for the children to use at Forest School. I hadn't anticipated how much the children would love it so I thought I would share how the learning opportunities they offer and a few tips along the way. Here are my  answers to six key questions about why these little cameras are great.

I mean...how exciting is it returning to a camera that you have left overnight to see what animals have been visiting?

I bought the camera initially because one of the WILD passport woodland curriculum objectives was to capture an animal using a nature camera. 

1. What value does a nature camera bring to children?

I didn't realise how into it I would become and how much the children, especially the older (KS2) boys would love setting it up. Luckily this has been captured on film (see the video on Deep Learning below) The children didn't know that they had started the recording.... I love it because it has captured the magic of children's learning when they are left to it. Here are a few ways that children benefit from using a nature camera:

Independent Learning

Once children got the hang of the controls, I have to say they were a lot quicker at this than I would have been, they were able to set it up and check and retrieve the pictures on their own... great!

Problem solving

In the film you can hear them collaborating and working together to find solutions. Solving problems for themselves helps children grow in confidence and self esteem.

Connecting with nature

Capturing a live animal on film brings nature to life for children it teaches children to respect nature and want to preserve it. Children are fascinated by nature and are able to really get up close and personal if they use a nature camera. This helps children to notice the intricate details of different species. It also teaches children about nocturnal animals and species identification. 

High ceiling low floor activity

These are the best kind of activities for children. The phrase  means that the access point of learning is really low (low floor) so even very young children or children who find learning a challenge can learn from this activity. High ceiling, as in the sky is the limit, there is no ceiling on this learning you can take it as far as you want. 

2. What is a nature camera?

It is a really lightweight camera that is housed inside a waterproof case. It takes pictures and video using movement detection so will automatically start filming or take a picture                                                                      when something moves in front of it. This includes animals and birds but also children and anything the wind moves! You tend to get quite a few pictures that need deleting. It has 'night vision' so can still sense movement and take a picture using flash in the dead of night.

3. Where do you put it?

This is a case of trial and error and maybe a bit of luck but this is part of the fun. When we set up the camera that captured the video below we wanted to see if the bee was ok and never expected to capture the animal in the background! The camera comes with a tree strap so you can attach it to a tree in your garden or hide it in the woods at any height. The camera is camouflaged as well so you would be unlucky for someone to find it and take it.

4. What sort of things do you capture on film?

Maybe small mammals like: a mouse or a stoat, if you are lucky a badger, hedgehog or even a fox. Birds are easier to capture on film during the day. I put my camera next to the bird table and got some great pictures.

5. How much are they?

 On amazon this mini nature camera comes with an SD card I think, whereas I had to buy mine separately so this seems like quite a good deal at fifty quid. The one I bought looks pretty similar but it was called Victure HC100, this link is the nearest model I can find to mine at £44.99.

6. Do I need to buy anything else with it?

This is something I hadn't realised when I bought the camera, mine didn't come with an SD card so I had to buy one and I bought an SD card reader which is the easiest way to download your content I think. It looks like a USB; you take your SD card out of the camera and out it in the reader then plug into a USB port in your computer. Your images will appear on your computer for you to browse, download, edit etc.

..... and that's it. The nature camera is a definite for engaging boys particularly. 

I hope this is helpful. I will leave you with a little film I made about how the nature camera captured these boys interest and their learning ROCKETED!!