I decided to make my nieces craft cameras for our recent trip to the River Safari. I don’t like them playing with handphones because I believe the screens are bad for eyesight and as a person who had to wear glasses at a very young age and suffered through doctor visits growing up, I wanted to limit their screen time. My sisters are anti-screen time for the kids and I support it. So instead of them obsessing over their parents’ phones, I wanted them to learn to take photos with a camera. I looked up a couple of ideas on Pinterest (the best website in the world for ideas).
I have a habit of saving old cardboard boxes. So, I used an old mini cereal box and toilet roll for the body and lens of the camera. A cereal box is a perfect size for the kids because it is small enough for them to hold.
- Mark the cereal box and cut out the circle from the toilet roll.
- Cut the toilet roll in half. You will only need half of the roll.
- Insert the toilet roll through the cut-out circle of the cereal box.
- Secure the toilet roll with some masking tape.

5. Cut out rectangles at the far right corner to create a viewfinder. Ensure that you try out the viewfinder so as to ensure it’s big enough for you to see through it. I secured the viewfinder with some masking tape to create a better tunnel for the viewfinder.

6. I created holes on each side of the box to secure a strap. Measure accordingly to ensure it’s a suitable length for the kid. I advise using ribbon instead of twine strings as the strap because strings tend to twirl and be a choking hazard.
7. I covered the whole camera with brown paper and design it accordingly to your preference. I didn’t copy it directly because it was not aesthetically my style. I googled film cameras to design the camera.
8. After adding your personal touch, I covered the camera with tape to make it waterproof or saliva-proof for my nieces.
Ta-da! Sit back and enjoy watching them take photos with their new cameras.
I personally was very happy and surprised at how much they enjoyed playing with their pretend camera. I have to say Hanna was very enthusiastic at taking photos. Hopefully, when they grow a little older, I could get them disposable cameras to see life in their point of view.
xoxo
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