A boy's life. In pictures.

Yet again, I'm lifting ideas from the book The Creative Family by Amanda Soule. For me, the book is like flipping through pages made entirely of gold--there are so many unusual, inventive activities to try with children. LOVE IT. The activity in the following story came from the book...

Anyhoo, this weekend Jack and Charlie and I made an unexpected stop on the way home from the grocery store after a huge yard sale came into view. Oh, good heavens. I'm so glad we stopped. Not only did I get my dream rotary-cutting table for 15 bucks:

And these fancy shoes (that cost more than the table):

I also picked up an old Polaroid One Step camera for $1. During my next trip to the grocery store, I picked up Polaroid film. For $16. For 10 pictures. Eeek. But wait, I'm straying from the story...

After loading up the camera and making sure it worked:

  It does...

Jack and I set out on a neighborhood walk to search for ONE SPECIAL THING Jack could take a picture of. We walked and walked. And then we walked. And then we, well, you know. Finally, Jack stopped. He pointed toward some coneflowers in full bloom in someone's yard, just along the sidewalk. "I want to take a picture of these," he said. He plopped the cowboy hat he was wearing down on the sidewalk. He was ready.

I gave Jack the camera and told him to look through the hole until he saw what he wanted to take a picture of, then to push the button. Big bulky camera in a boy's tiny hands. Jack squinted one eye, then the other, moved the camera this way and that. Then he pushed the button. The photo shot out of the front of the camera. "Let's look!" Jack said.

We set the photo on the sidewalk and sat down in front of it to watch the image emerge. First textures, then hues. This is what Jack captured:

Jack looked at his photo for a few moments. "I like it," he said.

"It's beautiful," I told him. "You know what you are now?"

"What?"

"A photographer."

"I am?"

"Yep."

"That is so cool. It's just awesome! You know, Peter Parker is a photographer too, mom."

"Yes, I know."

(For those of you who aren't familiar with the superhero world, Peter Parker is also known as the amazing Spiderman.)

So, a life in pictures begins. I've started an "On Polaroid" blog category to share more photos as Jack takes them. We'll keep the originals, numbered, in an album. My plans are to make time for one special Jack-and-mom walk each week to let him take more pictures. My plan is also to have him continue to take them until he turns 18. Although I'm terrified to think how much the film will cost then . . .

I'm the mom--my view is certainly subjective. But heck, I think this kid's a natural.