A photo booth is great rainy day fun or a perfect party activity. Set one up and let kids get silly in front of the camera with costumes, hats and their favorite Dr. Seuss books!
What you’ll need:
- something that takes pictures (camera, mobile device, laptop, etc.)
- someone to man the photo booth (or provide a remote)
- good lighting
- backdrop (and tape or other materials to secure it)
- books
- props, hats, and costumes and/or supplies for making hats, masks, mustaches and more
Directions:
While lots of digital devices and apps offer photo booth options, get creative with kids in creating your own backdrop, costumes and props. Dressing up is part of the fun! Have books on hand to generate ideas for scenes to depict and characters to bring to life.
Stage a backdrop by hanging boldly colored or patterned (but not shiny) wrapping paper or fabric on the wall. Or cover a wall with plain paper and provide kids with washable markers to create their own colorful backdrop of Truffula Trees, an ocean of red and blue fish, or a fantastic circus!
Provide interesting props and costume pieces inspired by Seuss titles like feather boas, plush toys, and fun hats. Or make your own 2-D cut out versions of Lorax mustaches, Horton ears, Cat hats and more. Attach them to straws for kids to hold and look as if they’ve just stepped out of their favorite Dr. Seuss story.
Add some writing and reading to your photos by making speech or thought bubbles cut out of poster board and attached to dowel rods. Kids can write of dictate words or phrases they want their characters to think or say.
And if you want to add more giggles, try some FUN-IN-A-BOX. Cut away one side of a large appliance box, leaving flaps that open at the top. Let kids get behind the box on the open side and don their costumes and props before popping out of the box to surprise you and the camera!
Try to select a spot for your photo booth in a brightly lit room or where there’s a lot of natural light. Having a grown-up or older child on hand to man the photo booth is a good ideas, but really depends on the ages of kids and how comfortable you are with them using your camera or other device to take pictures.
Print out photos and give them out as party favors, email them later as a thank you, or use them to create a special book to read on another rainy day!