One of the most interesting pieces of mail we receive is "News from France," a monthly newsletter from the French Embassy. Articles cover a myriad of topics, from films and embassy happenings, to cultural events and news from Paris. This past month there was a nice piece about a woman who is using her camera to capture daily life in her city (Cote d'Azur) and posts it on a photo blog (www.mentondailyphoto.com). Her simple yet wonderful photos showcase the spirit and flavor of where she lives.
After perusing the article (and resisting the urge to grab my camera and jump on a plane), a thought began to materialize. Wouldn't this be a fantastic project for local DC homeschoolers? There are endless fascinating things to be photographed in and around the nation's capitol.
Well-known landmarks, like the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument, are just the tip of the iceberg. Your homeschoolers could snap photos of flowers and vegetables as they move through their summer life cycle. Photos of kids with squirt guns, or running through sprinklers. Snapshots of people touring downtown, a family enjoy a Sunday sail, or an older couple, walking hand-in-hand through Georgetown.
Best of all, you could use this project to spend some time truly exploring the area in and around DC, to see what treasures you might be missing. Have you been to the Naval Academy in Annapolis? Perhaps this is the time to request a tour. When was the last time you walked through Baltimore's Inner Harbour at night? Take your homeschoolers (and a tripod or monopod) for some unusual photos. The incredible National Harbour area, just outside of Oxon Hill, MD, is beautiful, and full of things to photograph.
Your homeschoolers could take photos of anything that interests them, or limit themselves to a particular subject or topic. For example, they could locate historical markers and take a photo of each. There are hundreds in our area, in the suburbs too (not just downtown). Old churches offer excellent photo opportunities, and a photo collage of the wide variety of churches in our area could be quite the start to a local history project.
You could even make it a two-part project. Help your homeschooler photographs things like the sculpture garden (near the National Gallery of Art) now, and then return in the autumn (or winter), and do a comparison of photos from the different seasons.
Some unique places for photography expedition:
Francis Scott Key Park in Georgetown (35th and M St.)
Clara Barton National Historic Site (Glen Echo, MD)
Einstein statue by the National Academy of Sciences (Foggy Bottom)
Gothic buildings at Georgetown University
"The Awakening" sculpture at National Harbor
The archway into Chinatown (in Washington, DC)
Stained glass windows at Washington National Cathedral
Franciscan Monastery Gardens (Qunicy St., NE)
Water taxi ride (Annapolis, MD), plus the many quaint streets and alleys
Whether your homeschooler decides to take a "photo a day" for their project, or you make weekly excursions in and around DC, subjects to photograph should only be limited by your time and willingness to drive. As the summer winds down, be sure to help your homeschoolers share their photos via a blog, a collage or a scrapbook!
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