For grown-ups
Setup guide
You're the one guiding your kid, especially at the beginning. Here's what to expect.
What you need
- Any camera: a phone, tablet, kid camera or borrowed camera. Fancy gear is optional.
- A charged battery and room for new photos.
- A few toys, flowers or blocks to photograph, a window, and some time outside.
- Optional: Portrait mode on a phone, a photo editor, a printer for the Portfolio.
How much help?
- Mostly on their own
- Notice + Learn parts, Animal Angles, Try Three, Just Ten, Theme, Color, Storytelling, Zoom in/out.
- A little help
- Gear setup (charging, making room, the photo button), the Morning + afternoon mission (it takes a whole day), Movement (choosing a safe spot).
- Grown-up help
- Editing (phone editor or Lightroom), Portrait mode or aperture in Background Detective, printing photos for the Portfolio.
Lessons that need a feature or help are labeled at the top.
Photos stay private
Kids never upload photos for this course. They take photos on their own camera, then tap “I'm back” to mark a mission done. Your family account is for grown-ups only — we never ask kids for an email, full name, birthday or a public profile.
Safety + kindness
- Ask before taking a photo of a person.
- Take photos in safe places — away from streets and stairs — with a grown-up nearby.
- Never look straight at the sun.
Make it feel real
Look through photos together and talk about them. If you can, print a few to display.