I would be lying if I said I wasn’t just a little bit excited about today’s Tech T@lk. In fact, I am super excited! This week’s is a little different than usual — I am going to provide you all with the holiday present of your dreams! That’s right! Prepare to be amazed as I give you…

OK, so what is Stop Motion Animation?

Stop motion is an animation technique which has been around for more than 100 years. It is a form of video production/editing, that uses a series of individual static images sequenced together to make a moving video.

In each image or ‘frame’, the character and scene of the image change ever so slightly to create the illusion of movement when all the photos are played back together in quick succession.

In classrooms of the past we would have called these ‘Flip Books’. Do you remember those little stick-man pictures we used to draw in the corner of our school books and when we flicked the pages it looked like he was doing backflips??? Well our boredom buster project is just like that… but we will be using a digital forum to produce the moving image. To assist you in getting involved in this challenge take a look at this ‘how to’ video.

These fantastic little videos can be produced using an iPad, a phone or by using a digital camera.

Now, before you become too worried about your ability to produce a stop motion animation of your own, I encourage you to have a look at the following videos.

The first is a short stop motion that my girls produced during the school holidays when they were about 7 and 8 years old. It is 16 seconds long and portrays the life of a very unfortunate fellow who always falls over.

The second is a compilation of fabulous stop motion videos created just this past week by PoP students from Class 3C.

In creating these awesome little videos, the students have had to work creatively to come up with their narrative; they have collaborated around the different roles involved (narrator, editor, photographer, set designer and so many more); and have communicated clearly and carefully with each other to overcome problems with their set design, narrative and other environmental factors.

Aren’t they  simply amazing!

So why is this really a great opportunity for you and your child?

1. It is an opportunity for we, as adults, to accept (and admit) that sometimes we do not know the ‘how to’ of everything and that we need to hand over that level of instruction and control to our children — let them teach you!
2. This may be a unique opportunity for you to learn a new skill, and most importantly through the process, model mistake-making to your child. Be sure to demonstrate that you have a growth mindset for this challenge and perhaps even seek, and graciously accept feedback from your child on how you went and what you can look to improve on next time.
3. Stop motion animation, if handled with care and thought, is an activity that requires, patience, diligence, resilience, problem solving, communication and courage. It is a safe and digitally focussed task that develops all of these incredible character traits. It is an awesome opportunity for your child to see how you demonstrate these traits too.
4. This challenge will provide a common ground for a personal connection between you and your child. Perhaps you have to work on the holidays, this project might allow you to set your child a small achievable task while you are at work, such as gather the equipment needed, or make the set — so that when you arrive home you can spend some time together capturing the images.

It is time to creep out of the bushes of uncertainty and dabble in a little video magic with our children. All the very best.

♥ Mrs V xox

(Novice Minecraft player, Level 11 Clash Royale Clan Leader, firm but loving digital parent, mistake-maker and Head of Junior School)