DIY Digital Gifts for Kids
DIY gifts are an engaging way to involve children in the spirit of giving at Christmas. These digital DIY gifts are perfect for the budding photographer and artist in your family, and can be adapted so all age levels can participate. Not only that, they easily become frame worthy presents that grownups will truly enjoy receiving and displaying. Below are three photo editing apps that can make everyday pictures extraordinary. You and your child could choose from photographs you have already taken, or go on an expedition to take pictures just for this occasion.
I’ve included examples of my own picture morphed into three different versions using each app. My starting picture is a shot I took when we first arrived on family vacation this summer and it is the view of the path from our condo to the beach. This place has special meaning for us since we have a family reunion (over 50 people usually!) every other summer in this same location.
The first app to experiment with is called Waterloge. I first discovered this app at a friend’s home. She had three framed pictures of local landmarks in her dining room, and I asked where she had found her artwork. It turns out, she created them herself with Waterloge! This app turns your pictures into water color paintings, and is ideal for landscapes, objects, and buildings. Wouldn’t it be neat to take a picture of Grandma’s house, the spot someone was married/engaged at, or a favorite, frequented local destination?
The next app, called Percolator, was introduced to me by an art teacher. I love it because it reminds me of a mosaic. The app is somewhat coffee themed, you can choose the “grind”, “brew”, and “serve” of your picture, but I prefer to use their examples and then tweak from there if needed. The various styles provided lead to endless artistic opportunity.
Finally we have Wordfoto (shown in title photo) I used it with fourth grade students when working on projects about their homes/families, and they loved it! This app allows you to transform your picture by recreating it out of words. Brainstorm a list of words describing your picture or the people in it, and then the app uses your word set to create your new picture.
Once you’ve altered your pictures using one of the apps above, simply have them printed as you would normally print pictures, select a frame, and you are ready to wrap a personalized, special gift!
