Camera Obscura

My 6th Grade class is continuing with the series on inventors.
We started on a few weeks that we'll be doing on photography and
cameras today. And the FIRST camera was a "camera obscura" - Aristotle
knew of this and da Vinci used it. The first practical use was by an
Iraqi scientist long ago (I've didn't write his name down)

http://brightbytes.com/cosite/what.html

One good link to more information.

To MAKE a camera obsura as I did above....get a large box (one you can
get your head inside with a lot of room to spare!). Tape a WHITE piece
of paper at one end (you'll be LOOKING at that piece of paper inside the
box). Tape the box up all around very, very well (I used duct tape) - you
want NO light coming in. Dark is good. Then cut a square large enough
to allow you to get your head in one end. At the end in which you put your
head - at the top, outside, you want a small hole - the size of a pencil maybe.
This will eventually be the only light you will have in the box.

Okay, outside, in the SUNSHINE (you will need a bright sunny day), put
your head in the box. Look at the paper. You may need someone to wrap
a towel or a sweater or something around your neck (see the smaller kids
photos) to block out ALL light even around the head area). You should
then see on the white paper images of what is behind you - they will be
reversed and upside down but it's weird and fun to see.

The kids all enjoyed it once they got over the idea of walking around with
a box on their heads.

Oh, and pranksters covering the hole with their fingers, well, it just makes
it VERY dark in the box!

Chris