5 Fun Reasons to Have a School Library Photo Booth

I've noticed lately that Photo booths—in all shapes and sizes—are becoming increasingly popular at events.  From fairs, community outreaches, dances, weddings, even Bat Mitzvahs, the photo booth is providing more than fun and games. So, here's my list of 5 ways your school library (or classroom) can benefit from a photo booth.


This simple, easy, & cheap DIY Photo Booth has added a lot of FUN to our school library and our end of the year celebration, our June Jamboree.


WARNING: If you don't know what your school photo or BYOD policy is -  you really need to find out before creating a photo booth. Every district or school can be different.   But in our school we discourage most photos and videos being taken unless it's for a special event, part of a  classroom lesson or experiment, or for a good reason. A photo booth is a good reason! It's a good way to model appropriate (and fun, have I mentioned fun yet?) use of Social Media. Because I teach Middle School and the issues surrounding CIPA, I don't teach WITH Social Media, but I do USE Social Media to share and push the positive that happens every day in our school.


1. Destination 
The cool thing about a photo booth it creates yet ANOTHER reason for kids to flock to the Library Media Center. If they can't take pics in other parts of the school, I always say - bring your friends to our Photo Booth! Birthday? Photo Booth. Transferring away & and want memorable pics with your friends? Photo Booth. Shelfie? Photo Booth!


2. Engagement 
or I mustache you to gather round, folks!
I've noticed that parties or events that feauture photo booths, it really amps up the excitement. People start to dress up, talk, pose, get silly, and mix it up. This is a good thing for a school library! Positive engagement equals a positive opinion of the Library Media Center.


3. Shelfie
I've blogged before about the power of the shelfie. I usually take them from behind the Circ Desk right after a kid checks out a book as you can see above. But the Photo booth is another way to take that shelfie, with the shefie stick! (Just a stick that says #Shelfie-- heh heh see 3rd picture in this post) Read more: 12 Insta Easy Instagram Library & Literacy Promotion Ideas


4. Props
People love props. Kids love props. Who doesn't like dress up? Some kids are shy or parents don't want them to be in photos or on Social Media - props help break the ice or disguise them. They don't have to be expensive, either! I made some using my favorite Digital Photo fun destination @PicMonkeyApp. They have the emojis, call out graphics, Super Hero sayings, and great fonts to use! I've l've also added hats, sunglasses, discarded reading glasses, and plastic crowns sourced from donations and thrift shops.  Don't want to go to all the effort? That's OK! I did it for you! Download and print these 2 PDFs embedded below.




OR... get them on the cheap via Amazon.  Don't laminate them, I did that at first (naturally, we laminate everything) but it causes a glare. Then whatever stick you're using - whether what is included, a Popsicle stick, or pencil - re-enforce it on the back with packing or duct tape. I can't find the original set I bought on Amazon pictured below, maybe it's not available any longer at the same price. But this one is close! Don't you hate when that happens on Amazon? Price fluctuation? Here one day and gone the next?


I also bought a cardboard fancy picture frame and duct taped it to a foam core square to make it sturdy.


Awesome 7th grade Maths Teacher Ms. Behrens @lbehrens8511 also made a cool photo frame using cardboard and stick on letters that said MHMS Memories and we also borrowed that for the event. This frame was BIG! Look above, it fit five kids in one picture! Make sure you can fit in at least 2-3 kids when planning these.

Pro Tip: Go to your local thrift shop and pick up hats, glasses, wigs, costume jewelry, and other cute dress up stuff! Or ask for donations!

Pro Tip: Don't laminate the props, that will cause a glare! 

5. Celebrity
Add a little celebrity status to your Photo booth! This is kind of silly, but it was such a HOOT seeing kids pop on a celebrity mask and pose for a Photo Booth picture! I bought the Kim, Kanye, and Celine (with my own $) masks via Amazon. My friend Rebecca bought the Royal Family.  Who doesn't want the Queen, Harry, & the Markle Sparkle in their library?
Sequin Celine Dion T-Shirt Optional.
Ms. Gould got that in Las Vagas. As one does.
Don't be jealous.
Oh and how about the fact that kids being posted in the Photo Booth just being THEMSELVES -- makes them feel like a celebrity? Without the Kimye or Markle Sparkle effect?
That's a good thing!  

Last Min Tips!
HASHTAG IT!! Create a unique hashtag for your library, school, or event and use it liberally! Every picture gets the hashtag. BUT --- check it out first. You don't want to use a hashtag that links to inappropriate content.

Connect with the community via your hashtag. Use the hashtag for your school district, county, or state.

Twitter Example: #MHMSMd, #CelebrateHCPSS, #HCPSS, #HoCoMd, and #Maryland.
Instagram Example: #MHMSMd, #CelebrateHCPSS

With so much negative out there in the news, especially about public schools and teenagers, on Social Media, don't you think fun Photo Booth pics of kids is a great way to push the positive?

 Read more about this! Social Media Mind Shift


This is CHEAP
Another reason, which didn't make the five, this doesn't cost a lot of money to set up. I went to the Art Room and got some brown butcher paper and slapped it up on the wall using decorative duct tape as a border. Then I made signs promoting our school Library on my computer with fun fonts using and printing out with our laser jet on bright colored paper. But I did NOT laminate them because - again - glare. When I make a mistake, I want to make sure no one else makes that same mistake, that's why I keep mentioning this!

For the June Jamboree event I laminated colored plastic wrap with glitter, then layered the colors to create a shiny rainbow backdrop. 



Over that, I taped on the promotional signs with the event name, the hashtag, and our Twitter handle. These were not laminated and shiny. They can also be easily removed so the Photobooth background can be used again for another special event. Also, make sure you put the signs at the right height so that they won't be covered up by the kids or easily cut off by the camera.



You can also buy pre-made cloth ones on Amazon or just use cheap felt. I thought about using black or green and then you could later do Photoshop Green Screen effects with the pictures! 

See ALL The Pictures HERE!  
Photo Booth

Your turn!What kinds of things have you done to make the Library Media Center a destination or to bring kids into your library? Do you have a Photo Booth? Any other reasons you can think of that are good to have a Photo Booth? I stopped at 5 because of the alliteration and of course, lazy! LOL

As always, thank you for reading and have a great summer friends! 
Cheers dears!

Twitter: @GwynethJones  - IG: The Daring Librarian. Future Ready Teacher Librarian & Tech Leader. Mover, Shaker, Blogger, International Ed Tech Keynote Speaker, Blogger, & Google Certified.  Geek. Cottage Owner. Ridiculously Humble. My beach blog: The Coastal Cottage DE

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Makerspace for Little or Nothing

Image
Makerspace for Little or Nothing You don't have to spend thousands of dollars to start a Makerspace area. You don't have to have a designated room or rip out bookcases. You can even have a Makerspace on a cart! When we have testing in our Library, I put all our Makerspace stuff on an AV cart and roll it into our server room.  This post evolved from a previous post called Makerspace Starter Kit Updated where I had some of these idea, but I felt that it deserved it's own expanded post. You can take baby steps into the Maker Movement.  I've been saying that for 7 years or so....long before I blogged about it, I tried it out. Yeah, sometimes I try things on the sly to see if they are blogworthy for you! Now....having said that..... WARNING: Controversial Opinion Ahead.  I'm not 100% sold, even after 7 years of talking about the Maker Movement, that it's something that's here to stay and not just a fad. Even though I've (without knowing it!)...
Keep reading

Makerspace Starter Kit Updated

Image
Three years ago I shared my Makerspace Starter Kit with you or what I was buying to boost our Makerspace area using four empty Library study carrels that no longer held desktop Macs.  That post has consistently been one of the most viewed posts every week for years and years - with more than 83 THOUSAND views, gee whiz! (Crazy, right?) So, I thought maybe it was time to update it!*  Since then, I've had some major Makerspace successes and a couple dismal (and expensive) Makerspace failures!  So, here's the latest for ya'll with the good, the bad, and the bloody awful! Our MHMS Makerspace How it works: Kids can come in before the 1st period late bell rings, during lunch, or when they've finished their work in class to explore, craft, and create in the Library Media Center. It's not a "class" or an organized offering. It's a free form optional offering of constructivist learning and creativity! It's not as big as some and it hasn't tak...
Keep reading

Curating the Happy for Your Future Self

Image
Teacher Tip #112 Teacher Self-Care:  Create a Happy Folder In my School Library Media office desk I had a manilla folder where I carefully tucked all the hand written notes from kiddos & parents to read on a rainy day. I also SHAMELESSLY would first tape them to my office door (let the other teachers internally writhe with envy!)  Nah, really just to keep me motivated and also show the kiddos I appreciated their heartfelt little notes!  But.....before I tucked it away tenderly or taped it to my door, I took a picture of it and uploaded it to Flickr. A digital Happy Folder that pays back dividends of warm fuzzies and motivations for your future self.  Because, let's not kid ourselves, being an educator right now is HARD.  Start this habit NOW.  Don't be like me and wait 10 or 15 years. OK, some of that was because cell phones and digital cameras weren't as handy and as ubiquitous back then. But do your future self a favor, there will be days w...
Keep reading