Boo Wacky drops his first video, a time-lapse father/son Lego adventure. He filmed and edited just about the entire video, not bad for an elementary age kid. This video showcases the Lego Star Wars Republic Fighter Tank set.

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Behind the Scenes: Kid Friendly Video Equipment

Boo Wacky asked for YouTube equipment for Christmas. As parents that aren’t really up on too much of this stuff, we didn’t know what we needed to buy for him. Thankfully, I attended the Teaching with Technology conference in October and found a particularly helpful session on videomaking.

Now, everyone at this conference were professors in higher education and our speaker knew our plight well. He led the workshop with the statement, “You don’t need fancy high-priced equipment, I’m going to show you how to do this with your phone (iPhone 7) and affordable equipment.”

In other posts, I’ll tell you more about the equipment he recommended. But, for this post, let me share with you the equipment that we found under the Christmas tree.

Trust me, Santa spent a lot of time reading reviews on this equipment, and we found out that it was purchased at Amazon. I guess even Santa outsources these days.

Products Used For This Video

1. TAKSTAR SGC-598 Interview Microphone for Nikon/Canon Camera/DV Camcorder: The trainer at our workshop EMPHASIZED that a microphone must be used for a quality video. We are happy with this affordable microphone.
2. Smartphone Video Rig: This rig attaches to a tripod and holds the phone steady. The microphone and light kit may also attach to the rig. When not using a tripod, the hand grips help the phone stay steady during recording.

   

3. AmazonBasics 60-Inch Lightweight Tripod with Bag: This tripod is great! It is lightweight and compact. It works well in his tight bedroom as well as out and about, such as the videos that we will post soon of his Water Bottle Launcher science project.
4. 11 Inch Adjustable Articulating Israeli Friction Magic Arm: Right after Christmas, David realized that we forgot an important item, a device that suspends the phone over a project for close up shots. This is important for River’s handlettering videos (coming soon). Thankfully, this work perfect for Lego videos, too.

YouTube Star Wannabe?

Both my kids and my husband are joining the YouTube universe, creating videos of their hobbies. We see this as a great way for our kids to learn entrepreneurial skills, even if they don’t earn a dime, they will learn valuable lessons. David will review the products that we purchase for the family, like the products above, and River will have a hand lettering video posted soon(ish).

What do I do? They rely on me to write these blogs so that they can post their stuff. I am the family staff writer (ha!). That’s what I get for going to school all those years. I’d love for you to follow my blogging journey (more like fits and starts, growth mindset, anyone?)! So, check out Week 1, Week 2, and Week 3 to see what I’m learning.

If you have any questions about what we are learning, just comment on the post, we’d love to share what we learn. Be sure to “like”, “subscribe”, and share on your favorite social media. We feel really special when you do these things!

Now, YouTubers, I recommend the products above for your craft, food, and whatever else videos. We WOULD LOVE for you to purchase from our links, we earn a bit of commission off of your purchase.