Last summer, I challenged my babysitting kids to come up with a story and then film it. Unfortunately, we ran out of time to finish, but this year, we created a simpler storyline and were able to make a finished product!

• Video Camera
• Video Editing Software

Story by Babysitting Family

The first movie we made together starred their stuffed animals, as they didn’t want to step in front of the camera yet. While the dialogue was pretty straightforward, it made all of us laugh as we were putting together the video. For example, evil porcupine is always evil.

We basically filmed multiple short clips like this, and then I stitched them together on basic video editing software. I used Windows Video Editor, which is the default for my laptop, but I know that there are much better apps out there. Still, the software served its purpose, allowing me to merge the individual clips and add closed captioning to the video.

I know that these movies are in no-way Oscar winners, but it’s a fun (and free) way for kids to explore their creativity! I honestly didn’t know what kind of stories they would come up with, but they demonstrated a goofy sense of humour and a moral code that their parents should be proud of. I hope that my babysitting kids can look back on these movies when they’re older, and still find them as perfect as I do today.

Until next time, happy crafting!