Nursery World - Nursery activities (29)

Animals, pets and vets often get included in nursery themes. However, it is not always possible to introduce live animals to young children, particularly sharks, lions or tigers! So how about accessing some live web cams and introducing children to the wide world of the animal kingdom within the comfort of their nursery? 'What do you mean by a web cam?' I hear you say. Basically it is a digital video camera that, when connected to a computer, can upload images to a website for broadcast. Anyone with the right plug-in can then access the website and share the experience of looking at live video. In order to view a web cam you will need to have internet access (the faster the better) and a player such as Windows Media Player (standard on most PCs) or RealOne Player. Many web cam sites offer links where you can download these players for free.

'What do you mean by a web cam?' I hear you say. Basically it is a digital video camera that, when connected to a computer, can upload images to a website for broadcast. Anyone with the right plug-in can then access the website and share the experience of looking at live video. In order to view a web cam you will need to have internet access (the faster the better) and a player such as Windows Media Player (standard on most PCs) or RealOne Player. Many web cam sites offer links where you can download these players for free.

There are now thousands of websites with web cams but, like most things to do with the internet, it is important to look at sites before using them with your children. Two sites worth looking at for animal/pet web cams are www.exzooberance.com and www.petkingdom.org.

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